This article reviews recent technological trends in ultraviolet (UV)-curable inks from the perspectives of sustainability, regulatory compliance, and advances in curing and printing technologies. In particular, the transition from conventional mercury lamps to light-emitting diode (LED) curing systems is accelerating, offering advantages such as energy efficiency, long service life, and low heat generation. Simultaneously, the growing demand for a reduced environmental impact has driven the development of formulations that incorporate biomass-derived raw materials. Regulatory frameworks, particularly those related to substances of very high concern (SVHC), have a significant impact on the ink design, and necessitate reformulation for achieving compliance while maintaining the performance. In addition, given the increasing importance of anti-counterfeiting technologies, UV inks can contribute to realizing advanced security features. Furthermore, the range of applications for inkjet printing is expanding with the growing demand for high-resolution, on-demand, and variable data printing in packaging and other industries. Electron beam (EB) curing technology is also attracting attention as an alternative that does not require photoinitiators, thereby lowering migration and improving safety. These trends indicate that UV ink technologies are evolving towards greater sustainability, higher regulatory compliance, and increased versatility.

Printing processes require high print quality and productivity. In flexographic printing, plate mounting tapes are essential for securing the printing plates, controlling the print pressure, improving the print quality, and enhancing the operational efficiency. Selecting the appropriate tape thickness, foam hardness, reinforcement materials, and adhesive systems contributes to a stable printing performance and reduced production losses. Flying splice tapes enable changing paper and film substrate rolls without stopping the production lines in high-speed printing and converting processes. They are widely used in flexographic, gravure, and offset printing, where continuous production and reliable splice performance are required. Flying splice tapes require a high initial tack, sufficient shear resistance, and reliable splitting performance to ensure a stable operation. Appropriately selecting the tape shortens the downtime, lowers material waste, improves the process stability, and standardizes the work. Accordingly, this article reviews the functions and technical characteristics of plate mounting and flying splice tapes and discusses their contributions to the print quality, productivity, process stability, and material waste reduction. The growing importance of these functional tape technologies in response to higher production speeds, labor shortages, and sustainability requirements is also discussed.

This paper focuses on powder-based additive manufacturing (AM) as a state-of-the-art printing technology that utilises powder materials. First, it describes conventional evaluation techniques for powder handling, covering particle size, particle shape, flowability, feedability, and methods for assessing dynamic powder flow properties. Next, it provides an overview of research and development trends in powder-based AM, specifically the Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) and Binder Jetting (BJ) processes, with respect to powder-handling evaluation. It introduces techniques for assessing factors such as powder bed formation (Spreadability), powder bed density, and green density, as well as simulation methods to understand phenomena during powder layering. Furthermore, it discusses the mechanisms governing the quality formation and the resulting properties of the final manufactured parts. Finally, the paper summarises the future prospects for powder-based AM and powder-handling technologies.