Printing & Packaging

Water-based binders for printing inks, barrier coatings, overprint varnishes, and paper and board coatings — delivering print quality, runnability, and barrier performance across flexo, gravure, and digital print lines.

Ink BindersBarrier CoatingsOPVPaper CoatingsFlexo/Gravure

Market Overview

The printing and packaging industry is under sustained pressure to eliminate solvent-based inks and coatings without compromising on runnability, adhesion to challenging substrates, and end-use performance (grease resistance, moisture barrier, heat-seal strength). Water-based binder technology has matured to the point where it can meet these requirements across most packaging applications.

JCT Chemical supplies styrene-acrylic and pure acrylic binders, along with functional additives, to manufacturers of flexographic and gravure inks, overprint varnishes, paper and board coatings, and barrier coatings for food packaging.

Application Areas

Printing Inks

Water-based flexographic and gravure inks for paper, board, film, and flexible packaging. Binder must give fast drying, strong adhesion, and compatibility with UV curing topcoats.

Recommended: JCT-SA320, JCT-A200

Barrier Coatings

Grease, oil, and moisture barrier coatings for food packaging (paper cups, fast-food containers, bakery packaging). Replacing fluorinated barrier chemicals.

Recommended: /products/acrylic-resins/ (JCT-XL400)

Overprint Varnishes

Gloss and matte OPV for folding cartons, labels, and point-of-sale display materials. Requires scuff resistance, blocking resistance, and adhesion to UV-printed substrates.

Recommended: JCT-SA320, JCT-A200

Recommended Products

Styrene-Acrylic Copolymers

High-Tg SA grades for fast-setting flexo and gravure ink binders — excellent gloss, rub resistance, and ink transfer on coated paper.

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Acrylic Emulsion Resins

Self-crosslinking acrylic (JCT-XL400) for barrier coating applications and premium OPV formulations requiring improved chemical resistance.

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Polyurethane Dispersions

PUD binders for premium film packaging inks where high abrasion resistance and adhesion to PE/PP substrates are required.

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Wetting & Dispersing Agents

Pigment dispersants and substrate wetting agents for colour ink formulations — improving gloss, colour strength, and printhead runnability.

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Technical Resources

Guide: Water-Based Flexo Inks for Paper Packaging

How to select binder chemistry and additive package for water-based flexographic inks — drying speed, adhesion, and food-contact compliance.

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Tech Note: Barrier Coatings to Replace PFAS

Achieving grease and oil resistance in paper cups and food packaging using crosslinked acrylic barrier coatings.

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