hubergroup introduces low-tack NewV UV offset inks, improving print stability, reducing paper damage, and ensuring reliable high-speed production.
hubergroup Print Solutions has strengthened its UV offset printing portfolio by launching new low-tack versions of its established NewV UV offset ink series. The introduction of these advanced formulations reflects the company’s commitment to addressing the changing needs of modern printing environments, where increasing variations in paper quality and faster production speeds require more adaptable and reliable ink solutions. The newly developed low-tack variants are now available across several NewV product lines, including NewV pack premium, NewV set LED, NewV pack MGA, and NewV poly MGA.
The printing industry has experienced significant changes in recent years, with printers frequently facing challenges related to inconsistent substrate quality and the growing demand for higher operational speeds. Traditional high-tack inks have delivered exceptional performance, especially in premium printing applications, by providing superior ink transfer and improved dot reproduction. However, these inks can sometimes create difficulties when used on sensitive materials, such as uncoated boards or papers with weaker surface strength, where excessive tack may cause picking or damage to the substrate during the printing process.
Recognizing these emerging industry requirements, hubergroup developed its new low-tack ink solutions to offer greater flexibility and improved compatibility with a wider range of paper grades. According to Lisa-Marie Spring, Product Manager SF/UV at hubergroup, tack represents the adhesive or sticky characteristic of a printing ink. While a higher level of tack contributes to effective ink transfer and precise print reproduction, lower tack formulations are specifically engineered to reduce stress on delicate paper surfaces, preventing issues such as paper tearing and surface disruption.
The newly introduced low-tack NewV series maintains the same high-quality rheological characteristics and performance standards as the existing standard versions, ensuring that customers do not have to compromise on print quality while benefiting from enhanced process stability. These innovative inks are designed to deliver smoother ink separation, reduce the likelihood of paper fiber pull-out, and minimize disturbances caused by emulsification during the printing operation.
Moreover, the low-tack formulations significantly lower the risk of delamination when printing on multi-layer substrates, making them particularly suitable for complex packaging applications and demanding high-speed production environments. Even when printers work with varying paper qualities or operate presses at elevated speeds, the new ink series ensures consistent print performance, improved production reliability, and reduced waste caused by printing defects.
By expanding the NewV portfolio with low-tack alternatives, hubergroup aims to provide printing companies with solutions that better align with modern manufacturing requirements. The development enables printers to achieve stable production processes, maintain excellent color consistency, and improve overall operational efficiency despite increasingly challenging printing conditions.
Lisa-Marie Spring highlighted that the introduction of the low-tack NewV range represents hubergroup’s ongoing effort to support customers with dependable products that enable smooth, efficient, and high-quality printing operations. With these latest additions, the company reinforces its focus on innovation and its ability to respond proactively to changing market demands in the UV offset printing industry.
Market Impact: The hubergroup announcement will have no meaningful or traceable impact on commodity prices tracked by ChemAnalyst. The scale simply doesn't support it. hubergroup is expanding a product line within its existing NewV UV offset ink range — it's a formulation variant, not a new category or a capacity expansion. The raw materials involved, such as acrylate monomers, photoinitiators, epoxy resins, urethane oligomers, and reactive diluents, are used across dozens of industries at massive volumes. A single ink manufacturer adding low-tack variants moves no needle at the commodity level.
There's also no new demand signal here. The low-tack versions serve the same print market with the same underlying chemistry — they aren't pulling in new feedstocks or switching to different raw material pathways. It's a rheological and formulation adjustment, not a chemistry overhaul.
ChemAnalyst tracks macro drivers, and the commodities relevant to UV inks — acrylic acid, bisphenol-A, epichlorohydrin, photoinitiator precursors — are priced based on crude and naphtha feedstock costs, Asian cracker output, global packaging demand, and VOC regulation trends. A product line extension by one European ink company registers nowhere in those models.
