Editing Inkometer (section)

{{Short description|Instrument for measuring the adhesiveness of ink}}
An '''inkometer''' is a specialized [[measuring instrument]] used by the [[printing]] industry to measure the "tack" ([[adhesive]]ness) of an ink with the roller system on an offset press.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SkErD0t5S4C&pg=PA493 |page=493 |title=Paint Testing Manual |author=Sward |year=1972 |isbn=9780803100992 |publisher=American Society for Testing & Materials}}</ref> The importance of tack is that it is not so excessive that it doesn't allow effective transfer from the rollers to the plate and then to the blanket and onto the substrate being printed.  Inks can also be tack "graded" in descending sequence to allow for better trapping of one color over another.  Inks with too much tack can cause the surface of the paper to pick off and interfere with transfer on subsequent printing units and copies.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cOrSBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205 |page=205 |title=Printed Organic and Molecular Electronics |year=2013 |isbn=9781441990747 |publisher=[[Springer (publisher)|Springer US]] |editor1=Daniel R. Gamota |editor2=Jie Zhang |editor3=Krishna Kalyanasundaram |editor4=Paul Brazis}}</ref>

The amount of tack can be controlled by changing the amount of [[solvent]] or other diluent used in the ink. The inkometer is made up of three rollers.  The center roller is a temperature controlled brass roller, the bottom roller is an oscillating rubber distribution roller.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IjROBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA93 |page=93 |title=Printing on Polymers; Fundamentals and Applications |year=2015 |isbn=9780323375009 |publisher=[[Elsevier Science]] |editor1=Joanna Izdebska |editor2=Sabu Thomas}}</ref> The top roller is attached to a load cell which measures the tack at a given press speed (i.e. 800 feet per minute for a web press or 15000 sheets per hour for an offset press){{citation needed|date=May 2022}}