The ink market is brilliant, MINONG packaging goes hand in hand

The ink market is brilliant, MINONG packaging goes hand in hand

Technology has shaped the printing industry today while changing our lives. As an important raw material in the printing process, the development of ink is closely related to the rise and fall of the printing industry. As packaging printing and inkjet printing have gradually become the vane of the global printing industry, the corresponding flexo inks and digital inks have also become the focus of attention.

The rise of the packaging market

Flexo printing ink ushered in development opportunities

The U.S. flexo ink market showed positive growth from 2013 to 2014, driven by rising consumer interest and demand for functional and sensory packaging. The expansion of flexo printing technology in terms of quality, speed and printing format also lays the foundation for the development of the flexographic ink field in the coming years.

The National Printing Ink Manufacturers Association of the United States pointed out in the "2013 Industry Year-end Report" published in April 2014 that the US solvent-based flexo ink and water-based flexo ink market has grown significantly, and sold at least $1 billion in 2013. The number of packaging inks increased by 1.3% compared with 2012, of which flexo printing inks accounted for a very large proportion.

It is understood that many gravure printing plants in the United States now have flexo printing presses, which enables them to compete in more application fields. In addition, the improvement of printing resolution and the expansion of color gamut have also contributed to the steady growth of flexographic inks to a certain extent.

At present, the packaging market in the United States is booming, and the market has a huge demand for flexo printing inks, which has prompted many functional ink manufacturers to invest more human, material and financial resources in product and technology development. From a technical point of view, the growth potential of water-based flexo inks is greater, and has won a certain market share from offset and solvent-based inks.

However, this does not mean that gravure inks will be eliminated from the market. On the contrary, the market demand for gravure inks will remain very strong. It's just that flexo inks have more opportunities.

Overall, flexo printing inks will continue their growth in previous years in 2014. As one of the largest application areas for flexo inks, the U.S. packaging market, especially functional and sensory packaging, will also continue to grow.

The rise of inkjet printing

Digital ink market growth

Whether in custom printing or short-run printing, digital printing has opened up new markets with its own technological prowess, and as speed increases, quality improves and unit costs drop, inkjet printing will also find new development opportunities.

In this process, the shrinking of ink droplets, the acceleration of inkjet speed, the increase of jetting frequency, and the emergence of high-density print heads have all created possibilities for the advancement of digital technology. There are many innovations in inkjet technology, and the most striking is the breakthrough in printhead technology in the past 3 years. Today's print heads have a wider range of ejection, more flexible installation positions, and higher requirements for the materials used to make ink; and the improvement of ink materials has promoted the increase of inkjet speed to a certain extent.

Advanced ink and dispensing technology allows users to achieve better density results with less ink, which results in darker blacks and allows users to print brighter colors at higher speeds and at lower cost .

Printing high-quality images on different substrates is also one of the biggest advances in inkjet technology in recent years. Taking textile printing as an example, inkjet technology has a simpler production process than traditional printing technology, and does not need to store printing plates, which can greatly reduce waste. At the same time, the water-based ink it uses is also more environmentally friendly. It can be seen that the progress of inkjet technology has promoted the upgrading of the ink industry.

The large-format inkjet printing market has an urgent need for sustainable ink solutions, and water-based latex inks and new-generation high-speed environmentally friendly solvent-based inks are all highly attractive in this market. From the perspective of future development trends, the field of large-format digital printing will gradually eliminate traditional solvent-based inks and choose more environmentally friendly ink solutions.

High-speed printing and sustainable development not only open the door to new markets for large-format digital printing, but also bring new opportunities for printers and ink manufacturers. High-speed printing increases the cost-effectiveness of inkjet printing while increasing productivity, but it also places higher demands on ink performance. For example, many ink manufacturers are now working hard on how to improve the adhesion of inks on short-run printing jobs.

