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INKS............The
US printing ink industry is dynamic.
Under government pressure,
the industry has turned increasingly toward non-solvent inks --
water-based and radiation-cured. There is also a continuing shift
in printing methods. While letterpress is declining, lithographic,
flexographic, and screen and specialty inks are increasing.
Water-borne inks have captured most of the flexographic ink market,
while UV and EB types have made significant inroads into the
lithographic and screen inks categories. Also, there has been a
considerable increase in the usage of oil-based inks, which offer
the advantage of solventless or low solvent process.
Another area of
great interest and potential growth is digital printing. Digital
offset is likely to compete effectively with conventional sheet fed
offset in the future. However, further progress of this approach is
hampered by its high cost. The ink industry has been plagued by the
continuous increase in the cost of raw materials, not entirely
matched by an increase in ink prices.
INKS is a
detailed examination of this business. The report covers the
technological shifts and commercial developments.
Some of the
subjects included in the report are:
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METHODS OF
APPLICATIONS COVERED |
|
Letterpress |
Screen Printing |
Textile Printing |
|
Lithographic/Offset |
Gravure |
Electrostatic Printing (Toners) |
|
Flexography |
|
|
|
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SYSTEMS
COVERED |
|
|
Water-Borne |
Vegetable
Oil Type |
Vegetable
Oil Type |
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Solvent-Based |
Radiation-Cured |
|
|
RAW
MATERIALS COVERED |
|
Alkyds |
Polyurethane |
Oils |
|
Acrylics
(incl.
Oligomers) |
Vinyls |
Pigments |
|
Polyamides |
Nitrocellulose |
Fillers &
Extenders |
|
Epoxy
Esters |
Low
Molecular
Weight Resins |
Solvents |
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