Regulations On Printing Inks

The standard "Technical Requirements for Environmental Labeling Products: Inkjet Printing Inks" was formulated under the organization of the Environmental Development Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in accordance with the requirements of Document Huan Ke Han [2006] No. 52. It aims to implement the *Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China* and to reduce the impact of inkjet printing inks on human health and the environment during their production, use, and disposal.
This standard applies to water-based and solvent-based inks used in desktop inkjet printers (including multifunction devices), wide-format inkjet printers, and inkjet coding machines; it does not apply to UV-curable inks.
Terms defined in the standard include colorants, water-based inks, solvent-based inks, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Colorants-also known as pigments/dyes-refer collectively to the dyes and pigments used to impart color to the ink. Water-based inks are inks in which water or a water-soluble liquid serves as the solvent for the colorant and constitutes the primary ingredient. Solvent-based inks are inks in which a solvent serves as the primary ingredient for dissolving and dispersing colorants and resins. Volatile organic compounds are defined as any organic compound with an initial boiling point less than or equal to 250°C at a pressure of 101.3 kPa.
Technical requirements cover prohibited substances and limits on hazardous substances. Water-based inks must not contain intentionally added elements such as lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, or hexavalent chromium (or their compounds), nor specific halogenated hydrocarbon solvents. Limits for hazardous substances in water-based inks include: VOCs ≤ 100 g/L; total content of lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and mercury ≤ 100 mg/kg; lead ≤ 90 mg/kg; cadmium ≤ 75 mg/kg; hexavalent chromium ≤ 60 mg/kg; mercury ≤ 60 mg/kg; nickel ≤ 100 mg/kg; ammonia and its compounds ≤ 2%; methanol ≤ 3%; formaldehyde ≤ 500 mg/kg; and phenol ≤ 10 mg/kg. Solvent-based inks must not contain intentionally added elements such as lead, cadmium, mercury, selenium, arsenic, antimony, and hexavalent chromium (or their compounds), nor glycol ethers and their esters, or phthalates. Limits for hazardous substances in solvent-based inks are as follows: benzene content ≤ 500 mg/kg; benzene-series solvents ≤ 5,000 mg/kg; halogenated hydrocarbon solvents ≤ 500 mg/kg; methanol ≤ 2%; total content of lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and mercury ≤ 100 mg/kg (with individual limits of lead ≤ 90 mg/kg, cadmium ≤ 75 mg/kg, hexavalent chromium ≤ 60 mg/kg, and mercury ≤ 60 mg/kg); and VOC content ≤ 250%.
Plastic packaging containers for the ink must not contain polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), or chlorinated paraffins, nor additives containing lead, cadmium, or mercury. The design of packaging containers should facilitate resource conservation, reuse, and recycling. Enterprises must provide users with compliant Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and ink usage instructions; these must include recommendations for handling spills and residual ink, as well as a warning label indicating that the ink must be stored out of the reach of children.