Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announced that executives from the DPDA (Digital Print Deinking Alliance) and INGEDE (Internationale Forschungsgemeinschaft Deinking-Technik) together signed a Letter of Intent for collaboration to investigate the de-inking of inkjet prints. Océ Printing Systems is a member of DPDA.
Inkjet print volumes become more significant
The primary objective of this collaboration is to identify new solutions suitable for combined recovered paper streams with analogue and digital prints. The target is to enable inkjet manufacturers as well as de-inking mills to better anticipate their commercial and environmental requirements as inkjet print volumes become more significant.
"Inkjet is likely to be a relevant process in digital production printing in the future," said Ulrich Hoeke, INGEDE Board Chairman, "and it is essential to maintain recovered graphic paper as a raw material for recycled-content graphic papers by ensuring good de-inkability of inkjet prints."
Technical Committee will direct research projects
This DPDA-INGEDE Letter of Intent for collaboration on inkjet de-inkability provides a structure for regular, detailed exchange of relevant data and jointly-sponsored research projects under the direction of a Technical Committee with representatives from both organisations.
Both DPDA and INGEDE recognise that feasible solutions may involve optimisation of ink, pre- and post-treatment, paper characteristics and the de-inking process. This DPDA-INGEDE Technical Committee has already had its first meeting, and plans to conduct at least one jointly-managed research project this year.
Range of de-inkability performance
The paper industry already experiences considerable problems in recycling prints with water-based flexo inks. In order to avoid similar problems with water-based inkjet inks, paper industry and printer manufacturers will intensify their cooperation.
Speaking on behalf of the DPDA, Crit Driessen, Vice President Marketing and Strategy Production Printing, Océ Printing Systems GmbH, said that "the DPDA recognises that although there have been no single inkjet de-inking issues reported in recycling mills, lab-scale assessments show a range of de-inkability performance, and therefore it is important to identify the attributes and thresholds for successful de-inking so the overall solution can be optimised. This Letter of Intent for collaboration on inkjet print de-inkability is an important step forward for the paper and printing industry to help ensure that the benefits of inkjet printing are realised by all participants in the value chain."
Océ will be demonstrating their products and services on Stand D70 in Hall A1 at FESPA Digital
