The goal of offset printing ink: environmental protection (on)

Printing ink is one of the main raw materials for printing. With the rapid development of press and commercial web offset presses, rotary offset inks have developed rapidly in multi-versions and colors. Sheetfed offset printing inks have maintained a steady upward trend in the past decade, and with the development of printing equipment, they have continuously adapted to high-speed, high-quality, energy-saving, and low-cost printing; they have gradually shortened the processing cycle and various kinds of fast-printing so that printed products can be printed. Dry quickly and go to the next process. With the development of packaging printing, offset printing inks also need to meet the requirements of high gloss and high rub resistance, as well as environmental, resource, and energy requirements, and meet environmental standards and print service standards. This article mainly discusses the technical development direction of environment-friendly offset printing inks.

Environmental ink characteristics
The so-called environmental protection ink is nothing more than the following three aspects:

1) It does not contain chemical substances that damage human health and ecological balance;
2) Reduce pollution to the environment;
3) Promote recycling.

Judging from the current composition of recycled pulp, general offset printing inks will not hinder the reuse of waste paper; offset gold inks, silver inks, and pearlescent inks will exhibit a metallic sensation, which may cause glistening when recycled and reduce the quality of paper. Therefore, in the standards set by the Japan Printing Industry Association, it is stipulated that gold, silver, and pearlescent inks should be avoided. At the same time, the above three kinds of inks have been classified as contraindications that prevent waste paper from being reused.
The connotation of environmentally friendly ink
1. Do not use substances that harm the human body
In 1973, the Japan Printing Ink Industry Consortium formulated a restrictive standard: restrictions on food packaging materials (Negative List regulations, referred to as NL regulations), which provides that printing inks should not endanger human health. This initiative was highly evaluated by the society and the Japan Printing Industry Federation and approved for its application. At present, this provision applies not only to food packaging printing inks but also to ordinary printing inks. Nowadays, it has been recognized that harmful substances cannot be used in color offset inks.

2. Do not use chlorine-containing resin
When prints need to be discarded, they should be recycled separately according to the type of raw materials, or they can be considered as solid fuels for incineration. If it contains chlorine, it will produce harmful gases after combustion.

3. Reduce chemical substances indicated in PRTR
The so-called PRTR is an abbreviation for the English Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, which means that chemical substances are discharged and registered. It is calculated by the enterprise to calculate the discharge and movement of chemical substances, and the government reports and publishes the system. The PRTR system is implemented to grasp the amount of chemical substances discharged from the factory to the environment and to move outside the factory as waste. The PRTR law was enacted in July 1997 to help industry professionals improve and strengthen the management of chemical substances. The full name is "The Law on Controlling Emissions of Certain Chemical Substances and Promoting Management Improvement."

The PRTR law lists chemicals that are harmful to human health and ecosystems. It should be emphasized here that the PRTR Law is not a law prohibiting the use of chemical substances, but rather from the perspective of reducing the burden on the environment. It is recommended that printing companies should suppress the production of VOCs. VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in offset oils (Organic organic compounds) produce photochemical smog and SPM (plankton particles) that pollute the atmosphere. Therefore, since the 1990s, restrictions have been imposed on Europe and California in the United States. In Japan, the most stringent standard is that the Japan Printing Industry Federation stipulates that petroleum-based solvents are controlled below 15%, and has been explicitly implemented in the industry.

5. Ink should not prevent recycling of waste paper

The ink should not contain substances that prevent the recycling of waste paper.

Offset printing ink environmental standards

1. Japan related standards
In August 2001, the Japan Federation of Printing Industry developed the printing industry's environmental protection standard, the “Offset Printing Service” standard, and established the Environmental Protection Purchase Act. After the implementation of the Environmental Protection Purchase Act, the printing industry immediately responded to the trend of social purchase in the direction of environmental protection, and took the lead in promoting the environmental protection of printing services in the industry. Among them, printing ink is an important part.

2. U.S. related standards
According to the American Soybean Oil Association Standard, the soybean oil content of sheet-fed offset printing ink is more than 20%, and the soybean oil content of rotary offset ink is more than 7%.