Flexographic inks are

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thi ...

s transferred by the process of

flexography Flexography (often abbreviated to flexo) is a form of printing process which utilizes a flexible relief plate. It is essentially a modern version of letterpress, evolved with high speed rotary functionality, which can be used for printing on a ...

, primarily used in the printing of packing materials (cardboard boxes,

corrugated cardboard Corrugated fiberboard or corrugated cardboard is a type of packaging material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines" or "corrugators" and is used for making corrugated ...

, paper bags and

plastic bags A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, c ...

, food packaging, labels, newspapers, catalogues, etc.). The inks and method of printing continues to grow in popularity due to its low cost and

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

nature. The most important part of the printing process is the application of the ink.

Types

The main types of flexographic ink are water based, solvent and UV curable. The printing surface (

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...

type) dictates what ink type it is advisable to use. Each type of

has its advantages and disadvantages, therefore the type of ink used in printing is determined by factors such as price, speed, and the use of the packaging (food, cleaning, or shopping bags).

History

In the early stages of

, aniline dye ink was used. Because of its toxicity, its use in food packaging was banned and it brought on complications due to frequent staining and the need for bleeding. Over time, changes and improvements were made, involving the substitution of aniline dye for polyamide resins which speed up the drying process and as such the overall printing process itself. Solvent-based inks began to be used, which were safe for food packaging, but harmful to the environment. The Environmental Law of the 1980s led to printers trying out water-based inks. Today, most printers are easily adapted to water-based inks, allowing printers to recycle ink for later use.

Usage

George Sickinger, CEO of International Colour Resolutions, says that "over time, water-based inks have a much higher herbal resin content and will become the new standard for the formulation of water bases. "Sickinger also stated that the UV-curable inks require less energy and produce less waste, while the quality is higher. The

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

has worked with the flexographic industry in the design of a project to help flexographic businesses, promoting water-based inks for their low power consumption, and UV curable ink systems, because they use less ink. Currently in EU, there are 2 institutions that provide companies with the "OK COMPOST" and "COMPOSTABLE" certification, VINÇOTTE and DIN CERTCO, to be used by inks in the print of bioplastics that fulfill the requirements of biodegrading and compost ability. One of the first ink producers, in the beginning of the year 2000, to obtain this certification and commercialize these types of inks was Chimigraf.

References

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External links

Environmental Protection Agency's report on flexographic inksFlexographic Technical Association.VinçotteChímigraf
Inks Packaging Relief printing