The More Inks, the Merrier

Package printers are looking for as many different ink options as possible, according to this year's ink usage survey.

by Sean Riley, Associate Editor

If package printers decided one thing last year in terms of ink use, it is that there is no such thing as too many options. More so than in any other year, converters who responded to packagePrinting's annual ink usage survey are looking for more ink options and ink suppliers in an allout effort to create unique applications that jump out at consumers.

Last year, 60 percent of respondents said they use a single supplier for all of their ink needs, while this year that number has changed dramatically. An overwhelming 84 percent now use multiple ink vendors, more than double the amount that did as recently as 12 months ago.

"My first thought is that they all have different reasons for the switch, but I think the main reason is just a case of people not wanting to put all of their eggs in one basket," says Sericol Inc. (Kansas City, Mo.) Marketing Manager Diane Demmel. "Customers want to make sure they stay competitive in terms of continuously adding new applications, so they are looking at more ink options to do that. At the same time they probably maintain one main ink supplier for the majority of their work."

Hopping off hybrids

Because of the nature of the package printing business, it is rare for survey answers to deviate more than a few percentage points away from the previous year's trend. It is rarer still, for swings to occur in the opposite direction in more than one preference. Taking that into consideration, mark 2002 as a blue-moon year for ink usage because despite three years of increase, less respondents said they used hybrid inks last year.

In fact, a little under eight percent reported they use hybrid inks. This compares to 14 percent a year ago, when Jim Bishop of Sun Chemical, commented that an increase showed that companies were catching on to the relatively new advances in hybrid technology. The numbers in this case may be a little misleading however, according to Demmel. She was surprised by the slight decrease because her customers are trying anything and everything in order to create more unique applications. "We personally see that trend [of increased hybrid use] continuing to grow," she says. "This could have been a case of the economy influencing some printer's spending decisions."

Some respondents did note that they were avoiding hybrid inks right now because of the substantial capital investment involved. They also cite time limitations, a lack of experience, and odor as the other three big factors working against implementation.

While it didn't grow this year, it does appear that Demmel's predictions about the future may come true, as 30 percent of those not currently using hybrid systems hope to employ the inks in the next six months to a year. The main reason cited by 43 percent of those seeking a change is substrate choice, while another 29 percent say they are hoping to switch in an effort to upgrade their speed capabilities.

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.

That being said, metallics continued to be the most popular specialty inks along with fluorescents, with 64 and 44 percent usage respectively. Custom colors came in its usual third slot at 28 percent for the third straight year, but for the first time in recent memory, phosphorescent and hot stamping inks cracked the top five most commonly-used

specialty inks. The pair each finally jumped over 15 percent, at 20 and 16 percent usage. This move knocked pearlescents from its usual fourth slot down amongst thermochromics, photochromics, and reflectives. This group fell in the one- to five-percent usage levels.

"Those numbers actually reflect almost exactly what went on here at Sericol," Demmel says. "Earlier in the year everyone wanted pearlescent inks. That tailed off and metallics and fluorescents moved back to the forefront."

She believes the tendency for pearlescents to be difficult on flexographic presses leads many converters to move back toward the old standby, which is metallics. In her opinion, both inks offer similar shelf appeal, but metallic is simply easier to work with on a consistent basis. This also probably contributed to the rise in hot stamping usage, she says, because many eye-catching applications incorporate hot stamp inks, and it too, is more user friendly.

According to the survey, 60 percent of respondents use specialty inks on flexo presses, up from just over 52 percent a year ago. This is followed by offset printers (18 percent), screen press (14 percent), and letterpress printers (seven percent).