Some U.S. sheetfed printers are now pumping ink into their iron as has been done in Europe and Japan for years. The goal is "a lot of savings on running operations - and less waste ink.". Users of a new American technology that provides high pressure pumping for sheetfed pressrooms are finding significant savings in several respects. One user reports a 3 percent drop in ink usage with an ink pumping system which saves $15,000 per year in ink purchase costs. Even more significant savings occurred from dropping the waste ink from 14 percent to under 2 percent. This has saved the same company as much as $60,000 per year in less waste ink generation and disposal. Operator time is also saved when not handling ink cans, skimming ink cans, cleaning ink cans, and getting on presses to add ink.

Source: Graphic Arts Monthly, March 1998, page 76
Author: Mark Vruno