Glycol Ethers

Glycol Ethers for Inks

Pen Inks

When used in ball point and felt tip pen inks, glycol ethers allow the free flow of resin
pigment and dye preventing clogging or drying out. The result is good flow, leveling and
print detail. The higher evaporation rate of DOWANOL* PM, PnP, PnB and Butyl
CELLOSOLVE products provides faster drying in writing pen ink applications.

Stamp Pad Inks

Due to their slow evaporation rates, DOWANOL TPM, PPh, EPh, Methyl CARBITOL and
Hexyl CARBITOL provide penetrating properties required by the stamp pad inks.

Radiation Curable
Inks

Radiation curable inks use glycol ether acrylates or methacrylates as reactive diluents
instead of solvents for lowering viscosity. DOWANOL TPM, Butyl CELLOSOLVE, and
DOWANOL EPh are glycol ethers used commercially to produce the acrylates or
methacrylates.

Water-based Inks

DOWANOL DPM, Butyl CELLOSOLVE, Butyl CARBITOL, DOWANOL PnP, and

blends of PM, DPM, and PnB serve as coupling agents for resins and dyes in water-based
inks for gravure, silk screen, and flexographic printing. All of these glycol ethers are effective
solvents for the types of resins used in water-based inks, and are water soluble. These
glycol ethers also control the evaporation rates of the inks and improve wettability by
reducing surface tension.

Solvent-based
Inks

Silk screen inks require slower evaporating solvents with high solvency to adequately
dissolve the resin. It is important that the high strength of the solvent not be aggressive
toward the substrate. DOWANOL DPM, PMA, DPMA, PnP, DPnP, Butyl CELLOSOLVE,
and Methyl CARBITOL are excellent active solvents for the resins used in silk screen inks.
Their high solvency provides good viscosity control for quality impressions and reduced ink
clogging in the screen.

DOWANOL PM and
DPM

Propylene glycol methyl ether (PM) is a fast evaporator and allows for low viscosities.
Dipropylene glycol methyl ether (DPM), with its slower evaporation rate, can be used to
retard solvent evaporation and reduce surface tension in water-based systems. Used in
tandem, DOWANOL PM and DPM allow ink formulators to adjust evaporation rates and ink
viscosity to specific levels.
By using DOWANOL PM, a formulator can retard the evaporation of a particularly fast
gravure ink with precision, while a combination of DOWANOL PM and DPM is well suited for
fine-tuning viscosity and evaporation rates of slower flexographic inks.

Dow Glycol Ether

Esters

DOWANOL PMA, and Butyl CELLOSOLVE Acetate can be used when a glycol ether
acetate is needed, and both are widely used in silk screen inks. Both have good resin
compatibility and solubility characteristics and are particularly well suited for air-dry systems
because of their evaporation rates.
Formulators with heat cure systems can use PMA or Butyl CELLOSOLVE Acetate in
combinations with Butyl CARBITOL Acetate or DOWANOL DPMA to control the evaporation
rate.

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*Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company

Water-based
systems

In water-based systems, DOWANOL DPM glycol ether is used to reduce surface tension,
slow the evaporation rate, and act as a coupling agent to aid compatibility of resin and
water. In high humidity conditions, DOWANOL DPM glycol ether stays in the liquid phase to
maintain its coupling role.

VOC Reduction

Using DOWANOL PM makes it possible to reduce the level of volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) in some ink formulations. The high solvency and low viscosity of most resins in
DOWANOL PM allow a formulator to increase resin solids and reduce solvent levels to
reduce total VOCs in the formulation. The Dow Chemical Company markets a complete line
of glycol ethers under the DOWANOL, CELLOSOLVE, CARBITOL trade names.

Formulation
Program

CHEMCOMP, a solvent selection services from The Dow Chemical Company, allows
formulators to input component, performance and property variables unique to formulations,
and arrive at alternative systems that provide economic and performance advantages.

Ink Formulation

Black for Plastic Film

Gravure Ink: Food Wrapper & Metallic Inks
Metallic Gravure Ink
Ultra-Thin Film Screen Ink: On DOWANOL PM & DOWANOL DPM
Water-Based Continuous Jet Ink
Flexo Ink for Film Printing

Table 1: Black Ink for Plastic Films (Typical Starting Point Formulation)
Nitrocellulose
Plasticizer
Regal1 400 R Carbon Black
Anhydrous Ethanol
Toluene
Ethyl Acetate
DOWANOL PM
Total

wt gms
18.2
25.0
18.2
72.7
25.0
25.0
15.9
200.0

wt%
9.1
12.5
9.1
36.3
12.5
12.5
8.0
100.0

Table 2: Gravure Ink for Food Wrapper (Typical Starting Point Formulation)
Component
Pigment
Ethyl cellulose
Dioctyl phthalate
DOWANOL PM
DOWANOL DPM
Aromatic hydrocarbon
Total

Weight (%)
10.0
15.0
5.0
25.0
5.0
30.0
100.0

Table 3: Metallic Gravure Ink (Typical Starting Point Formulation)

Component
Bronze Powder
Acrylic Resin
Wax Dispersion
Stabilizer
Ethyl acetate
Isopropyl acetate
DOWANOL PM
Total

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Weight (%)
0.0
16.0
3.0
1.0
10.0
25.0
5.0
100.0

*Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company

Form No. 110-00640-0304

Table 4: Ultra-thin Film Screen Ink (Typical Starting Point Formulation)

Component
Red Pigment
Nitrocellulose
Maleic Resin
Wax Dispersion
DOP
Ethanol
Ethyl acetate
DOWANOL PM
Total

Weight (%)
10.0
15.0
5.0
2.5
5.0
54.0
5.0
3.5
100.0

Table 5: Water-based Continuous Jet Ink (Typical Starting Point Formulation)

Ingredient
Ketone resin
Pigment
PVP (polyuingpyrollitone)
DOWANOL EPh
Oleic Acid

Weight (%)
2.5-20.0
30.0-40.0
0.1-5.0
25.0-40.0
2.0-6.0

Table 6: Flexo Ink for Film Printing

Ingredient
Ethanol
Ethyl acetate
Tri-butoxy-ethyl-phosphate
DOWANOL PM
Nitrocellulose
Acrylic Resin
Titanium Dioxide
Polyurethane
Wax
Ethanol
Wetting Agent
Ethanol
Organic Titanate

Weight (%)
23.8
12.0
3.5
1.2
65.0
7.0
28.0
10.0
1.0
2.1
0.2
2.1
0.4

A typical flexo ink for film printing. This ink exhibits quick drying, low odor, excellent gloss and adhesion onto a large variety of packaging films and foils.

Table 7: Ball Point Pen Ink

Component
Direct black dye
Distilled water
DOWANOL PPh
Surfactant

Weight (%)
30
57
25
15

1Trademark
Service

of Cabot Corporation
Mark of The Dow Chemical Company

Page 3 of 3

*Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company

Form No. 110-00640-0304