Why magnetize digital magnetic stock for sheet-fed equipment but not wide format inkjet equipment?
It's a fair question. After all, if you're purchasing magnetic stock, you obviously want the outcome of your printing project to be magnetic, right? So why does unmagnetized magnetic stock even exist? The answer lies in the type of printing equipment you're using.

Using sheet-fed digital printing equipment?
Most sheet-fed digital printing presses have parts that are made with steel and other ferrous metals, i.e. metals that contain iron for improved strength and durability. These metals are magnetic, so you can imagine the havoc caused if magnetic sheet upon magnetic sheet were to be fed through the equipment. Not only would the sheets stick to every metal surface during processing; they'd stick together upon landing in the feed drawer, making any desire to print pretty much impossible.

What's the solution? Unmagnetized magnetic substrates. These can be processed through sheet-fed digital printing presses without any hassle, and then magnetized post-printing.

Using a wide-format inkjet printer?
The inner workings of wide-format inkjet equipment also include metal. However, the metals used on the parts that make direct contact with substrates are non-ferrous metals like aluminum, copper, tin and zinc, i.e. metals that are not magnetic. As a result, magnetic substrates that are already charged can be used without any problems.

In short.
That's why digitally printable magnetic substrates for wide format inkjet are charged whereas those for sheet-fed equipment require off-line magnetizing.

And there you have it - unmagnetized magnetic substrates demystified!

Mike Morten is the Digital Product Line Manager for Ariva. Mike has been in the paper and print industry for 30 years and for the past five years has managed Ariva's digital and wide format portfolio.