Comparison of Costs Between Water-based and Solvent-based Inks for Gravure Printing

Date: Jan 20 2025 From: Star Color

In the gravure printing industry, ink costs are one of the key factors affecting corporate economic performance. As environmental protection requirements become increasingly stringent, water-based inks have gradually become an important choice for gravure printing. Compared with traditional solvent-based inks, there are many differences in cost composition between the two. Next, a detailed comparison will be made between the costs of water-based and solvent-based inks for gravure printing.

Raw Material Costs

Solvent-based Inks: Solvent-based inks are mainly composed of pigments, resins, organic solvents, and additives. Among them, organic solvents such as toluene and xylene, although relatively inexpensive, occupy a large proportion in the ink formulation. In addition, to better disperse pigments in organic solvents, the prices of resins and other raw materials used are also high. Overall, the raw material costs of solvent-based inks are relatively high.

Water-based Inks: Water-based inks use water as the solvent, and the cost of water is negligible. Their main components include water-based resins, pigments, and additives. In recent years, with the continuous development of water-based ink technology, the performance of water-based resins has gradually improved, and their prices have also declined. However, compared to some raw materials of traditional solvent-based inks, some high-performance additives for water-based inks still have higher prices. Nevertheless, from the perspective of a significant reduction in overall solvent costs, water-based inks begin to show certain advantages in raw material costs, especially in large-scale printing production, where the cost advantage of using water as a solvent is more prominent.

Printing Equipment Costs

Solvent-based Inks: Due to the faster drying speed of solvent-based inks, the drying system requirements for printing equipment are relatively less demanding. Conventional gravure printing equipment can adapt to solvent-based ink printing after certain adjustments, with relatively little additional investment in equipment. However, solvent-based inks are flammable and explosive, so special ventilation, explosion-proof, and other safety facilities need to be equipped to ensure production safety. The purchase and maintenance costs of these safety devices cannot be ignored.

Water-based Inks: Water-based inks have a relatively slower drying speed, and water has a large latent heat of evaporation. Therefore, upgrades or modifications to the drying system of printing equipment are required. This usually involves increasing the length of the drying channel, raising the drying temperature, or adopting more efficient drying methods, such as combinations of infrared drying and hot air circulation drying. Undoubtedly, this increases the equipment purchase cost or renovation expenses. In addition, water-based inks are relatively more corrosive to printing equipment compared to solvent-based inks, so higher requirements are placed on equipment materials and protection, which will also increase equipment costs to some extent. However, in the long run, with the popularization of water-based ink applications, equipment manufacturers have expanded research and production scales for water-based ink printing equipment, and equipment costs are expected to gradually decrease.
Comparison of Costs Between Water-based and Solvent-based Inks for Gravure Printing

Production Costs

Energy Consumption Costs: Solvent-based inks have a fast drying speed and relatively low energy consumption during the drying process. Typically, the energy consumption of their drying system is mainly used to maintain an appropriate temperature for the volatilization of organic solvents. In contrast, due to their slower drying speed, water-based inks require more energy to accelerate water evaporation. Whether using heated air or other drying methods, their energy consumption costs are significantly higher than those of solvent-based inks. In large-scale continuous production, the gap in these energy consumption costs will be more pronounced.

Labor Costs: In the printing process using solvent-based inks, due to their relatively stable performance and mature operating processes, the skill requirements for operators are relatively fixed. However, since solvent-based inks contain harmful organic solvents, long-term exposure may pose hazards to human health. Therefore, corresponding protective equipment and regular health checks need to be provided for operators, which increases labor costs to some extent. Water-based inks are relatively environmentally friendly and pose less harm to operators' health. However, due to their drying characteristics and printing suitability differing from solvent-based inks, operators need specialized training to familiarize themselves with the printing processes and operational points of water-based inks, which also leads to an increase in labor costs. Nevertheless, from an overall trend perspective, with the enhancement of environmental awareness and emphasis on employee health, the disadvantage of water-based inks in labor costs may gradually diminish.
Comparison of Costs Between Water-based and Solvent-based Inks for Gravure Printing

Environmental Protection Costs

Solvent-based Inks: Solvent-based inks volatize a large amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the printing process, posing serious harm to the environment and human health. To meet environmental protection requirements, companies need to invest substantial funds in waste gas treatment. Common waste gas treatment methods include activated carbon adsorption, catalytic combustion, etc., with high equipment purchase, operation, and maintenance costs. In addition, if a company's waste gas emissions do not meet standards, it may face high fines, further increasing the company's environmental protection costs.

Water-based Inks: Water-based inks use water as a solvent, significantly reducing VOC emissions and basically meeting environmental protection requirements. Although in some regions, a small amount of waste gas may still need to be treated during the printing process using water-based inks, compared to solvent-based inks, the investment and operation costs for environmental protection equipment are much lower. Moreover, companies using water-based inks are more likely to obtain support from environmental protection policies and recognition from consumers. In the long run, this helps enhance a company's social image and market competitiveness, indirectly reducing its operating costs.

Cost Items	Solvent-based inks	Water-based ink
Raw material cost	4 points	7 points
Printing equipment cost	8 points	3 points
Production cost - Energy cost	8 points	2 points
Production cost - labor cost	5 points	6 points
Environmental costs	1 point	9 points
Comprehensive score	5.2 points	5.4 points

Comprehensive Cost Analysis

In summary, water-based and solvent-based inks for gravure printing have their unique characteristics in cost composition. In terms of raw material costs, water-based inks have gradually demonstrated advantages; in terms of printing equipment costs, the initial investment for water-based inks is higher, but there is a downward trend in the future; in terms of production costs, water-based inks have higher energy consumption costs, while both types of inks have increasing factors in labor costs; in terms of environmental protection costs, water-based inks have obvious advantages.

In the short term, especially when printing equipment does not need to be replaced and production volumes are not large, the comprehensive costs of solvent-based inks may be relatively lower. However, from a long-term and sustainable development perspective, with increasingly stringent environmental protection policies, continuous advancements in water-based ink technology, and decreasing equipment costs, the comprehensive cost advantages of water-based inks will gradually become prominent. When selecting ink types, companies should fully consider their production scale, environmental protection requirements, market positioning, and other factors, weighing the cost differences between water-based and solvent-based inks to make decisions that align with their long-term interests.