Toray's Innovative Eco-Friendly Printing Technology

Abstract

The commercial printing market, consisting of paper media such as advertisements and newspapers, has been declining owing to the acceleration of the digitalization trend in recent years. In contrast, the flexible packaging printing market, which primarily uses film substrates in printing, has exhibited steady growth in recent years. However, flexible packaging typically involves gravure printing using solvent inks that are hazardous to the environment and human health owing to the emitted solvent. In this study, we developed a new printing system by using a waterless offset plate and an original EB curable ink, which requires no dampening water or heat, superseding the printing method using solvents such as gravure printing. The proposed system is expected to contribute significantly to a sustainable society by achieving substantial CO₂ emission reduction and a VOC-free printing process.