Current Status of Ink Usage in Carton Printing In the carton printing industry, water-based inks have gained widespread adoption. With a growing emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability, more and more countries and regions are promoting or mandating the use of low-VOC (volatile organic compound) inks, and water-based inks represent a key example of such eco-friendly alternatives. In the US, water-based inks have been widely used in narrow-web flexographic and gravure paper packaging printing. In China, while the application of water-based inks started relatively late, significant progress has been made over the past years, particularly in corrugated box printing where the usage rate of water-based inks has steadily increased.
Advantages of Water-based Inks
Environmental Safety: Water-based inks do not contain toxic or harmful organic solvents, significantly reducing VOC emissions, contributing to improved air quality, lowering fire risks, and avoiding contamination to both human health and packaged contents.
Ease of Operation and Maintenance: As water serves as the solvent, the mixing and cleaning processes involving water-based inks are safer, reducing harm to operators and also decreasing production costs and labor intensity.
Regulatory Compliance: With increasingly stringent environmental regulations, water-based inks easily meet various domestic and international environmental standards and green packaging requirements due to their environmentally friendly properties.
Benefits of Using Water-based Inks in Carton Printing
Broad Applicability: Water-based inks are compatible with a variety of carton materials, especially corrugated board, providing good adhesion to paperboard surfaces and fulfilling most basic quality requirements for carton printing.
Food Safety Assurance: For food-contact packaging like food-grade cartons, water-based inks exhibit no migration, odor, ensuring that food remains uncontaminated and meeting hygiene and safety standards.
Print Quality: While water-based inks may not excel in glossiness compared to some solvent-based inks, they perform satisfactorily in terms of abrasion resistance, weather resistance, and basic color rendition for carton printing purposes.
water-based inks have emerged as a mainstream option in the carton printing industry, not only because they align with global trends towards environmental friendliness but also due to their practical performance and lower cost implications in actual applications, particularly well-suited for carton products that require high environmental standards and indirect contact with food items.