Custom formulation printing inks: a Red Sofa interview with Joachim Erlach

Joachim Erlach, spokesman for the board of ink developer Epple, talks to Thomas Fasold

Epple is launching a new range of inks with Bofood Organic. For whom and for which applications is this range intended?

Bofood Organic is the first ink, produced entirely from raw materials approved for food contact. Standard inks can’t be used inside food packs, so our new ink will be really important in the future.

What else are you exhibiting?
My Ink, which is a system that enables printers to create inks in line with their needs.

Packaging printing has remained more stable than other sectors. Is that true from your perspective?
Yes, 100%. Demand for packaging is expected to remain stable; it will always be needed, not least for food. That’s one of the reasons we focused on this market.

What role can digital printing play in packaging?
Digital printing will find its place in the packaging sector – for shorter runs or specialist products that can be produced more efficiently and more sensibly than with offset. However, it will not replace sheetfed offset printing, as might be more likely in other sectors, perhaps.

Is Drupa a fixed deadline for you in developing innovations?
Yes. We have launched a variety of new developments. For me, Drupa offers a platform to drive business forward, including for new products. This is also why we are one of the few ink developers that is allowing itself to be put to the test by participating in the show.

Are you able at this stage to summarise your drupa for us?
Drupa has been very important for us. We have also made some fantastic contacts within new overseas markets that are becoming increasingly important to us: growth markets are no longer so easy to find in western Europe.