The State of Inks: Digital and Offset

With profit margins being squeezed by increasing competition, Print Service Providers (PSPs)  need help in making their operations more efficient. Thankfully, improvements in digital and offset inks are coming to the rescue. The steady drumbeat of technological advance has helped made inks more versatile, reliable and cost-effective. At the same time, that evolution has helped open up new markets for PSPs from packaging to industrial part customization.

Given that backdrop, Printing News has convened a small panel of experts to address ways PSPs can leverage today's modern inks for greater sales and profits. In this report, they focus on ways digital and offset inks have evolved in the last year, the latest trends in ink durability, versatility and customization capabilities and, most importantly, how ink breakthroughs can help PSPs become more competitive in an ever more demanding industry.

Increasingly, ink technologies have become available in competitive digital formats that allow companies to take back control of mid-volume production processes and address even the most on-demand or short-run projects using digital print, reports Volance Carlin, product marketing manager for Suwanee, Ga.-based Mimaki USA. The company has seen UV-LED inks introduced by Mimaki for the entry to mid-level segments increase the competitive position of digital inks vis-a-vis offset in terms of media versatility. At the same time, they have added the highest scratch-resistance and durability available in digital production.

Durability is also being enhanced through external factors, she adds. UV Silvering, for example, is being addressed by developments on the laminate side, such as Mimaki Vision Laminate 310. “This laminate film even further increases the durability, and allows digital ink to lend its versatility towards the highest quality demands,” she says.

Digital also continues its trend toward the development of packaging-type Energy Curable inks. “Offset customers are continuing to move to greener conventional-type product offerings, especially in light of new Proposition 65 changes,” reports Todd Dragoo, technical services director for offset/digital with Schaumburg, Ill.-based Inx International Ink Co.

Monitoring trends

When it comes to trends in inks, Dragoo reports the offset conventional market is holding steady with growth areas seen in energy curable types. “Digital products continue to grow into the packaging and industrial print markets with increased speeds and DPI available,” he says.

At Avery Dennison, one of the most notable trends has been a move toward compliance, said Adam J. Tourville, Painesville, Oh.-based accounts manager, digital ink solutions.

“Now all our customers are asking us to make inks that are more compliant with Prop 65 or REACH,” he says. “Our larger OEMs are asking for it, and that's being seen even from our smallest customers. And it's really difficult to keep up with. Luckily, we're Avery Dennison, so we have a great compliance team. The Avery Dennison customers who sell the ink to end users must list the compliance information on the label. That means we have to supply them with the information they need to accurately label the product.”

A related trend is the industry's effort to find safer, water-based versions of inks that can print to plastic the way UV LED can. “It results from regulations, and that a lot of these companies we deal with have their own restricted substance list,” Tourville says. “They use these RSLs to ensure they're not liable downstream to the consumer for toxins in their products.”

Tourville reports his company is always seeking new technologies and new efficiencies to add value to the inks it manufactures. “One of the things we're doing is making sure our supply chain is keeping up with our demand for materials. Earlier this year, there was a shortage of photo iniator, the catalyst that causes inks to cure in UV and UV LED curable inks. It was a shortage that affected all ink manufacturers. Luckiy, our purchasing and supply chain partners were able to keep up, and we didn't have to put anyone on allocation.”

From Mimaki USA's perspective, the most notable development is the trend in original ink usage, Carlin says. As competition increases, delivery times are slashed and margins are under pressure, so there is increasing scrutiny focused on workflow performance. 

A machine dropping out of production for ink issues or an order being rejected for color consistency is exceptionally costly and can tarnish the reputation of a business. Many users are therefore choosing the stability and reliability of an original solution. Mimaki has secured a competitive offering in inks, and has witnessed a resulting very positive response, Carlin says.

“Also, we see a strong increase in PSPs offering full solutions from offset to multiple ink types in digital and integrating this wide variety of technology side-by-side to be able to meet customers' demands,” she says. “Further, customization remains a solid growth market with the trend spreading rapidly to additional types. From the humble beginnings of iPhone covers, we are now seeing entire houses decorated, kitchen type backdrops customized, industrial park customization to different languages or model types, one-off web-to-print solutions and [more]. And with that a dizzying array of materials and substrates needing to be printed, each making their own unique demands on an ink that we, as a manufacturer, must then answer to. It's a challenging and fun industry to be a part of.”

Leveraging inks

New developments in ink technology are opening great new paths to profit for PSPs, industry experts report. And they are in increasing need of such opportunities. As competition grows, margins are under steadily increasing pressure for all PSPs. That has resulted in a consistent and ongoing search for opportunities to increase efficiency, Carlin asserts.

Efficiency can essentially be derived from two areas, she says. The first is streamlining workflow, reducing cost and increasing profit. Ink, though a strong influencer of total running cost, is no longer among the only considerations. 

Thought also must be given to total running costs, including electricity consumption, operator involvement, reduction of misprinting, waste and down time, as well as expenses related to maintenance and repairs. Closely exploring and fine tuning these elements should result in the best possible outcome, and “allow users to streamline their production into lean, mean, profit-generating machines,” she says. 

The second way PSPs can realize greater efficiency is by diversifying their range of product offerings into higher-margin or less competitive product areas. 

Identifying a larger number of niche-type applications ideally suited to their network and existing expertise is a tried-and-tested strategy for increasing business and profits, Carlin said.  “More than ever before, there is a plethora of options for every type of PSP,” she adds. “Even smaller PSPs now have the opportunity to harness the power of industrial technologies like UV-LED in a profitable way. Mid-to-large range PSPs have more technology options than ever before to approach an even wider or specifically smaller audience.” 

Tourville says as inks develop, they're more efficient at printing to lower-cost, and harder-to-adhere-to substrates. They are also adding more color, increasing the gamut. “So PSPs who don't rely only on the inks they're given but actively try to go out and find solutions to their problems tend to be more profitable, because they're first in that space,” he says. “Those PSPs who learn to profile themsleves can maximize how far the ink goes on materials. They are able to limit the ink down to where they get great coverage without overuse.”

For his part, Dragoo notes increased speed of digital printing equipment continues to open opportunities for many printers to convert to or add digital printing to their operations.

“Shorter runs are still the primary drivers behind this move, with lower upfront costs to print a digital job [including] plates, blankets and change-over time,” he says.