All in all, this is an era with technology as the core competitiveness, and the upgrading of both flexo printing inks and digital inks has brought us new opportunities and challenges. The more courageous a person is to invest in new technologies and new products, the more likely they are to take the lead in the fierce market competition.The ink market is brilliant, MINONG packaging goes hand in hand

Technology has shaped the printing industry today while changing our lives. As an important raw material in the printing process, the development of ink is closely related to the rise and fall of the printing industry. As packaging printing and inkjet printing have gradually become the vane of the global printing industry, the corresponding flexo inks and digital inks have also become the focus of attention.

The rise of the packaging market

Flexo printing ink ushered in development opportunities

The U.S. flexo ink market showed positive growth from 2013 to 2014, driven by rising consumer interest and demand for functional and sensory packaging. The expansion of flexo printing technology in terms of quality, speed and printing format also lays the foundation for the development of the flexographic ink field in the coming years.

The National Printing Ink Manufacturers Association of the United States pointed out in the "2013 Industry Year-end Report" published in April 2014 that the US solvent-based flexo ink and water-based flexo ink market has grown significantly, and sold at least $1 billion in 2013. The number of packaging inks increased by 1.3% compared with 2012, of which flexo printing inks accounted for a very large proportion.

It is understood that many gravure printing plants in the United States now have flexo printing presses, which enables them to compete in more application fields. In addition, the improvement of printing resolution and the expansion of color gamut have also contributed to the steady growth of flexographic inks to a certain extent.

At present, the packaging market in the United States is booming, and the market has a huge demand for flexo printing inks, which has prompted many functional ink manufacturers to invest more human, material and financial resources in product and technology development. From a technical point of view, the growth potential of water-based flexo inks is greater, and has won a certain market share from offset and solvent-based inks.

However, this does not mean that gravure inks will be eliminated from the market. On the contrary, the market demand for gravure inks will remain very strong. It's just that flexo inks have more opportunities.

Overall, flexo printing inks will continue their growth in previous years in 2014. As one of the largest application areas for flexo inks, the U.S. packaging market, especially functional and sensory packaging, will also continue to grow.

The rise of inkjet printing

Digital ink market growth

Whether in custom printing or short-run printing, digital printing has opened up new markets with its own technological prowess, and as speed increases, quality improves and unit costs drop, inkjet printing will also find new development opportunities.

In this process, the shrinking of ink droplets, the acceleration of inkjet speed, the increase of jetting frequency, and the emergence of high-density print heads have all created possibilities for the advancement of digital technology. There are many innovations in inkjet technology, and the most striking is the breakthrough in printhead technology in the past 3 years. Today's print heads have a wider range of ejection, more flexible installation positions, and higher requirements for the materials used to make ink; and the improvement of ink materials has promoted the increase of inkjet speed to a certain extent.

Advanced ink and dispensing technology allows users to achieve better density results with less ink, which results in darker blacks and allows users to print brighter colors at higher speeds and at lower cost .

Printing high-quality images on different substrates is also one of the biggest advances in inkjet technology in recent years. Taking textile printing as an example, inkjet technology has a simpler production process than traditional printing technology, and does not need to store printing plates, which can greatly reduce waste. At the same time, the water-based ink it uses is also more environmentally friendly. It can be seen that the progress of inkjet technology has promoted the upgrading of the ink industry.

The large-format inkjet printing market has an urgent need for sustainable ink solutions, and water-based latex inks and new-generation high-speed environmentally friendly solvent-based inks are all highly attractive in this market. From the perspective of future development trends, the field of large-format digital printing will gradually eliminate traditional solvent-based inks and choose more environmentally friendly ink solutions.

High-speed printing and sustainable development not only open the door to new markets for large-format digital printing, but also bring new opportunities for printers and ink manufacturers. High-speed printing increases the cost-effectiveness of inkjet printing while increasing productivity, but it also places higher demands on ink performance. For example, many ink manufacturers are now working hard on how to improve the adhesion of inks on short-run printing jobs.

All in all, this is an era with technology as the core competitiveness, and the upgrading of both flexo printing inks and digital inks has brought us new opportunities and challenges. The more courageous a person is to invest in new technologies and new products, the more likely they are to take the lead in the fierce market competition.