However, is the industry about to get a massive wake up call from environmental legislation? One area receiving significant attention is inks, where the industry is starting to make real progress in going green. This article looks at what is being done and what you can do for the green agenda.

Going green

Roland DG's print product manager, Mat Drake, said: "If the print industry is to improve its environmental credentials, and avoid the kind of attacks suffered by the packaging and air travel industries, it is essential that we continue to develop inks that are as gentle to the environment as possible. Beyond the obvious need to maintain a healthy environment, there is the fact that today's corporations and consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever, and are becoming more so by the day.

"Climate change is the issue at the forefront of everyone's mind and is firmly at the top of the corporate and public agenda. Thus, more than ever, print buyers for large corporations demand that their print is produced with eco-friendly inks and on eco-friendly substrates. This makes them also likely to prefer dealing with companies who display a similarly responsible attitude.

"A balance must be struck between technology and our duty to the environment. By this I mean avoiding, as much as possible, any unnecessary harm to the environment while providing a solution that meets the needs of the market. Efforts by manufacturers, such as Roland, to develop inks that are sympathetic to the environment continue to make striking this balance easier for environmentally conscious printers.

"Printers used to rely solely on full solvent inks to guarantee the durability of un-laminated prints and outdoor graphics. However, the introduction of eco-solvent inks (with less solvent content but the same durability, scratch resistance and UV stability) has provided a more environmentally friendly alternative. Eco-solvent inks emit far less harmful gasses and Roland's Eco-Sol Max range of ink is unique in that it is xylene and cyclohexanone free: good news for the environment and the user. Eco-Sol Max also goes further than its competitors therefore reducing the amount of raw materials needed per square metre, they also require less aggressive cleaning substances during maintenance.

"There are only a limited number of companies producing eco-solvent inks, but more will do so. Continued developments, for example, in the use of corn oil as a carrier for ink pigment, are further minimising the impact of the print industry on the environment: helping to keep the planet healthy and improving the industry's reputation."

Environmentally friendly

As expected, forward thinking manufacturers are working hard on these issues, EFI's award-winning BioVu ink is a good example of an environmentally-friendly solvent ink made with a renewable resource: corn.

BioVu inks are the only solvent ink recognised by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are designed to provide the benefits of traditional solvent inks without the harmful VOCs. The inks are formulated to deliver a wide range of brilliant colours, extreme durability and strong bonding to uncoated surfaces. There are also benefits for new print shops because special ventilation and burner systems can be avoided and disposal costs lowered.

The inks currently operate in the Vutek 3360 product line, offering a good all round alternative to traditional inks and ensuring users can do their bit for the green agenda.

Another interesting solution comes from Bordeaux Digital PrintInk which has developed environmentally friendly inks for solvent based printers.

Bordeaux Digital PrintInk CEO, Moshe Zach, said: "Bordeaux Digital PrintInk has a deep understanding of the future digital printing market, and is one of the first environmentally oriented inkjet companies. Our investments in R&D results in the frequent introduction of high quality inks compatible with every printer."

The new green solvent ink, launched at Fespa 2007, is made of natural ingredients to protect the environment. The company states toxic chemicals have been replaced with the safest possible organic solvents, while specially formulated non-corrosive materials increase printhead lifespan and offer adhesion to uncoated media comparable with real-solvent inks.

This company is no stranger to new technology, so the addition of a unique eco-sublimation ink suitable for textile application eco-solvent printers completes the product range. The company also states the inks can be switched from common eco-ink with a simple flushing procedure (and without hardware modification) making it an ideal choice when working with a wide range of substrates.

Raising quality

Although environmental issues are important, quality and consistency still rank high when it comes to choosing the right inks. Thus, printers who do not want to be limited to specific media, tend to opt for solvent or UV systems.

The wide format graphics market for inkjet inks is incredibly large, with the solvent inkjet market alone currently worth close to US$1bn. This has traditionally been dominated by inks from original equipment manufacturers but the recent trend is for specialist companies to expand their market share.

Sun Chemical is one such company, now offering its Streamline range of solvent-based inks for most leading wide and super-wide format inkjet printers.

Streamline inks use the same solvent type as the original equipment manufacturers' inks, ensuring they are compatible with print heads and printing systems. They are filtered to 3µm absolute to prevent head blockages and, in most cases, there is no need to flush the heads when swapping from OEM inks. The company states that printers converting to Streamline inks can get equal or better performance, plus additional benefits including economy, quality and supply security.

UV solutions

If a printer prefers UV curing systems, options include Uvijet from Fujifilm Sericol, said to be the first UV curable inkjet ink developed for a wide range of uncoated media.

Uvijet's benefits are well documented within the graphics printing sector where their adoption has helped raise quality and efficiency. The patented technology is designed to eliminate problems of continuous purging and high press maintenance. Formulated for maximum colour brilliance, lightfastness and durability, Uvijet inks are ideal for internal and external applications.

Also look out for EFI's UV series 50 inks which are designed to adhere easily to difficult materials. These inks have gained a good following thanks to their ability to reduce printer downtime by virtually eliminating print head clogging. Expect to see them grow in popularity over coming months.

And finally

The environmental argument continues to strengthen, with products starting to filter into the market. However, quality of the finished product remains the number one issue.

That's not to say environmental options are not producing good results: more that there are not enough of them on the market. Currently, ‘green' inks only account for a small proportion of the market and for many machines there is no environmentally friendly alternative.

This will undoubtedly change over coming years. In the meantime you still need to do your bit by ensuring you are as ‘green' as possible because, believe it or not, you can produce good results while doing your bit for the environment. If you put good practices in place it shouldn't cost additional time or money.

http://www.rolanddg.co.uk/
http://www.efi.com/
http://www.sunchemical.com/  
http://www.sericol.co.uk/
http://www.c-m-y-k.com/

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