Which one is better, water-based ink or oil-based ink, when printing, what are the advantages, disadvantages and differences? Let's discuss from the aspects of composition, environmental protection, performance and cost.

Classified by solvent composition:

1. Water-based ink (use water and water-soluble solvent as the main components to dissolve the color base)

Water-based ink is a uniform paste-like substance composed of binders, pigments, additives and other substances. The vehicle provides the necessary transfer properties for the ink, and the pigment imparts color to the ink.

The binders of water-based inks are mainly divided into two types: water-dilutable and water-dispersed.

There are many types of resins used in the water-dilutable type, such as maleic acid resin, shellac, maleic acid resin modified shellac, urethane, water-soluble acrylic resin and water-based amino resin. Water-dispersible vehicles are obtained by polymerizing emulsified monomers in water.

2. Oil-based ink (use a non-water-soluble solvent as the main component to dissolve the color base)

There are dye inks and pigment inks in water-based inks (the ph value of such inks is generally neutral);

There are also dye inks and pigment inks in oil-based inks (the ph value of such inks is generally acidic). Water-based inks and oil-based inks cannot be mixed (water-based inks cannot use oil-based hardeners, for the same reason).

Distinguish from environmental protection:

The main difference between water-based inks and oil-based inks is the difference in solvents. Water-based inks use water (45%~50%) as a solvent, with extremely low VOC (volatile organic compounds) content and minimal environmental pollution; oil-based inks use organic solvents (toluene). , xylene, industrial alcohol, etc.) as solvent. Toluene and xylene are important items for product environmental monitoring. Compared with water-based inks, oil-based inks are less environmentally friendly than water-based inks in the process of production, use and waste disposal.

Distinguish from use and usability:

Water-based ink is especially suitable for packaging and printing products with strict environmental protection requirements such as cigarettes, wine, food, beverages, medicines, and children's toys. Oil-based inks are suitable for 100% cotton, cotton/polyester blends, polyester, dark and light-colored fabrics, denim and other fabrics. Now with the "oil-to-water" environmental protection upgrade, water-based inks are gradually used on fabrics and clothing leather materials (Sanqi International Chemical has various water-based inks suitable for various clothing fabrics, TPU, PU, leather, handicrafts, etc.). Compared with water-based inks, oil-based inks have better adhesion and firmness on some printing substrates, which need to be tested according to different products.

In terms of cost, the price of water-based ink is higher than that of oil-based ink, but the water-based ink has less odor, and the environmental protection cost of water-based ink is lower, and the ink product only accounts for a small part of the cost of the printed product, which needs to be calculated by the user.

The above are the advantages and disadvantages and simple differences between water-based inks and oil-based inks. If you want to know more about the differences between water-based inks and oil-based inks and how to choose them, please contact Morga New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

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