The More Inks, the Merrier

Of those using hybrid inks, the most used combinations remain similar to last year, according to the survey. These are UV flexo inks and UV screen inks; water-based systems and UV coatings; and EB inks and water-based inks.

Isn't that special?

As a whole entity, specialty inks maintained the status quo last year as 84 percent of respondents said they used specialty inks, down slightly from 88 percent in 2001. The contrast this year is more printers are using an assortment of specialty inks, depending on their particular applications. For example, instead of relying solely on metallics or pearlescents, a large majority are using certain specialty inks for some jobs and then turning around and trying a different one for a different job.