Printing Inks: Top Picks - Hubergroup's MGA Contact

How is it manufactured?
Special care is taken in the selection of pigments, resin system, reducers and additives to meet stringent regulatory compliance related to DFC. Only evaluated substances are used that are listed in applicable European positive lists of authorised substances for food contact. NIAS (non-intentionally added substances) are assessed in accordance with internationally recognised scientific principles of risk assessment. MGA Contact inks are manufactured under strict GMP guidelines.

Where is it manufactured?
Hubergroup Germany plant at Celle at a dedicated manufacturing facility.

What’s the function?
Hubergroup’s new sheetfed offset series MGA Contact is suitable for direct contact with food, meaning that no functional barriers are required. The ink series then only needs to be coated with a water-based coating that is also suitable for direct food contact. It is, therefore, suitable for safe printing on the inside of paper and board food packaging.

How green is the ink?
MGA Contact inks are mineral oil free, drier free and based on pigments having highest resistance properties, suitable for packaging printing. Critical raw materials are produced in-house by Hubergroup’s chemicals division, that is why Hubergroup can guarantee high environmental standards. Thanks to its sustainable formulation, products printed with this ink series are also well recyclable.

What is the environmental impact of your product?
MGA Contact inks are based on raw materials from renewable resources and are free from hazardous ingredients.Products printed with these inks can be disposed of without any concern of harming the environment.

What makes it unique? Who should choose it? How do you rank it in terms of the ‘aha’ factor?
MGA Contact is suitable for safe printing on the inside of paper and board food packaging. The colour gamut and colour fastness of the globally available ink series are comparable to those of conventional offset inks. This gives brand owners and packaging designers twice as much space for information and many creative design options. MGA Contact inks with extended colour gamut (C+Y+M+K+V+O+G) reduces the dependency on matching colours.

Where do you source pigments, resins, oils, organic chemicals, solvents and additives for this product?
Thanks to our backward integration, most of the key raw materials for MGA Contact inks are produced in-house, which gives us an edge over quality control. Some other raw materials are sourced from leading manufacturers across the globe.

What other grades are offered by your company?
MGA Contact inks dry exclusively by absorption process. Inline, water-based coatings of same quality is mandatory for using these inks on press. Hubergroup offers a range of water-based coatings and fountain solutions, compatible with MGA Contact system.

The company recommends using products of its Acrylac DFC (direct food contact) overprint varnish range with MGA Contact. Apart from these MGA Contact inks, Hubergroup offers a wide range of printing inks, water-based coatings, fount concentrates, auxiliaries both for commercial and packaging printing.

Is it expensive?
Due to higher demands on raw materials, the price of MGA Contact inks is higher than that of standard inks for printing on the outside of food packaging.