Kao Develops Water-based Pigment Inkjet Ink

Kao Corporation has successfully developed the world's first water-based pigment inkjet ink for printing on film materials used in flexible packaging and will enter the industrial printing industry. The newly-developed ink's VOC-free design mitigates its environmental impact. Kao has also developed an inkjet printer exclusively for this water-based ink in cooperation with Think Laboratories, Co., Ltd., which achieves eco-friendly and high quality printing on flexible packaging. The Performance Chemicals Research Laboratories at Kao Corporation have been developing pigment dispersion technologies for water-based inkjet ink. Based on Kao's unique nano-dispersion pigment technology, this newly-developed ink uses functional polymers to encapsulate nano-sized pigments, thus achieving fast, reliable, and high quality printing. Kao also has the capacity to apply this technology for water-based pigment inkjet ink to eco-friendly water-based rotogravure ink. With the aim of contributing to a sustainable society, Kao will further advance science and the technology and will promote product development and services that serve to mitigate environmental impact.