Inks and Printing
Hot off the presses
Not since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press has anyone worked harder to provide solutions to make better inks and printing options. The people of Ashland study situations, ask questions and apply science-based solutions to the world of inks and printing so you'll never have to stop your presses again.
As a specialty chemical ingredient company, Ashland touches many different industries and markets including printing and inks. During printing, it's important that inks adhere to a variety of paper and products. Even pigment dispersion ensures that the color is consistent throughout. This dispersion needs to be balanced with maintaining the right consistency to prevent the ink bleeding. Ashland ingredients such as Aqualon ethylcellulose is a key ingredient in gravure printing inks. This multifunctional product is also used as a thickening binder in flexographic and screen printing inks. Printing problem? Ashland can help solve it.
Like many other companies, Ashland strives to solve problems with the best possible solution for you, your industry and the environment. Ongoing environmental concerns surrounding the volatility of alcohols in fountain solutions has led to an increased need for cleaner substitutes. Ashland Ambergum™ water-soluble polymer is derived from a reliable, stable raw material source to provide clean viscosity control and unique rheology in gumming and fountain solutions. These excellent wetting-agents help prevent bleeding of the ink yielding a higher print quality with rich, solid color.
In the world of textiles, prints need to be clear, clean and sharp regardless of the type of fabric. Ashland Blanose™ carboxymethylcellulose and Galactasol™ guar are two products commonly used for thickening and rheology control for textile printing. With excellent washout and minimal dusting, these polymers ensure adhesion of the dye to the fibers for outstanding print quality.
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Ambergum™ water soluble polymers
Ambergum™ water-soluble polymers are a cost-effective alternative to gum arabic to provide clean viscosity control and unique rheology in gumming and fountain solutions. They function as wetting agents and can replace isopropyl alcohol in some systems. Ambergum polymers are produced from reliable and stable raw material sources. When used in fountain solutions, they can help prevent emulsification, bleeding of the ink and can provide more u...
Aqualon™ ethylcellulose
Aqualon™ ethylcellulose (EC) is a cellulose ether distinguished by its versatility.
V-Cap™ vinyl caprolactam
V-Cap™ vinyl caprolactam is a pale yellow crystalline solid stabilized with 10 ppm N,N’-di-sec-butyl p-phenylenediamine. Polymers synthesized from V-Cap vinyl caprolactam are significantly more hydrophobic than their V-Pyrol vinyl pyrrolidone analogs but still exhibit the adhesiveness, strength and complexing capability characteristic of the lactam functionality. V-Cap vinyl caprolactam is a supercooled liquid and can remain as ...
Drewplus* foam control agents
Take control of your foam with Drewplus* foam control agents Drewplus* foam control agents (FCA) from Ashland are leading technologies within an ever-expanding portfolio of additives that improve the performance of decorative paints and industrial coatings, as well as water-based adhesives, graphic art systems, polymers and polymer dispersions Drewplus* foam control agents are formulated without the use of alkylphenolethoxylates (APEO) and are av...
Advantage™ defoamers
Advantage™ defoamers are highly efficient, hydrocarbon oil-based antifoaming agents designed for use in ready-to-use construction materials as a foam control agent. Advantage defoamers are designed to be emulsifiable with persistency so they can be used over a broad number of applications. Advantage defoamers are especially effective for use in building applications such as synthetic plasters, tile adhesives and joint compounds. Advantage d...
Surfadone™ wetting agents
Surfadone™ wetting agents provide excellent wetting and cleaning performance on a wide range of substrates. Surfadone™ wetting agent is a low foaming surfactant, wetting agent and soil dispersant. It interacts synergistically when added to anionic and nonionic cleaning formulations to boost Surfadone™ wetting agents offers the following features and benefits: creates a surface tension reduction at low levels for powerful ...
Dextrol™ & Strodex™ phosphate ester surfactants
Dextrol™ and Strodex™ phosphate ester surfactants improve gloss, color acceptance and water sensitivity in waterborne paint and coatings. They are superior wetting and dispersing agents for a variety of end uses. They help improve dispersion of pigments during processing and also serve to enhance surface wetting and reduce flash rusting. In addition to direct addition to waterborne paints and coatings formulations, they are also widel...
V-Pyrol™ RC reactive monomer
V-Pyrol™/RC reactive monomer is a clear liquid stabilized with insoluble sodium hydroxide or soluble N,N’-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine. The latter inhibitor is supplied in V-Pyrol/RC reactive monomer and V-Pyrol/Amine at concentrations of 25ppm and at 100 ppm, respectively for radiation curing and nonradiation curing applications. V-Pyrol/RC reactive monomer is commonly used in radiation cured forumulations. This monomer...
Aquaflow™ nonionic synthetic associative thickeners
Aquaflow™ nonionic synthetic associative thickeners are efficient thickeners for high-performance waterborne paints and coatings. These easy-to-handle liquids build rheology in paints and coatings through self-association and interaction with other ingredients. Aquaflow rheology modifiers are based on hydrophobically-modified polyacetal-polyether (HM-PAPE) chemistry and are designed to function as a drop-in replacement for urethane-ty...
PVP K series
Polyvinylpyrrolidone is a hygroscopic, amorphous polymer supplied as a white, free-flowing powder or a clear aqueous solution. Available in several molecular weight grades, they are characterized by K-value, and used in a great variety of applications. Polyvinylpyrrolidone can be plasticized with water and most common organic plasticizers. It is considered to be physiologically inert: Applications take advantage of one or more properties i...
PVP-VA
Pvp/va polymers produce transparent, flexible, oxygen permeable films which adhere to glass, plastics and metals. Polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate (pvp/va) resins are linear, random copolymers produced by the free-radical polymerization of the monomers in ratios varying from 70/30 to 30/70 vinyl acetate to vinylpyrrolidone. Pvp/va copolymers are available as white powders or clear solutions in ethanol, isopropanol and water. Polymers in t...
THF - Tetrahydrofuran
Tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvent is an inert, versatile solvent offering high solvency power for numerous organic substances. It is used as a starting reagent in many syntheses. adhesives applicationSolvent for PVC, polyurethane, polycarbonate, acetate, thermoplastics for adhesives/cements. adhesives features/benefits:Rapid uniformbit into substrates, hogh volatile, solvency, minimize gelling and contributes to bonding strength coatings & inks a...
BLO™ gamma butyrolactone
BLO butyrolactone solvent, also known as gamma-Butyrolactone, is a polar solvent for ionic substrates and functions as an acid donor in aqueous media at elevated temperatures. Although blo solvent is stable under a wide range of conditions, at elevated temperatures and in the presence of appropriate reagents, it serves as an intermediate in a variety of useful syntheses such as: Precursor to 2-pyrrolidone and the extensive family of alkyl pyrrol...
2-Pyrrolidone (2-Pyrol™ solvent)
2-Pyrol 2-pyrrolidone is used for solvency, adhesion enhancement and solubility in paints and coatings and printing inks. It is also used as a drug solubilizer and penetration enhancer in parenteral and injectable dosage forms, specifically in veterinary products.
NMP - N methyl 2 pyrrolidone (M-Pyrol™ solvent)
M-Pyrol solvent, a lower alkyl pyrrolidone, is an extremely powerful and versatile aprotic solvent. With its high boiling point, low vapor pressure and high stability, it is an effective solvent in numerous industry applications and can be used as a co-solvent with water, alcohols and other organic substances. M-Pyrol solvent is extremely resistant to hydrolysis from pH 2-10, even at elevated temperatures. Beyond these limits, hydrolysis to 4-(me...