GLOSS

What is gloss
Gloss is the brightness is a surface. A mirror exhibits the maximum gloss and a mat
velvet surface exhibits the least gloss. In essence, gloss for the printing - coating sector
is a visual effect occurring when assessing the appearance of a printed surface. It is
often employed as a rate of quality for a product, particularly with respect to materials
whose aesthetic ac is critical to their sale (e.g. motor cars, furniture, food packs etc).

Factors that influence gloss

The perception of gloss for a surface depends on the following attributes:
1. physical properties of the assessed surface
- type of material (i.e. metal, plastic etc.)
- surface finish (mat. rough),
- transparency
- substrate type where the sample is to be applied
2. illumination used (direct or diffuse)
3. measuring instrument employed
Assessment of this property by humans furthermore depends on physiological
characteristics of the observer's eye (age, gender etc.) as well as their mood

Main categories
Gloss is divided into the following three main categories:
1. specular gloss: represents brightness of the reflected image
2. bloom gloss: pertains to the dull, frosted pattern of a coating film
3. surface uniformity gloss: refers to the occurrence of roughness on the coating /
surface observed; these are connected to macro - structure defects
Quantification and assessment of this characteristic for the ink sector, focuses on the first
of the above categories.

Gloss measurement - international standards

Reflectometers are instruments used to suppress the human factor and precisely
calculate the reflected radiation at a specific angle.
The following are the most significant standards that apply:
ISO 2813 Paints and varnishes - Determination of specular gloss of non metallic paint
films at 20, 60 and 85.
ASTM D 523 Standard method for specular gloss
DIN 67530 The reflectometer as a means of assessing the specular gloss of smooth
painted and plastic surfaces.

The following points are common to the above international methods:

1. Determination of instrument parameters:
- sample angle of lighting / angle of measuring reflected radiance 20/60/85
- incident and reflected lighting pass aperture dimensions
- focus lenses (perpendicular active cross section)
- appropriate light source (small filament incandescent lamp)
- radiance receptor sensitivity (photocell)
Angle of lighting determines experimental measurements. For the purpose od assessing
gloss over the entire range of tests (high - gloss samples to mat test samples), three
different lighting and measurement angles have been adopted by the printing ink, varnish
and coating industries.
a. 20 high gloss surfaces (automotive coatings, plastics, varnishes and
treated - finished metal etc.)
b. 60 average gloss surfaces (more common angle applicable to inks, varnishes,
plastic , leather, anodized aluminum surfaces etc)
c. 85 mat surfaces (mat prints, interior automotive parts, textiles etc.)

The following are specific angles applied in other industries.

45 - ceramics
20 - paper industry ( standards)
2. Instrument calibration
Our instrument measures a value that corresponds to the relative reflected radiance rate,
R'. The following is the standard for calibration:
- dark glass, n = 1.567
Standard test sample shall be regularly inspected. Device shall be subjected to frequent
calibration and these calibrations must not deviate by more than + 1 unit.
The following errors are often mentioned during device calibration:
A. Standard test sample is soiled (dirt, fingerprints)
. Standard test sample wear is observed
C. Ageing and deterioration of standard test sample is observed
D. Improper standard test samples are utilized (reduced gloss)
Standard test sample shall be subject to annual inspection by accredited labs to avoid
erroneous gloss assessments.

3. Test sample preparation

The following requirements must be met by the test sample to be subject to gloss
measurement:
- level
- free from surface defects (scratches, pitting etc)
- uniform colour coating
- luminescent pigmented film layer
4. Measurement and selection of appropriate angle
Measurement of gloss of a surface is the quantity of radiation reflected by the test sample
at a specific angle, always compared to the specifically defined standard surface (dark glass, =
1.567).
Test sample is first measured at an angle of 60. Values obtained for R' shall be between
10 and 70 units.
Should measurements exceed 70 units, test sample shall be re-evaluated at a 20 angle.
In case values are less than 10 (or 30 according to DIN standard), then an angle of
measurement of 85 is used. At least three measurements are applied to each test
sample. In case the range of values obtained exceeds five units, the additional
measurements are conducted. The following format is always used to report the final
angle measurement: e.g. for 20 angle, the value recorded is R'20 = 55 units.

Radiance reflected on a coated surface complies with the Fresnel formula. The amount
of radiance reflected or absorbed by a surface is dependent upon angle of lighting. In
case of mat surfaces, reflected radiance is allocated over a wide range of angles and
only part thereof is received by the receiver of the device. Thus, assuring precision of
measurement largely depends on the appropriate selection of angle of measurement.

5. Mathematic model employed

When a level printed surface is lit by a directional beam of intensity at incident angle equal to ,
energy / light beam is divided to the following two parts: the propagated beam and the
reflected beam IR at an angle '.

- incident radiance
Radiance component, , influences print opacity and colour while IR component determines
gloss i.e. intensity of the reflected image. Direction of reflected beam is derived from the
law of reflection ( = '). The reflected beam is scattered to a certain extent due to
imperfections in the structure of the test sample. For a flat, smooth test sample, gloss R'
is the rate of reflected radiance to incident radiance; this depends on angle and the
diffraction rate of the coating, .

Fresnel formula for non - polarized light

Reflection ratio is proportional to n factor, as well as when angle exceeds 40. The
following formula is derived by correlating the test sample rate of reflection to the
reflection rate with respect to the standard test sample: