What inks does Bradford & Bigelow use and are they environmentally-friendly?

Bradford & Bigelow uses UV inks on its offset platform and advanced pigment-based inks on its digital platform, both chosen specifically for their low environmental impact compared to traditional printing inks.

UV inks on offset presses
Traditional heat-set offset printing requires ovens and chillers running continuously to dry ink, generating volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions which is a toxic discharge that builds up over time and negatively impacts the local environment and water supplies.

Bradford & Bigelow's offset platform uses UV inks, which cure immediately as the printed page passes under low-intensity UV lamps. This eliminates the need for heat-set drying, producing zero or minimal VOC emissions and significantly reducing energy consumption compared to traditional presses.

Pigment-based inks on digital presses
Bradford & Bigelow's digital platform uses advanced pigment-based inks that require minimal heat to cure. This further reduces energy consumption and toxic discharge compared to traditional digital print technologies.

What this means for your project
Printing with Bradford & Bigelow means your project is produced using ink technologies with a substantially lower environmental footprint than conventional print. For publishers with supplier environmental requirements or sustainability reporting needs, B&B's ink practices are a meaningful part of that story.

For more on B&B's environmental initiatives, visit our environmental initiatives page.