What is Waterless?

Waterless printing is an offset lithographic printing process that eliminates the water or dampening system used in conventional printing. It uses silicone rubber coated printing plates and specially formulated inks, and typically a temperature-control system is integrated into waterless presses.

In contrast to conventional printing, which is a chemical process that relies on isopropyl alcohol or substitutes, waterless printing is a mechanical process. The waterless press operator is not challenged with balancing the delicate relationship between ink and water. Waterless printing requires only an appropriate temperature range for transferring ink to substrate.

The waterless process offers several advantages vs. conventional printing, including better print quality measured in terms of color consistency, color saturation, detail reproduction and overall sharpness.

Waterless also improves productivity by reducing makeready time and simplifying press operation:

• After switching to 100% waterless printing, the Noge Printing Corp. found that printing job time was shortened by 9%, and employees gained 17 hours of working time per person per week.

• The Badische Zeitung newspaper in Freiburg, Germany, reported a striking productivity gain after switching to waterless. When printing conventionally, the newspaper averaged 322,754 copies produced per employee. With waterless, the figure rose to 734,666 copies per employee.

• A demonstration of a Heidelberg waterless UV printing press demonstrated that the speed of the printing press could easily be accelerated to 12,000 sph through waterless UV printing. With conventional UV offset, the maximum speed was limited to 9,000 sph offset due to the narrow adjustment balance between water and ink.

• After three years of experience with waterless printing, Danish packaging printer Danapak reported that its makereadies were 18% faster than with conventional printing.

• Japanese printer Shiseido Kaihatsu Corp., the in-house printing unit of global cosmetic company Shiseido, adopted waterless printing in 2000 for the printing of Shiseido’s annual environmental report. By doing so, it enjoyed an unexpected benefit of a US $30,000 cost reduction the first year.

The environmental benefits of waterless printing have captured the attention of printers and print buyers alike. The process eliminates fountain solution, which eliminates the consumption of water and significantly reduces the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere vs. conventional printing.

A mid-size conventional printer with two 40” and one 28” press would use 10,200 – 13,800 litres of alcohol in a year operating three shifts, or 2,700 – 3,650 gallons.  It should be noted that dampening alcohol substitutes are widely used in the United States.

According to Japanese authorities, 60% of VOCs in offset printing come from washing solvent, with ink and fountain solution contributing 40%. A reduction in washing solvent VOCs is critical for small to mid-size printers to make meaningful VOC reductions. Waterless printing makes that possible.

Research conducted at Tokyo-based Bunseikaku measured VOC emissions from the printing company’s waterless printing operation and also from its conventional wet offset operation. The results showed that the waterless pressroom created 75% less VOC emissions than the conventional pressroom.

Waterless operations using water washable ink systems are pushing the low-VOC scenario even further, with the potential to reduce VOC emissions up to 95% vs. conventional printing.

Reducing or eliminating VOCs benefits not only the planet, but also the people working in the pressroom. These chemicals demonstrate an array of health effects, ranging from eye irritation to leukemia. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that benzene, as an example, causes cancer in humans.

The critical need for water conservation, which is gradually gaining awareness even in developed countries, is a highly attractive environmental benefit of waterless printing. In a BBC report, the United Nations warned that more than 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by 2025 if the world continues to consume water at the current rate.

Printing has historically been a leading industrial consumer of water. According to data supplied by JL Lennard, a single five-six-color, 40 inch (102 cm) conventional printing press operating only one shift can use 3,175 gallons (12,019 liters) of water per year. An eight-unit 38” (96.5 cm) heatset web press will generate around 23,810 gallons (90,131 liters) per year. Some conventional web presses require more than 25,000 gallons monthly, which is enough water to overflow a swimming pool measuring 18 x 36 feet.

Waterless printing addresses the dilemma. Mosaic, a waterless printer in Cheverly, Maryland, has calculated that printing 10,000 copies of a simple direct-mail flyer using waterless printing and recycled paper would save enough water to support a human being for a year.

The final environmental advantage of waterless printing is reduced paper waste. Because waterless presses come up to color and register so much faster than conventional equipment, paper savings of 30% to 40% have been reported. Consequently, the burden on the waste stream is lessened—and fewer trees need to fall.

The combination of natural resource conservation, reduced air and water pollution, high print quality, productivity gains, and employee wellness position waterless printing as a robust and appropriate technology for the twenty-first century.