The new ink is claimed to overcome problems associated with the aluminium pigments found in Pantone 877 Silver, including colour-blend stability and diminished visual appearance following the addition of a varnish.

Clive Harper, managing director of IPT, said: "This new ink offers the best printed silver for offset litho production that I have seen. The technology behind the creation of this ink means that it provides for a far more stable colour and the printed product is also suitable for additional processing, such as adding varnish, lamination or employing foil stamping effects."

Crawley-based IPT, which is the main UK agent for Van Son offset and flexo inks, as well as Eckart metallic inks, added that Metalstar 06 7500 would give offset printers the ability to print "cleaner and more vibrant metallic colours that are much more consistent and stable throughout the press run".

IPT said the main reason for the improvements offered by the premium metallic ink is the fact that the pigment remains homogenously dispersed within the printed ink film, yielding minimal brilliance loss and offering consistent colour and hue across all viewing angles.