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.
Expansions in printing on flexible packaging, particularly plastic, are opening up new opportunities for ink makers but are also offering technological challenges.
Faced with escalating raw material and operational costs and demand for new technologies, ink industry leaders are seeking much-needed price increases.
The expanding packaging market is providing ink companies with the opportunity to develop new technologies and differentiate their products and services.
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.
As digital technologies make further inroads into printing, ink manufacturers are becoming more involved in developing hardware and software systems to meet new requirements.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Kerry Pianoforte, Ink World Associate Editor 09.30.05