The topic of the day: Ink! Somehow I missed an article on Eco-Friendly Inks by Sabine Lenz that appeared on CreativePro last summer. Here are a summary and the headlines:
Let's consider the three main components of offset ink for sheetfed printing: pigment, a vehicle, and additives. Pigments give the inks their colors and a vehicle is a moist substance, such as petroleum, water, soy or other vegetable oils, that eases the spread of pigments and provides more even color. Additives, such as waxes and distillates, help reduce set off and improve the ink's performance on press.
  • The Problem with Petroleum
  • Vegetable- and Soy-Based Ink
  • Controlling the VOC
  • A Vibrant Ink Substitute
  • Developing Greener Alternatives
    • [12/15/08 - Editor's note: At the request of the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers, the links to the following report have been disconnected. Per the NAPIM: "This document... contains inaccurate and misleading information..." The Partners in Design report is 12 years old and technology is constantly changing; a request for current and updated information has been requested and will be published when received. Please note that publications regarding heavy metals in inks currently available on the NAPIM website are dated 1989 and 1990. GNK] If you want to learn more about heavy metals in inks - go to page 11 in EcoStrategies for Printed Communications, an information and strategy guide prepared by Partners in Design in Seattle. While the paper is more than 10 years old, the good news (or perhaps it is the bad news) is that the material contained in the report is still very applicable. Accompanying the report is a chart showing the  percentage of cadmium and barium used in litho inks, again more than 10 years old, but still full of very useful information. A good question to ask your ink provider, particularly if you want to use molybdnum orange, is this "does lead or chromuim still comprise about 60% of this ink's weight." If the answer is no, the next question should be: "Then how much is in the ink now?"