Vegetable-based Inks vs. Soy-based Inks

Independent Printing is a proud supporter of NatureWise

Marketing collateral is normally from one of three areas: apparel, printing, and promotional items. Of these I am a relative newcomer to the world of print, but I am trying to learn.

Independent Printing is not a newcomer to the print world, indeed they are quickly becoming the go-to guys for the industry, especially when dealing with eco-friendly print alternatives.

With in stock eco-friendly products like The Envirofolder®,  Tri-Panda Envirofolder®, Frosted Envirofolders®, and many custom options running everyday, Independent Printing can provide solutions to any print project that needs to met a “green” standard.

Indeed Independent Printing not only can print a more eco-friendly product – to include FSC-certification – additionally Independent Printing currently purchases 300,000 kWh of renewable energy annually, providing their clients the ability to promote the use of renewable energy on their print pieces, through the use of the Naturewise and other renewable energy logos.

Talking with Jim Fairbairn, or indeed any of the staff at Independent Printing is always a learning experience. Take for example the information Jim provided us about vegetable-based inks vs. soy-based inks.

Vegetable Ink Logo Available at Independent Printing

Soy-based ink where developed in the 1970s as a response to that decade’s oil crisis. They then became popular with consumers based on their environmental benefits, as they were one of the first changes away from the previous industry standard of petroleum inks.

So soy inks are actually a 30 year old technology, and today it is being replaced or at least augmented by vegetable-based inks, the newest of the ink technologies and the standard at Independent Printing.

So what’s the difference, soybean are vegetables right? Well soy-based inks are made from soybean oil which is derived from soybeans, and vegetable-based inks are made from linseed oils which are derived from flax seed.

In the case of the vegetable-based inks used at Independent Printing, the inks consist of 51% sustainable materials including vegetable oils and modified resins, and are formulated with organic materials not containing animal-based byproducts. Independent reports that the overall volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for these inks can be as low as 1%.

Independent also uses a hybrid UV-cured ink that contains no vegetable oils and is dried (cured) with UV energy, stating again that “UV inks do not contain any volatile organic compounds (VOC) making them a very green choice”.

The printed page has been around since Gutenberg. And as with this famous work, the printed page always seems to be evolving, even if most of us do not give it much thought.

However, for those in the marketing and branding professions that do think about these things, it is nice to have company like Independent Printing to help us keep current.

If you are ASI or PPAI and want more information on what they are up to at Independent Printing contact Jim Fairbairn. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

Tags: FSC-certification, Independent Printing, Jim Fairbairn, Soy-based ink, Vegetable-based ink