CARLSTADT, NJ -- US Ink, the nation's largest, and only 100% news ink company, today announced a major breakthrough in news ink technology with the introduction of Beacon Black ink, a mineral oil-based ink with a VOC level of less than 2%, that is priced at significantly lower levels than comparable soy inks.

Opening a new era in news ink technology, Beacon Black news ink is the first mineral oil-based news black with a VOC level that rivals "100%" soy-based inks. It meets or exceeds the VOC guidelines established by environmental boards and commissions throughout the country. With a significantly lower price than comparable soy inks, Beacon Black ink dramatically cuts the cost of environmental compliance for newspapers.

The breakthrough technology that produced Beacon Black is the result of two years of intensive research and development in US Ink's Laboratories in Carlstadt, New Jersey. A totally proven high-performance product, Beacon Black news ink was tested and evaluated in actual production use for several months in the pressrooms of major newspapers across the country. Under typical daily operating conditions, Beacon Black ink delivered outstanding on-press performance and demonstrated production characteristics that equaled or surpassed other types of news inks.

Michael W. Mylett, Vice President Marketing of US Ink, noted that the development of Beacon Black ink was launched in response to customer demand for a more affordable, low-VOC ink. "They made it clear that they wanted the environmental benefits of soy ink at a reduced price. US Ink accepted that challenge, and gave our research and production people the full resources they needed to find the solution. Beacon Black ink is a customer-driven product that delivers everything they asked for in performance and price."

Beacon Black ink's VOC of less than 2% equals the VOC of "100%" soy inks, and is well under the 5% to 10% VOC levels of standard black products. Like the higher-priced soy inks, Beacon Black ink has 70% less rub than standard blacks.

Beacon Black ink is available now through all 15 US Ink manufacturing facilities across the country. On the pricing spectrum for news ink products, Beacon Black ink's price is positioned between the ranges for "100%" soy and standard ink prices.

US Ink, a Sun Chemical Company, is the industry's only 100% news ink company dedicated entirely to serving the newspaper and commercial no-heat printing markets. US Ink's national operations are structured into five regions with 15 manufacturing facilities that provide fast, close support to newspapers. With advanced research and development, US Ink leads the industry in the introduction of quality, new-generation, high-performance products.

Contacts:
Todd Wheeler
US INK
(201)935-8666
wheelert@sunchem.com

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