For milk pouches, soap wraps, woven sacks, and jute bags, flexographic ink, also known as Flexo Ink, is a common printing medium. Flexographic ink is made comprised of an inorganic pigment and an organic solvent that allows it to be diluted with a carrier and then applied as a wet film with many colours to print the image on the product or container in question. Flexographic ink is distinguished from other printing processes like offset and screen printing by its use of much thinner coatings.

Flexographic ink is used on milk pouches, soap covers, woven sacks, and jute bags to aid with product identification. Graphics can be printed on flat surfaces such as milk pouches or soap covers using flexographic printing, and the images cannot be transferred once printed. Consumers prefer it to other printing methods such as screen printing since the ink must be non-toxic and should not alter the product's attractiveness or make it less appealing than before.

Flexo printing ink is commonly used in packaging, but it may also be used to print on a variety of surfaces for a low price. It can print on a variety of materials, including corrugated containers, folding cartons, paper sacks, plastic bags, milk and beverage containers, disposable cups and containers, labels, adhesive tapes, envelopes, newsprint, and grocery store packaging. Gellner acrylic polymers give excellent adhesion to non-porous surfaces such as vinyl, polypropylene, metals, and glass when used in flexo printing inks. In addition to alkali resistance, flexo printing inks have a lengthy press open duration thanks to specially formulated acrylic polymers.

Flexographic inks are inks that are commonly used in packaging printing and are transferred via the flexographic process (cardboard boxes, corrugated cardboard, paper bags and plastic bags, food packaging, labels, newspapers, catalogues, etc.). Because of their low cost and environmental friendliness, inks and printing technologies continue to gain popularity. The application of ink is the most crucial phase of the printing process.

Flexographic printing is popular because of its speed, cost-effectiveness, and low environmental impact. Water-based, UV curable, and solvent-based flexographic inks are the three basic types. Each application's ink will be determined by the substrate type – or printing surface. Despite the fact that solvent-based inks are safe to use in food packaging and other domestic applications, they have lost favour due to their negative environmental impact.

Acrylic polymers are used in flexographic printing inks to increase adhesion to non-porous surfaces including metals, glass, polypropylene, and vinyl while maintaining a lengthy press open time and alkali resistance.

Newspapers, supermarket packaging, envelopes, sticky tapes, milk and beverage containers, plastic bags, paper sacks, folding cartons, and disposable cups and containers all employ acrylic polymers in their ink blends. When picking ink, one of the most important elements to consider is the substrate. Some examples of substrates that could be used are as follows: Paper, Laminates, Film, and Foils.

Flexographic inks come in a variety of varieties. Wide web flexo presses for paper packaging, over-wraps, bags, and other applications, as well as narrow web flexo presses for pressure-sensitive labels, tags, and envelopes, use water-based inks. Wide-web applications such as film packaging, overwraps, bags, and pouches frequently use solvent-based inks.

The flexographic ink market is anticipated to reach over $5 billion by 2025, after growing at a CAGR of 5% from 2020 to 2025.

Coated and uncoated paper materials, as well as non-porous substrates such as metallized and paper foils, and plastic films, are all printed using flexographic ink. Flexographic inks adhere well to the surface of the substrate and produce high-quality printing regardless of the substrate material.

The growing need for flexographic ink in the packaging industry pulls the market forward. Furthermore, the flexographic ink industry is being boosted by increased demand for UV curable ink. Furthermore, the industry is being propelled ahead by rising demand for environmentally friendly inks such as Water-Based Flexographic Ink.

Due to their low viscosity and ease of printing, flexographic inks are widely used in the packaging industry, and demand is expected to grow rapidly throughout the projection period.

• Water-based inks use water-soluble ingredients as a binder to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds. They protect the food against contamination and the damaging effects of some hazardous chemicals that come into touch with it. Water-based ink printing is low-cost and does not necessitate the use of viscosity control equipment.

• After the advent of polymer printing plates and plate processing, flexographic printers were able to compete on quality with other methods. In food packaging, they're used to print foils, flexible films, tissues, and wrapping sheets, and in flexible packaging, they're used to print on paper and plastic bags. They also aid in the appearance of vibrant colours and the prevention of rub-off in corrugated packaging. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the flexographic ink market during the forecast period as a result of rising demand from the packaging industry in countries such as India and China.

• India's e-commerce market is expected to be worth USD 120 billion by 2020. As internet usage develops and government restrictions change to allow 100 percent foreign direct investment in the e-commerce sector, the market is expected to expand.

• India's packaging sector, according to the Plastics Industry Association of India, is the world's fifth largest, growing at a rate of 22-25 percent per year. Food packaging and processing prices might be 40% lower than in Europe due to highly skilled employees and low labour expenses. Due to increased demand for food packaging, processed foods, and food delivery partners in the countries, the market for flexographic inks is likely to grow.

Industry Major Market Players:

·         Venus Ink

·         Innovative Flexotech Private Limited

·         Dic Corporation

·         Inx International Ink Co.

·         Solar Inks Ltd

·         Antonine Printing Inks Ltd

·         Kao Chimigraf.

·         Bombay Well Print Inks Pvt. Ltd.

·         D I C India Ltd.

·         Hindustan Flex Ltd.

·         Jaysynth Dyestuff (India) Ltd.

·         Nanofil Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

·         Neo-Technico (Graphic) Sales Pvt. Ltd.