Vegetable Oil-Based Vehicles, News Ink Formulations and Their Properties

Our objectives for this study were to provide vegetable oil-based printing ink vehicles that did not require petroleum components. Modified soybean oil was used for formulating nearly 150 paste news inks. Physical properties of these inks meet or exceed the industry standards for lithographic and letterpress newsprint applications. Elimination of petroleum-based resin and reduced amount of pigment usage, due to the light vehicle color, provide for a competitively priced alternative to petroleum-based inks. The molecular weights (Mw) of ink vehicles made from representative vegetable oils, such as soybean, safflower, and canola oils were compared by gel permeation chromatography, and a correlation between viscosity and Mw of these vehicles was established. lithographic and letterpress newsprint applications. Elimination of petroleum-based resin and reduced amount of pigment usage, due to the light vehicle color, provide for a competitively priced alternative to petroleum-based inks. The molecular weights (Mw) of ink vehicles made from representative vegetable oils, such as soybean, safflower, and canola oils were compared by gel permeation chromatography, and a correlation between viscosity and Mw of these vehicles was established.