High Quality vs. Green Technology

Sullivan approached the issue with a more mixed outlook. "Solvent is still the ideal solution for vehicle wraps with substrate flexibility," said Sullivan. Although Sullivan believes it still holds a place with clients, he also stated: "Going green will continue to displace aggressive solvent printers with milder solvent solutions."

Salomon pointed out other countries, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China, will continue to rely on solvent ink technology due to its low price and high quality, but will continue to decline in the US. "Solvent ink volume will be hurt by the green movement because solvent is bad for humans and the environment," he said.

Mitchell also believes solvent ink technology will decline in the US. "Aggressive solvent inks and printers will likely give way to UV printers offering higher print speeds, higher productivity, and less environmental impact," Mitchell stated.

Although Pericot believes solvent inks currently have a place in the market, he also agrees the industry would move towards more eco-friendly inks stating: "The industry will keep moving towards UV and Latex ink technologies."

"As companies move away from using aggressive solvents and printers built on this technology, we are seeing an industry-wide adoption of eco-solvent inks," Catania agreed.

Overall it may be still hard to figure out what direction solvent ink technology will head in. Some experts believe it's here to stay due to its low cost and high quality, while others feel it's a thing of the past and companies should start leaning more toward greener options. Without any general verdict of the future of solvent ink technology, it will continue to be a topic of debate for many years to come.