Companies and organizations, including brand owners, printing associations, universities and research institutes, are now involved in the creation of color standards.
Even as they are buffeted by the global recession and higher raw material costs, resin manufacturers continue to develop innovative products for the ink industry.
While the market for RFID and conductive inks has not grown as quickly as originally anticipated, the outlook for printed electronics is excellent as new applications and opportunities emerge.
Despite the impact of higher raw material prices, declining exports and the global recession, the Asia-Pacific ink market still enjoyed growth during the past year.
European authorities received 2.6 million pre-registrations for chemicals, a sign that the complexities of REACH will likely need to be sorted out in the future.
Leading ink manufacturers had a challenging year, as higher raw material prices dominated the first half of 2008, and the global recession heavily impacted sales at the end of the year.
As the worldwide economic downturn continues to impact the printing ink industry, pigment manufacturers are preparing for numerous challenges in the coming year.