Ink is a viscous fluid with pigment particles dispersed in the binder material uniformly. It is necessary material in printing. With the promotion of green environmental protection and a low-carbon economy trend, the ink industry and printing industry are paying more attention on the production and use of energy-saving and Eco ink.
The ink binder is mainly made from various solvents and resins. Binder is used as a pigment carrier to adjust the fluidity, viscosity, transfer and drying properties of the ink. It also make the ink dry on the surface of substrate and form a film.. The properties of pigment determine the color, chromaticity, tinting strength, light resistance, solvent resistance, and heat resistance of ink. Auxiliary is added at small amount to improve the ink performance and adjust the printing adaptability of the ink. There are different types of inks, and they vary greatly in performance and composition . According to different printing methods, solvent types and drying methods, ink can be grouped into the following categories.If divided by printing methods: flexo ink, gravure ink, jet printing ink, and screen printing ink etc.; if divided by solvent type: oil-based ink, alcohol/ester solvent ink, benzophenone-based solvent ink, solvent-free ink and water-based ink; if divided by drying methods: oxidized conjunctival drying ink, volatile drying ink,UV drying ink, volatile drying ink, and thermal curing drying ink, etc.
The ink industry started after the first industrial revolution in western countries. It has rapid development along with the chemical and packaging printing industry development. With the economy and technology development globally, the capacity of global ink industry is growing and the industry is more concentrated. The top 10 ink producers have accounted for around 70% of the total market share. USA,China, Japan and Germany are the main producers and consumers. The annual growth rate is around 3.9%, and total capacity is around 4.2million MT to 4.5million MT.
As the major raw material for ink, organic pigments and titanium dioxide are also the main beneficiary, and get fast development in technology, quality and capacity to meet the demand from ink industry and society.
