The ink manufacturing sector in the country has received a major boost with the launch of several newspapers, magazines and setting up of printing presses across the nation
Unlike some other parts of Asia, India owes its growth in ink manufacturing to the domestic market and not by exporting to other regions. This growth has been spurred by the launch of numerous newspapers, magazines and setting up of printing presses across the nation. Printing of hoardings, banners and other mediums of outdoor advertisements has also propelled the growth of the ink manufacturing sector in the country.
Until a few years ago consumer interest in ink was mainly concentrated on refilling their pens. Ink manufacturing in the country received a major fillip with the coming of computing facilities. Currently, most of the business organisations, corporate offices and schools, among others have their own printing facilities, a primary reason behind the increase in manufacturing of high quality ink for printer cartridges.
Major investments have been made for the purpose of importing printing and allied machinery, thereby boosting the growth of the ink manufacturing sector in the country. New technologies are being incorporated to manufacture ink. Foreign collaborations and acquisitions took place leading to major technology advancements required for ink manufacturing. Rising income levels of Indians also contributed towards the need to opt for better printing technologies.
Printing ink contains toxic ingredients that need to be eliminated in order to reduce the menace it poses to environment and health. The call for using environment-friendly inks has brought about major transformation in ink manufacturing over the years and development of water-based ink was a turning point in this respect.
Water based-ink: Option for flexographic inks
Printing inks are manufactured from four basic components:
· Pigments – It refers to the colour of the ink
· Resins – It binds the ink together into a film and onto the printed surface
· Solvents – It makes the ink flow onto the surface
· Additives – It modifies the physical properties of the ink
Traditionally, most of the printing has been carried out using flexographic ink. However, the solvent content in flexographic ink is a major concern, which consists of components such as ethanol, Isopropanol, Heptane, N-propyl alcohol and N-propyl acetate. Most of these components are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are highly flammable.
The hazards posed by flexographic inks gave rise to the demand for water-based inks, which has lower levels of the aforementioned VOCs. Paper and paperboard on which most of the printing activities are carried out accept water inks effortlessly.
However, using water inks on surfaces such as films and foils differ as these require different treatment to ensure that the ink adhere to these surfaces. At present, most of the cartons printed in the country use water-based inks. With each passing year, the demand for printing ink is growing, thereby continuously bringing about innovations in the ink manufacturing segment.
Sanjiv Agarwal, chairman, Tirupati Inks Limited, a mid-sized ink manufacturer in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh |
