Metallic effect inks in regulatory driven markets

 
Metallic effects for the packaging industry can be achieved by different technologies like metal effect incorporated inks, hot and cold foil stamping and print on metalized boards. These effects gain a lot of interest as they support brand differentiation and brand identification in the supermarkets. As brand owners and governments are requesting environmental friendly and food safe solutions, regulatory compliance is one of the biggest trends in the printing industry. The trend does not only cover regional compliance like e.g. REACH, but also brand owner compliance like e.g. NESTLE compliance, but also influence on recycling cycles and reuse of printed materials. These trends favors the use of metallic inks, but create also challenges for the raw material producers. Meanwhile, compliant raw materials are available and also systems for UV and LED are available, but trends on the printer's side to use e.g. LED inks create a new challenge as lower energy curing is requesting a reactive inks system. Dependencies of characteristics of metallic pigments, the creation of metallic inks, curing behavior, substrate selection to achieve a good effects and disposal, deinking and recycling cycles have to be understood to achieve compliant and optical goals and additionally, environmental friendliness.