Soy ink

Rising prices for petroleum and conflict with OPEC countries were reasons they wanted to find a more reliable and cost efficient method of printing.

In 1987, soy ink was tested by The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) in a practical printing run, which proved to be successful.

[8] To make soy ink, soybean oil is slightly refined and then blended with pigment, resins, and waxes.

[1] Soy ink also has low levels of VOCs, (volatile organic compounds)[11] which helps to reduce air pollution by minimizing toxic emissions.

[2] Since naturally clearer Soybean oil is available, it is possible to obtain as brightly colored ink as by using clear petroleum distillates.

By using clearer soy bean oil grades, less pigment is necessary to produce the same optical effect, which reduces the overall cost of the ink.

This “overall cost” for soy inks is significantly lower than the initial market price, and it is at this point that they become competitive with their petroleum counterparts.

Soy-based inks are also derived from soybean, the production of which is connected with deforestation in Brazil[17] and, therefore, substantial greenhouse gas emissions, until recently.