Why Screen Printing Ink Industry Should Turn Environment FriendlyScreen printing techniques are growing rapidly as are the latest innovations in screen printing ink. To catch up on the latest trends in screen printing realm, let's cover some of the most happening revenue statistics relating to screen printing inks: The screen printing ink industry is classified by the ink types that are used. Screenprinting inks work across a variety of materials. The materials may include textiles, ceramics, wood, paper, glass, metal, and yes, believe it or not, even plastic. As a result, screen printing is used in many different industries, from clothing to product labels to circuit board printing. To take accurate statistics, in 2001, the lithographic and offset printing ink shipments comprised the largest category, with shipments valued at $1.87 billion. This would mean that it made up to 41.9 percent of the total shipments. With 27.3 percent of the total market, flexographic printing inks turned out to be the second-largest in this sector. It made a whopping $1.21 billion in 2001. Nonimpact digital ink shipments were more than $271.23 million, or 6 percent of the total. Letterpress printing inks formed the smallest individual ink category, with approximately $143.04 million in shipments. Lastly, 8.3 percent of the market was comprised nonclassified printing inks. But nothing can be picture perfect in life, right? So let's talk about the environmental aspect that is often neglected in screen printing. The 1994 Vegetable Ink Printing Act of Congress exerted a powerful influence on the industry. This is naturally because the bill mandated that printers with government contracts use vegetable oil-based inks instead of volatile petroleum-based inks whenever possible. The main concerns that triggered such sudden provisions can be attributed to the dangers posed by usage of crude oil as the ink base. Though this has been followed since time immemorial, it doesn't mean that better alternatives cannot be explored. More than ever before, the screen printing ink industry is keen to reduce the environmental burden of its products. Before passage of the Clean Air Act, printing ink manufacturers were developing water-based ink systems to replace inks which used volatile organic compounds. In this context, let's discuss the environmentally friendly Ultra Violet curable inks which are highly recommended as it has almost zero emissions. Unlike conventional screen printing inks, UV inks don't have any solvents which are a key cause of air pollution creating harmful pollutants like ground-level ozone. When an UV ink is exposed to intense Ultra Violet light, it has instantaneous curing so there is no drying factor to this. For yard signs, this environment friendly ink is considered to be the best option. In a nutshell, this means that it is best for our health and the environment to develop screen printing inks that are environment friendly. This way, we can provide the best quality without compromising. Screen printing, above all, is considered as an indispensable tool that can be successfully implemented in a wide range of industries. Screen printing inks, in turn, must strive to be environment friendly even as it turns flexibly to meet new needs as demand widens in scope and increasingly diversifies with the passage of time. |