December 2004
The Year in Review
While 2004 was generally a better year for ink manufacturers, raw material pricing and supply pressures remain a significant concern heading into 2005.
By David Savastano
Newspaper Printers Examine New Opportunities
By Sean Milmo
Handschy Industries on Track for Success
By David Savastano
Ink Jet Technology Revolutionized: A Review of the Hot Melt Ink Method and Drop-on-Demand Ink Jet Printing
By Wink Faulkner
Waxes, Solvents and Additives
Increased raw material costs and supply issues are leading to serious concerns over pricing.
By David Savastano
Metallic and Special Effect Pigments and Inks
A renewed interest in eye-catching packaging has led to a positive year for the metallic ink market.
By Kerry Pianoforte
November 2004
The 2004 International Report
As our International Top Companies Report illustrates, the ink industry is international in its scope, with Japan, U.S., Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, U.K., Holland, India, Mexico, France and Brazil home for the world’s top ink manufacturers.
Acquiring Merit Ink & Coating, Century Color Provides Wikoff Color with New Opportunities
By David Savastano
CVC’s Acquisition of BASF, ANI Signals Changes
The merger of BASF and ANI creates a powerful new force in the printing ink industry.
By Sean Milmo
UV/EB Report
With more printers converting conventional presses to combination presses, UV/EB printing continues to grow.
By Kerry Pianoforte
NPIRI Conference Review
This year’s NPIRI Technical Conference blended technology and manufacturing perspectives.
By David Savastano
October 2004
The Packaging Ink Market
The packaging ink market continues to move forward, with new technologies and products leading the way for growth.
By David Savastano
Scientists Discover New Possibilities for Screen Printing
By Sean Milmo
Smart Packaging 2004
From RFID tags to tamper-evident chromatic inks, Smart Packaging 2004 offered a wealth of information on smart and intelligent packaging solutions and applications.
By Kerry Pianoforte
The Structure and Performance Property Relationship in UV Inks
By Zubair Khan
The Publication Ink Report
The publication ink market has made slight gains during the past year as advertising has picked up.
By David Savastano
EuPIA Takes the European Stage
The new European Printing Ink Association is working to serve the industry.
By David Savastano
September 2004
European Report
Flexible Packaging Makes Gains in the European Market
By Sean Milmo
The Raw Material Report
While pricing of key ingredients remains a concern, availability is becoming a serious issue for the ink industry, as the supply of key raw materials such as acrylic acid is not keeping up with demand.
By David Savastano
August 2004
High Performance Pigments
Ink jet and flexible packaging are two of the strongest growth areas for ink manufacturers, and HPPs are an essential ingredient in many of the most successful applications.
By David Savastano
New Alliances Help Nazdar Digital Make Inroads into Ink Jet Market
By David Savastano
Norm Harbin of Flint Ink Receives Pioneer Award
By Kerry Pianoforte
Alliances are Changing the Ink Jet Ink Industry
Partnerships between OEMs, printhead manufacturers and ink companies are among the important changes occurring in digital printing.
By Sean Milmo
Color Matching and QC
More and more printers are utilizing color matching equipment and software prior to press.
By Kerry Pianoforte
July 2004
Ink Jet Inks are on the Rise
As digital technologies make further inroads into printing, ink manufacturers are becoming more involved in developing hardware and software systems to meet new requirements.
By David Savastano
Ink Distribution Industry is Undergoing Major Changes
By Sean Milmo
Latin American Ink Market Recovers
The overall Latin American ink market grew at least 3 percent in 2003, and indications are that 2004 will show even greater growth.
By Charles W. Thurston
Drupa 2004 Review
Drupa 2004 drew nearly 400,000 attendees and showcased new technologies. As the printing industry evolves, the ink industry continues to change with the times.
By David Savastano
June 2004
Health Care Costs and the Ink Industry
Ink manufacturers large and small alike are facing dramatic insurance increases, which are impacting their health care offerings and the bottom line.
By David Savastano
Ink Industry Honors George Dunn
NAPIM, MNYPIA honor Kohl & Madden’s retiring president
By David Savastano
CPMA's Conference Showcases Importance of Pigments
By David Savastano
CCV Finds Opportunities in Coatings Industry
By David Savastano
The Resin Report
While 2004 brings renewed optimism, increasing raw material costs and continued economic challenges remain concerns for resin manufacturers.
By David Savastano
The European Pigment Market
European pigment manufacturers are developing new product and software innovations to meet the increasing demand for color.
By Sean Milmo
RadTech's e|5 UV & EB Expo
Record-setting conference and exhibition participation bodes well for the energy curable industry.
