Technology | What to Watch: Inks
“As always, Epson continues to work globally with legislative bodies and local chemical and print associations to negate any impact on end customers,” he says. “As Epson owns the intellectual property for the ink and its manufacture, complete control is retained. It also enables the company to reformulate ink when necessary. “To date that has meant we have ensured Epson SurePress and ColorWorks inks are compliant with EU Framework Regulation, Good Manufacturing Practices, Plastics Implementation Measure Regulation and are included in Swiss Ordinance on Food Contact Materials for food packaging printing inks. Encarna Luque, EMEA product manager at Roland
DG, also stresses how “regulations to ensure sustainability and safety standards are becoming more stringent every day in relation to the use of non- harmful components in printing inks.” He continues: “Roland has been expanding its range of products to meet market demands while helping to save costs with the introduction of next- generation inks in the three large product families. These include eco UV inks, quick-drying eco-solvent inks, and odourless water-based resin inks that simplify ventilation requirements. “The evolution of inks has led us to develop printing solutions for each of the existing types of inks aimed at different types of applications. The latest include the VersaObject MO-240 UV printer, the TrueVis SG3 and VG3 series of eco-solvent printers with high pigment density inks, and two solutions that use water-based inks - the TrueVis AP-640 and Dimensor-S.” Mike Boyle, global head of large format go-to- , fl ags up that “research shows that 85%
market at HP
of PSP customers now demand sustainable products and practices, which is expected to have a signifi cant impact on the wide-format digital print sector.” Boyle says HP is playing a part in this trend by offering its Latex printing solutions. “The fact that one in fi ve printers sold in the large-format market is an HP Latex device shows this is a trend already well underway. We expect the demand for water-based ink solutions to increase in the next few years and are already working on innovative new solutions to meet customer needs.” At InkTec, managing director Joey Kim, reckons that “the wide-format digital print sector is poised for signifi cant advancements in the next 12-24 months, with a particular focus on ink developments. In fact, we are currently enhancing our ink production in South Korea with an expansion of our ink factory which we see as playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of wide-format digital printing. “The most notable development is the emergence of textile pigment ink for DTF and DTG printing. We are seeing this as having a profound impact. This is also refl ected in sales of our SubliNova dye sublimation inks.”
He too points to an increased requirement for assurances about ink from both a safety and environmental perspective, “which is why certifi cations like the OEKO-TEX Eco passport and RoHS compliancy will become more important.”
That message is only strengthened by Marc
Verbeem at Mimaki. “In the wide-format digital print sector, ink developments are poised to make signifi cant impact, particularly in areas of sustainability and technological advancement. “One trend we expect to see is in the increased
THE MOST NOTABLE DEVELOPMENT IS THE EMERGENCE OF TEXTILE PIGMENT INK FOR DTF AND DTG PRINTING
development of eco-friendly inks. As environmental awareness grows, there is a rising demand for eco- friendly inks to support companies in pursuing their sustainability objectives. The European Union has been proactive in implementing regulations aimed at protecting human health and the environment from potentially harmful chemicals and substances. Therefore, it’s likely that regulations on inks would become more stringent in Europe, especially considering the global trends towards environmental protection and safety. This aligns with our own commitment to sustainability, with the pursuit of environmental certifi cations such as bluesign. By investing in eco-friendly ink formulations, we aim to minimise our customers’ environmental footprints, while meeting the evolving needs of our customers and the industry at large. Verbeem continues: “Another development we can see continuing is the adoption of UV LED printing technology driving advancements in UV- curable inks. UV LED printing promotes energy effi ciency and low power consumption, making it a sustainable choice for wide-format printing. “As UV LED technology gains popularity, UV-curable inks are evolving to offer improved adhesion, fl exibility, and durability on various substrates. Mimaki has been working at the forefront of UV LED technology development and continues to innovate in this space. One example being our latest UCJV330-160 print-and- cut machine, featuring 2.5D print capabilities, which exemplifi es our commitment to pushing the boundaries of UV printing technology. Mimaki looks to continue innovation in ink developments over the coming year, striving to lead the industry towards more sustainable and technologically advanced solutions.” Dirk Brouns, vice president large-format graphics at Canon production printing, ends: “We see a clear increasing interest regarding sustainability both from print buyers, print service providers and from legislators across Europe and the USA. Our inks are UL Greenguard Gold certifi ed, are free of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and are safe for use in well supervised print environments. Furthermore, our inks often don’t require lamination thereby reducing the need of plastics. Our energy effi cient LED curing and our low ink usage also support customers in their desire to reduce their carbon footprint. “We’ll continue to invest in using more sustainable ink ingredients for the large-format graphics production printing market worldwide. Our research and development team is continuously working to ensure our inks meet all criteria in a world where sustainability goes hand-in-hand with opening up new applications for our customers.”
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