UV inks and UV-curable inkjet formulas produce crisp, clear, fast-curing images and text printouts. Inks with quick UV-curing capabilities dry fast and adhere tightly to substrate materials so they resist wear, abrasion, and chemical damage well.
Toagosei America provides the UV raw material chemicals for customers who formulate UV-curable inks used in flexographic, inkjet, screen printing, and lithographic inks. Learn more about our products for the UV-curable ink formulation industry.
The Growing Demand for UV-Curable Ink Systems
UV inks have multiple advantages over traditional inks, including instant drying, fade resistance, and low VOC emissions. Because of these and other benefits, the demand for UV-curable ink is growing. According to market research, the 2025 UV-curable inks market has a value of $2.3 billion, and experts expect it to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% through 2035.
What is UV ink and how do they improve printing operations? One of the biggest advantages is sustainability. The formulas don’t produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like solvent-based inks. This reduces health risks for employees and environmental risks of chemicals transferred into groundwater or released into the air. Further, instant-drying inks cure with just momentary exposure to UV lamps, which require much less energy than longer exposure cycles in traditional heat machines.
UV-curing inks also offer several efficiency benefits. The switch to fast-acting UV curing lamps instead of heat machines is more cost-effective and resource-efficient. This means it’s possible to accomplish more curing with the same or smaller number of lamps, or to run them for shorter periods. They also help streamline printing workflows and shorten lead times.
Toagosei’s UV-Curable Monomers and Oligomers
Toagosei supplies monomers and oligomers for UV-curable ink formulations. We provide traditional monomers as well as specialized monomers including, but not limited to toluene-free, low viscosity, high OH value materials as well as those that incorporate bio-based material. Monomers are often lower viscosity and/or relatively small compared to an oligomer, and oligomers form the majority of the ink formula, with different oligomers changing the hardness and flexibility of each formula. Formulations also include photoinitiators that start the crosslinking process and harden in response to UV energy, as well as pigments or other additives.
Customers use our products to formulate a variety of inks with different characteristics and results, such as:
- Fast curing cycles. The photoinitiators instantly respond to UV light from UV LED lamps. The formulas quickly cure and harden, streamlining print production.
- Chemical resistance. The monomeric and oligomeric molecules cross-link into a durable polymer in the presence of UV light, hardening into a plastic layer that resists wear, scratching, smudging, abrasion resistance and chemical exposure.
- Adhesion. UV inks first penetrate the substrate, then the UV light triggers a chemical change to make the ink harden and tightly bind onto the surface and with itself.
Performance Advantages for Inkjet Applications
The commercial printing industry as well as some amateurs use UV inks to create images, text, and graphics that are crisp, detailed, and long-lasting. Inkjet printheads can dispense tiny, highly-controlled amounts of ink, creating a precise image that is immediately exposed to UV light. These inks offer several performance advantages for small- and large-scale applications, including:
- Print quality. The reduced risk of smudging and smearing improves clarity, alignment, and overall visual appeal.
- Durability. The inks form strong chemical and mechanical bonds with the substrate for long-lasting adherence.
- Substrate compatibility. UV inks can be used successfully with many different materials including metals, wood, glass, plastics, and more.
- Efficient production. UV inks cure quickly, which speeds up print, cure, and overall cycle time of every unit. Operations that use UV-curable inkjet equipment can often produce more and handle higher volumes.
As UV-curable ink use expands to more applications and users, it’s important for ink formulators to have access to high quality chemicals in order to develop innovative new products and processes.
Why Ink Manufacturers Choose Toagosei
UV-curable ink formulations rely on high-quality chemical ingredients for properties including fast dry times, proper adhesion to a variety of materials, and precision deposition for clear, crisp printing. This means it’s critical to select the right supplier for UV raw materials. At Toagosei we provide a variety of chemicals and technical support to meet our customers’ needs for their UV-ink formulations.
As an experienced manufacturer with worldwide global manufacturing capabilities, we hope to become a lifelong partner for our customers. We can quickly deliver UV-curable ink monomers, oligomers, and other UV chemicals anywhere around the world with reliable lead times.
Contact Toagosei for Technical Guidance
Toagosei is a worldwide expert in innovative UV ink raw materials. Our staff works closely with our customers to understand their needs and support their ink formulations with a range of chemical products. Contact us today to discuss your application or to request a quote.