Using Soy Inks

Using soy inks is a part of being a green printer and being FSC certified.

What are soy inks and how are they made?
Instead of being made from petroleum, soy inks use a base of soybean oil. The soybean oil is refined and blended with pigments, waxes and resins. Using soy inks makes it easier to recycle the paper printed with soy inks.

Why use soy inks?
To be environmental friendly and supportive of our environment. The manufacture, use and disposal of soy inks do little, if any, harm to the environment. Since soybean oil is naturally cleaner than petroleum inks, the colors are brighter. Images printed with soy inks are sharper, studies show. While they can be used in most applications, they take longer to dry. But that tradeoff is minimal considering the advantages of image quality and cost.

When did soy inks take over?
Since the late 1980s, newspapers began using soy-based inks to save money (over expensive petroleum-based inks) and to give them sharper, cleaner images. In 2004, over 95% of newspapers in the US used soy-based inks.

Who uses soy inks?
Printers and suppliers who are either FSC certified or environmentally friendly or conscious, use soy-based inks and printing products. Plus anybody who wants to save money.

How do you make sure soy inks are used?
Ask your printer if they use soy inks. Or specify them when you place an order. Or ask your designer to specify soy inks.

The use of soy ink is so pervasive and become such an industry standard that the National Soy Ink Information Center (established in 1993) was closed in 2004. Soy ink use is now regulated by the National Soybean Council.

The Executive