Inkjet technology is creating and transforming many disparate applications, and it has the potential to do it sustainably. Increasingly, people and organizations are looking at new forms of print and industrial applications to meet sustainability demands.

Inkjet technologies support the deposition of a variety of substances that facilitate manufacturing processes. The types of substances can vary from water to solvent based on the specific inkjet technology and application. From an environmental standpoint, water-based ink is much more suitable since it is comprised of naturally occurring substances and doesn’t contain any of the toxic chemicals of its counterparts. Due to this, water-based ink is lower risk for printers, manufacturers, consumers, and the environment. In addition, because it’s water-soluble, no specialized chemicals are required for its clean up. This keeps potentially harmful substances out of our waste and water supply. 

It is important to remember that, while the components of water-based ink are less harmful to the environment than those of solvent-based ink, the ultimate eco-footprint of water-based ink has as much to do with how it is handled, stored, and cleaned as it does with the fact that it is much less toxic. Water-based ink is only eco-friendly when you use and dispose of it properly and completely, in a responsible manner. Even the best, most gentle industrial inks and cleaning products are still chemicals. Much of the long-term ecological damage of printing ink is a result of the alcohol in the fountain solution and solvent waste in clean-up, not the process or the chemicals.