Solar Inks, specialist supplier of inks for flexographic and screen printing, has launched Earthinks, a range of environmentally friendly water-based flexographic and screen printing inks, that it considers to be the most natural solution on the market today. Earthinks offer sustainability benefits as well as high-performance and are a cost-effective alternative to standard inks, the company says. 

“Sustainability and environmental concerns are entering a new phase, where there is now an expectation on the part of brands and end-users to monitor the impact of their packaging and printing throughout the supply chain,” the company says. “These concerns extend to using renewable resources, non-damaging chemicals, waste management and resource-efficient packaging.

“To address these issues, Solar Inks has developed new inks from sustainable and non-polluting resources. They have been designed to provide printers and converters with high-quality and versatile inks that can be used to further achieve their environmental goals, while meeting customer expectations.”

Earthinks are made from natural ingredients including soy, starch, sugars, dextrin, tree resin, cellulose and other polysaccharides. Natural waxes are used to replace standard petroleum-based synthetics, and natural oils are used to defoam instead of mineral oils. Earthinks are glycol and silicone-free, contain no heavy metals and have near-zero VOC levels.

Earthinks has been developed with a low viscosity and low foaming levels to deliver sharp images with lower dot gain than standard inks. It does this while offering stability over long runs due to its unique pH-independent technology. In-house color mixing is also an option, providing printers and converters the ability to facilitate special color production on-demand. The inks can be used on a wide variety of substrates to print corrugated and flexible packaging, labels, envelopes and a full range of papers from till rolls and paper cups to paper bags and gift wrap, including recycled stocks.

Earthinks offers an ink recycling program that is designed to save customers time and waste, while online color matching and product ordering ensure a streamlined and efficient customer experience. Customers can access their full order history online, evaluate stocks and usage and review technical service visit reports.

“Earthinks marks an important development in sustainable printing,” says Jonathan Mack, owner of Solar Inks/Earthinks. “We have worked hard to provide affordable, high-quality inks that meet today’s demands for environmental care as well as matching that with environmentally-friendly packaging. In addition, our recycling program ensures minimal waste and good value for customers.”