The Development of a VOC-Free Lithographic Printing System

A pressing problem facing lithographic printing is the development of alternative cleaning methods that minimize emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). The printing industry has focused on developing wash-up chemistries that work with traditional ink chemistry. This paper presents an alternative strategy: the selective solubility of oil-based lithographic inks, which remain water insoluble during printing but convert to water soluble during cleanup. The result is a system that performs lithographically during printing, but uses a zero-VOC, water-based solution during clean-up. This paper discusses ink properties, press performance, and print quality results of the new system.