Technical Guide · 2026-09-10

Alcohol-free fountain solution on sheetfed presses: a conversion checklist

Dropping IPA changes conductivity, dampening, and ink take-up. Convert with meters and a named concentrate, not with a rumour that “eco fount works in any tank.”

fountain solutionalcohol-freeIPAsheetfedconductivity

Why plants drop alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol thins the fountain, helps it spread, and evaporates. Plants drop it for VOC, cost, or a customer rule. Alcohol-free concentrates replace that with surfactants and a conductivity window you must actually measure.

HuiRun lists Druckmeister D+ all-purpose alcohol-free fountain and an anti-calcium alcohol-free variant from the Furey chemical pages. They are not interchangeable with every bottle in the wash-up cupboard.

Read pH and conductivity every shift after the change.
Match the mix ratio on the TDS; do not copy the old IPA percentage.
Calcium on the plate edge is a water-quality problem as much as a fount problem.
Ink tack will feel different; expect a short density recertification.
Quote the named Druckmeister grade we can ship from Hefei.

Conversion sequence

Dump and clean tanks, filters, and pans. Scale hides in corners and will fake your new conductivity. Mix a fresh batch with the hydrometer or meter the maker specifies. Run waste sheets until the old alcohol film is gone.

Do not mix leftover IPA fount into the new drum “to use it up.”

Ink pairing

Stay-open high-gloss grades such as LOCOER LC-0022 often run alcohol-free once the window is stable. If emulsification rises, check dose and water hardness before you blame the ink tin.

UV trains need UV-compatible founts. Do not put a conventional fountain on a UV unit because the drum was open.

Anti-calcium grades

Hard water and some boards dump calcium onto rollers and plates. An anti-calcium fountain is a process aid, not a water-softener plant. If conductivity still races, test the incoming water.

What the quote covers

We pass through mix windows from the manufacturer TDS. We do not certify your municipal water. Send hardness, press model, and whether you run alcohol today; we will quote a listed concentrate and a trial drum.

Key questions

What is the short answer?: Dropping IPA changes conductivity, dampening, and ink take-up. Convert with meters and a named concentrate, not with a rumour that “eco fount works in any tank.”
Why plants drop alcohol: Isopropyl alcohol thins the fountain, helps it spread, and evaporates. Plants drop it for VOC, cost, or a customer rule. Alcohol-free concentrates replace that with surfactants and a conductivity window you must actually measure.
How should the numbers in this article be used?: The ranges here are typical shop practice. Confirm them on your press, paper lot, and lamps or dryer. Catalog numbers stay on the data sheet; the signed sheet comes from a trial.

The ranges here are typical shop practice. Confirm them on your press, paper lot, and lamps or dryer. Catalog numbers stay on the data sheet; the signed sheet comes from a trial.