S.KOREA’S STATUS OF TONER/ INK MARKET?

[Anonymous]

What is the overall status on the printing ink market?
The printing ink products can be divided broadly into the three categories of dye, pigment and dye sublimation by the raw materials used. On the other hand, if we see the products in terms of the solvent used, they can be grouped into ink portion and that of solvent(For convenience’s sake, oil and eco-solvent are normally classified as ink).

As aforementioned, the color printing technology has made a drastic improvement recently, specially in the market for the large format color printing areas. Viewing the world situation, it has been found that the sales volume of the printing market is on increase for about 12% every year and 8 % measured in terms of money(The printing market is meant for the market of printer, printing ink and those materials associated with printing work).

Further, there have been a rapid progress in the development of various kinds of printing equipment as with printing inks and other related items in terms of their varieties. As it was mentioned in the above, the fact that the annual sales amount in moneywise is smaller than the progress rate of market sales volume reveals that the unit prices used in the sales have been fallen down continuously.

If, for convenience’s sake, we analyze this market situation by breaking down into two different categories of the water based ink and that of the solvent based; the former yet takes absolutely the high portion of the market share in general, but is on steady decrease, while, on the contrary, the later is on its drastic increase in sales volume.

If we subdivide the solvent ink further, they can be grouped into those ink kinds of Oil, Solvent/Eco-Solvent and UV-Curable. Among them, the demands for Oil ink is tending downwards while those of Solvent/Eco-Solvent are on rapid increase.It is expected that also there will be a great demand for UV-Curable ink in the near future.In other words, the printing ink market in general is being expanded supported by supplying new systems as with creating new usage, but to our regret the unit prices are kept on lowering. In particular, the water ink market is on shrinking trend but contrarily, the solvent ink line market is being expanded considerably. In this regard, we all know that there are a lot of advantages in the solvent ink.

Nevertheless, it is also true that the solvent ink product is being curbed to some extend in doing business, because it is injurious to our health and due to the environmental hazards it causes for in the use of it, when we compared it to that of water ink product. Accordingly, therefore, an environmentally friendly product is asked for by the customers(The end user of printing ink) more than before. Besides, it is a tendency that new printing machines are being introduced to the market faster than ever before.

[Author]

January 31, 2005 at 9:23 AM