By David Savastano, Christine Canning Esposito & Kerry Pianoforte
May 2004
The Asian Ink Market
2003 brought more growth to the Asia Pacific region, and ink companies continue to expand their operations into the area.
By David Savastano
Sun Chemical's Michael Murphy Receives NAPIM's Ault Award
By David Savastano
Print Quality Matters in UV Ink Jet Printing
By Alexander Grant
Glycol Ether-Free Polymers: The Right Path to Brand Loyalty
By Dennis Butcher and Dr. Iuliana Nita
BCF Declares Ink Industry is Facing a ‘Crisis’
The European ink sector is beginning to revolt against the way printers have shifted a sizeable proportion of their cost reductions to ink producers without adequate compensation.
By Sean Milmo
The Gravure Report
As technological advances continue to be made in the gravure packaging market, gravure is now able to compete with flexo.
By Kerry Pianoforte
NAPIM Convention Review
“Consolidation’s Effects and Tomorrow’s Roadmap,” the theme of NAPIM’s Annual Convention, offered attendees an effective look at where the industry may be heading in the coming years.
By David Savastano
April 2004
U.S Top 20
While some ink manufacturers found 2003 to be another challenging year, some ink companies were able to generate strong growth. Meanwhile, the economic gains made in the fourth quarter of 2003 have ink companies optimistic about 2004.
Services are Helping Ink Companies Maintain, Increase Margins
By Sean Milmo
Printing, Ink Industries Prepare for Drupa 2004
By David Savastano
Sun Chemical's Robert Mullen Jr. Receives NAPIM's Pioneer Award
By David Savastano
A Novel Pigment Dispersant and Surfactant for Radiation Curable Waterborne Ink Jet Inks
By William R. Doughery, James Goodrich, Lisa Hahn, James S. Balcerski, John C. Schmidhauser
UV/EB Raw Materials
The UV/EB cure market has fared well in 2003, and as the technology becomes more widely used in new markets, the potential for growth in 2004 is promising.
By Kerry Pianoforte
Van Son, Regional Ink Companies Join Forces
Van Son Holland Ink and more than a dozen regional ink manufacturers are working together to distribute Van Son’s new VS5 ink to the large sheetfed market.
By Dave Savastano
March 2004
The Pigment Report
Prices and worldwide overcapacity remain major concerns, but pigment manufacturers are somewhat optimistic about the prospects for 2004.
By Dave Savastano
JWT Inks are Drawing Attention
By David Savastano
ANI's Mike Buystedt Named TLMI's Supplier of the Year
By David Savastano
Harold Johnston Receives SGIA's Parmele Award
By Kerry Pianoforte
Polymer-Surfactant Interactions: Modes of Association and Methods of Analysis
By Lisa Hahn
Ink Manufacturers Talk about Pigment Purchasing
When the subject of pigments comes up, the talk usually centers on price. Yet in speaking with ink industry executives, particularly leaders at smaller niche companies, properties and consistent quality are also of great importance.
The European Ink Market
While there are signs of an economic upturn in the printing industry, ink manufacturers remain wary.
February 2004
The Flexo Report
Valued as an economical process, flexo continues to dominate the packaging industry, while making inroads into new applications.
By Kerry Pianoforte
Digital Ink Manufacturers Navigate Battles Between OEMs, Recyclers
By Sean Milmo
CRI's Wally Whalen Receives NAPIM's Pioneer Award
By David Savastano
NAPIM Convention Will Offer Roadmap to Ink Industry's Future
By David Savastano
The Milling Report
As 2004 opens, mill manufacturers are waiting to see if the economic recovery in the U.S. will lead to greater capital expenditures.
By Dave Savastano
Vehicles and Varnishes
As the economy improves, vehicle and varnish manufacturers are hopeful that the printing ink industry will see improvement. However, rising crude oil prices are a serious concern.
By Dave Savastano
January 2004
Siegwerk Group Strengthens Its Global Presence
The acquisition of CCI increases Siegwerk’s position in the global packaging ink market.
By Dave Savastano
New Pigment Technologies Help Drive Growth in Use of Color in Europe
By Sean Milmo
Improving Metallic Ink Printing Through Polarized Densitometry
By Jorg Mannig and Ray Verderber
Jean Daloglou Retires From SICPA Group
SICPA’s president and CEO led company’s strategic focus on security, packaging inks.
By David Savastano
New Leaders in the Ink Industry
New executives from inside and outside the industry are having an impact on the ink business.
By Dave Savastano
The Offset Report
Valued for its near-photographic quality, stochastic screening is becoming more widely used throughout the industry.
By Kerry Pianoforte
