PENGARUH VARIASI KONSENTRASI WAX ADDITIVE TERHADAP GLOSS DAN KETAHANAN GESEK TINTA WATER BASED PADA SUBSTRATE BROWN KRAFT

The print quality of paper-based packaging is influenced by the ink formulation used. One of the additives commonly applied to improve print quality is a wax additive. The addition of wax additives to water-based inks can affect the surface characteristics of printed products, particularly gloss and rub resistance. This study aimed to determine the effect of varying wax additive concentrations on the gloss and rub resistance of water-based ink printed on brown kraft substrates. The research employed an experimental method by adding wax additives to water-based ink at concentrations of 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%. The samples were printed on brown kraft substrates under identical printing conditions. Gloss testing was conducted using a gloss meter, while rub resistance testing was performed using a rub test method. The obtained data were analyzed based on the average values of each concentration level to evaluate the effect of wax additive addition on print quality. The results indicated that variations in wax additive concentration affected both gloss and rub resistance of the water-based ink. The addition of wax additives at certain concentrations improved rub resistance without significantly reducing the visual quality of the printed surface. Therefore, wax additives can be considered an effective alternative for enhancing the performance of water-based inks in brown kraft packaging applications.
Keywords: water-based ink, wax additive, gloss, rub resistance, brown kraft.
Kualitas hasil cetak pada kemasan berbahan kertas dipengaruhi oleh formulasi tinta yang digunakan. Salah satu bahan aditif yang sering digunakan untuk meningkatkan kualitas hasil cetak adalah wax additive. Penambahan wax additive pada tinta water based dapat memengaruhi karakteristik permukaan hasil cetak, terutama nilai gloss dan ketahanan gesek (rub resistance). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh variasi konsentrasi wax additive terhadap gloss dan ketahanan gesek tinta water based pada substrat brown kraft. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode eksperimen dengan menambahkan wax additive ke dalam tinta water based pada variasi konsentrasi 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, dan 7%. Sampel kemudian dicetak pada substrat brown kraft menggunakan kondisi proses yang sama. Pengujian gloss dilakukan menggunakan gloss meter, sedangkan pengujian ketahanan gesek dilakukan menggunakan metode rub test. Data hasil pengujian dianalisis berdasarkan nilai rata-rata setiap variasi konsentrasi untuk mengetahui pengaruh penambahan wax additive terhadap kualitas hasil cetak. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa variasi konsentrasi wax additive memberikan pengaruh terhadap nilai gloss dan ketahanan gesek tinta water based. Penambahan wax additive pada konsentrasi tertentu mampu meningkatkan ketahanan gesek tanpa menurunkan kualitas visual hasil cetak secara signifikan. Oleh karena itu, penggunaan wax additive dapat menjadi salah satu alternatif untuk meningkatkan performa tinta water based pada aplikasi kemasan berbahan brown kraft.
Kata Kunci: tinta water based, wax additive, gloss, ketahanan gesek, brown kraft.