The graphic arts industry faces many of the same additive challenges as those encountered in coatings, ink and adhesives applications. Namely, it continues to seek coalescents and plasticizers that not only meet high performance standards, but also the more stringent environmental, health and safety regulations that characterize the industry today.
In the graphic arts industry, coalescents assist in film formation in waterborne overprint varnish,1,2 also known as OPV. To date, the coalescents used in the graphic arts industry have primarily been the more volatile types. While they function well, VOC content is an issue. Phthalates, such as di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) or butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), have also been used. Although they are both relatively low in VOCs, their use has been recently restricted as a result of health and safety concerns. Thus, a need exists for low-VOC, non-phthalate plasticizers and coalescent.