Japan's Toppan Printing Co. announced that it has developed a new ink for offset printing presses that uses solvents extracted from vegetable sources rather than from petroleum, the world's first ink of its kind. By not using petroleum-based solvents, the new ink contributes to saving finite resources and gives off fewer volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs.

The new ink will cause fewer allergic reactions from printed materials than conventional ink that contains petroleum-based solvents. The ink also emits no petroleum solvents and fewer VOCs in the process of drying printed paper. This ink is now patent pending.

Toppan Printing Co. also notes that printing with this ink costs about twice as much as printing with conventional ink, because it is manufactured on a custom-order basis and because time is also required to adjust printing presses.



Posted: 2003/12/10 08:17:52 PM
Japanese version

TAG Chemicals , Eco-product/Business , Non-manufacturing industry