The Situation on Ink

Last year, ink price had the full attention of printers. But, in spite of rising costs due to the increasing price and shortage of ink raw materials, for the first time in four years, ink price didn't even make the top quintet.

That's not to say price isn't important to a buyer, said Ed Dedman, business manager of SICPA North America's Narrow Web & Energy Curable Group. "I can tell you that price is still a big concern for many printers, but I also know that printers are constantly struggling with improving color predictability, which certainly has more effect on their profitability than a few cents per pound of ink usage," he said.