When Indianapolis printers “talk inks,” they can speak about them in several ways. The terms “green inks” or “green printing” are often bandied about, as are “UV” and “photomechanical” inks. Generally speaking, each of these terms refer to the same process.
Conventional offset printing uses solvent inks – which are not the greenest option – because they evaporate into the air and require additional spray powders to aid in drying. Because they are absorbed into the paper, colors can become diluted and less bright. Depending on the paper character and weight, drying can add days to each job.
UV inks dry through a photomechanical process. The inks are exposed to ultra-violet lights as they are printed, immediately turning from a liquid to a solid with very little evaporation of solvents and almost no absorption of the ink into the paper stock. So you can print on virtually whatever you want!
That makes UV inks a green technology, safe for the environment and leaving an almost zero carbon footprint. Of course, because UV inks dry on contact, they never smudge. And that means, no matter what type of paper you use, you will never need to add costly coatings to protect against fingerprints and smears. That makes UV inks even greener (in saving energy AND budgets).
If going green is important to you, talk to HPG about what we are doing to reduce our impact on the planet and help preserve our natural resources.