DIC Corporation - Printing Material | Packaging Material | Flexo Printing Solutions

Few people stop to think about the white, lightweight material that cushions electronics, appliances, and fragile items during transport—but understanding it reveals a lot about modern packaging and material science. Polystyrene packing material is often invisible in daily life, yet it plays a significant role in protecting goods as they move from manufacturers to consumers. What is polystyrene packing material? Polystyrene packing material is a packaging substance made from polystyrene, a synthetic polymer derived from petroleum. In packaging, it is most commonly seen in expanded or foamed form, where tiny air-filled cells are trapped within a rigid plastic structure. This cellular design gives the material its familiar light weight and shock-absorbing properties. Polystyrene itself starts as solid plastic beads. Through controlled heating and expansion, these beads transform into foam that can be moulded into various shapes. This ability to adapt its form is one reason it is wi...

The moment you pick up a food wrapper or magazine, the smooth, even print you see is the result of a highly precise process working quietly behind the scenes . One of the technologies increasingly responsible for this consistency is water based gravure ink, a formulation designed to balance print quality, efficiency, and environmental considerations in modern printing. To understand how it works, it helps to first look at the gravure printing process itself and then see how water-based inks fit naturally into that system. Understanding the Gravure Printing Process Gravure printing is an intaglio process, meaning the image is engraved into a metal cylinder rather than raised on a surface. These engraved cells vary in depth and size, allowing precise control over ink volume. The basic gravure workflow involves: An engraved cylinder rotating through an ink tray Ink filling the microscopic cells on the cylinder Excess ink being removed by a doctor blade Ink transferring from the...

Every package on a store shelf relies on a precise balance of materials and processes, but few elements influence print quality as directly as ink. In flexographic printing, ink is not just a colorant—it is a functional component that affects speed, consistency, and the final appearance of printed products. Understanding what these inks are and how they support printing helps explain why flexography is widely used across packaging and labeling applications.   Understanding flexographic printing Flexographic printing, commonly known as flexo printing, is a rotary printing process that uses flexible relief plates. These plates transfer ink onto a wide range of substrates, including paper, plastic films, foil, and corrugated board. Because the process is fast and adaptable, it is especially suited for high-volume packaging production.   In this system, inks must perform reliably under continuous, high-speed conditions. That requirement shapes how flexo inks are formulat...