INDUSTRY OUTLOOK · AUG 2026
Water-based inkjet is becoming the production standard. Surface-modified pigments are the next advantage.
Across textile, labels, corrugated packaging, desktop and industrial digital print, aqueous inkjet is moving from an alternative process to a high-throughput production platform. The colourant now has to work as hard as the press.
THE MARKET DIRECTION
Short runs, variable data and cleaner production are changing the print brief.
Official industry coverage from drupa points to growing use of pigmented, water-based single-pass inkjet for corrugated board, while digital print platforms continue to expand into labels, packaging and textile production. Faster changeovers, versioned artwork and on-demand output make aqueous inkjet commercially compelling where analogue plates and long runs are too rigid.
WHY THE COLOURANT MATTERS
High-speed equipment raises the bar for the ink.
- 01
Jetting must stay reliable.
Single-pass and roll-to-roll textile systems expose ink to continuous circulation, repeated firing, filtration and production-speed changes. Fine particle design and dispersion stability are not optional details—they protect uptime.
- 02
Colour has to arrive efficiently.
Digital pigment inkjet needs vivid, transparent colour and high tinting strength across different substrates, from textile media to coated labels and corrugated liners.
- 03
Water-based systems need a wider formulation window.
Resin, humectant, pH, conductivity, surfactant, drying and substrate all interact. The colourant surface is a strategic control point inside that complete system.
SELF-DISPERSED PIGMENT TECHNOLOGY
Surface chemistry turns the particle into an active formulation component.
AIC grafted carboxylic and phosphate platforms place hydrophilic functional groups directly on the pigment surface. That gives formulators a more direct route to aqueous compatibility, vivid colour and storage stability, while reducing the number of variables carried only by an added dispersant package.
External adsorption
Conventional systems depend heavily on how a separate dispersant adsorbs and remains compatible as vehicle chemistry, electrolyte, heat and storage conditions change.
Engineered functional groups
AIC makes pigment surface chemistry part of the colourant design, creating a stronger starting point for high-performance water-based inkjet formulation.
More freedom to optimise
When the surface is designed for the aqueous route, ink makers can focus the rest of the formulation on jetting, drying, adhesion, rub resistance and the final application.
FROM TREND TO QUALIFICATION
Build the ink around the real printer and substrate.
The strongest colourant is the one that survives the complete route: the chosen printhead, filtration, circulation loop, printer speed, substrate, drying or curing, storage period and final-use requirements. AIC supports this evaluation with current particle-size, viscosity, pH, conductivity, surface-tension, colour and aging data for the selected grade.
Explore AIC's water-based inkjet outlook → See application pathways →
AIC SERIES
Move your next aqueous inkjet project faster.
Tell us the application, printhead, substrate, target colour and production challenge. We will map the strongest AIC self-dispersed colourant route.
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