What Information Should Be Provided Before Testing a New Industrial Ink?

A useful ink trial starts before the first sample is dispatched. The single largest driver of a productive trial is the quality of the information exchanged between the customer and the ink supplier at the start. A trial without that context can pass on the customer's line and still be the wrong shortlist for their application.

Axion Group works with pharmaceutical manufacturers and their production engineers to structure this exchange. The list below is what we ask for — and why each item matters.

Machine and print process details

Every ink is formulated with a specific print process in mind. The first block of questions we ask covers:

• Coder or printer make, model, and print technology (TIJ, CIJ, flexographic, rotogravure, laser, etc.)
• Nominal line speed and range of production speeds
• Print head orientation and stand-off distance
• Any print-head heater or dryer settings

A cartridge intended for a specific thermal-inkjet platform will not necessarily perform in a related but different platform. Knowing the exact machine model prevents a candidate ink being trialled outside its intended application.

Substrate specifications

The substrate is the second block. It is worth asking the substrate supplier for as much of this as you can:

• Substrate type and full grade / part number
• Coating or lacquer on the print side
• Corona or plasma pre-treatment (if any) and time since treatment
• Storage conditions of the substrate in the plant
• Any known lot-to-lot variability the supplier has previously flagged

Substrate variability is a common cause of "the trial worked but production doesn't." Documenting the substrate lot used for the trial makes it possible to correlate future performance issues to substrate changes.

Existing ink and known issues

If the customer is already coding on the line, the incumbent ink is a useful reference:

• Product name, cartridge reference, or ink code currently in use
• Any known performance issues (adhesion, drying, cartridge life, cost)
• Whether the customer is looking for a like-for-like replacement or a change of chemistry
• Any prior alternatives that were trialled and rejected — and why

Sharing this context prevents a repeat trial of a chemistry that has already been ruled out.

Production environment

The environment shapes the trial as much as the ink does:

• Ambient temperature and relative humidity at the coding station
• Any downstream processes the printed pack will encounter (heat seal, autoclave, hot-water rinse, cold storage)
• Verification method — camera, scanner, or manual
• Line lighting and any factors that affect visual quality control

An ink that performs perfectly under bench conditions can be marginal under actual line conditions if the environment was not part of the trial design.

Sample volume, timeline, and evaluation criteria

Finally, the practical exchange:

• What sample volume is needed for a bench trial? For a short production run?
• What is the timeline for the trial? Is there a change-control window?
• What are the customer's acceptance criteria for the trial (legibility, adhesion, drying, verification pass rate)?
• Who signs off the trial on the customer side, and what documentation do they need?

A trial with vague acceptance criteria produces a vague answer. Aligning on the criteria in advance is the cheapest way to protect the trial's usefulness.

Working the checklist

None of this is complicated, but the trials that go smoothly are the ones where these questions have been answered in writing before the sample is dispatched. Axion Group supplies candidate inks through our international supply network; product suitability is subject to application testing on the customer's actual line. The checklist above is how we get the most out of that testing.

If you are preparing a trial and want a fillable version of this checklist, get in touch. The exchange in advance is usually the difference between a trial that produces a change-control-ready evidence base and one that produces a data set with too many open questions to act on. A pharmaceutical evaluation is expensive in engineering hours; making the trial productive on the first attempt is what protects that spend.

Axion Group works this way with pharmaceutical customers and their engineering teams. Product suitability for a specific application is confirmed through application testing under the customer's actual production conditions.