Most
printing inks used today are mainly petroleum based, and pollute the
atmosphere with harmful, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s)
as they dry.
Printed
material using these inks is also more costly to recycle because it is
more difficult to separate the ink particles from the paper fibers.
A
great alternative does exist. Printing inks made primarily from
vegetable oils produce excellent results. Soy inks often contain less
than 1% VOC's and are more easily removed from printed material during
the de-inking phase of the recycling process. When you specify soy ink
on your printing order, you will be helping soybean growing American
farmers, promoting better health and air quality, and increasing the
viability of paper recycling.
Soy
inks are available in a number of pre-mixed standard colors, and can be
specially blended to match any of several hundred PMS colors. Although
4-color (process color) printing can also be done with metallic inks,
they are environmentally taxing and should be avoided if at all
possible. By using a soy ink you loose nothing in quality but gain
peace of mind.