Soy Inks

Not sure where to post this, sorry if I'm in the wrong area.
We've recently quoted on a job specifying Soy ink, we didn't get the job, we received a finished piece in the mail, It looks like it came off a copier.(Almost positive it did). My question: Is there anyway to tell if something was printed with soy Ink?

 

We use TOYO Hy Unity inks they're soy based. We find them to be highly pigmented as well as sharper than our previous set (Flint).

How to tell whether the sample you have was printed using soy based? You'd have to get it analysed at your local lab is my guess but maybe an ink techie might know of a simpler inhouse test?

Also if it came off a toner based copier then if you crease it by hand the toner should crack.

How bout it ink techs?

 

We used to get the clients that all wanted soy ink and recycled papers. We bought a few pounds of the soy ink and tried it. It was terrible and ran like crap but this was years ago. It might be better now? So from then on we ran our house oilbase inks and used the recycled stocks they requested and never knew the difference. But it made them feel good I guess? I can see using the recycled stocks but when we did large stationary jobs some clients would complain about the recycled content in the stock as "spots and fibers" are clearly visable. LOL just can't win sometimes.

 

Short of looking over the printers shoulder & looking at the brand on the ink tin, There is no real way of telling.
Most inks now are soy based.

 

Yep a lab would have to analize it..but that would cost about as much as having a lab analize your hair for the drugs in your body for the last 10 years... The soy ink jobs are as much a croc as the jobs requesting FSC..

 

modern soy based litho inks print as good as oil linseed oil based inks. and as richard k has mentioned they print a very sharp dot too. Like all technology soy inks have evolved enough where its fine as an everyday ink.