Almost lost a $100 print order in Portland because of banned ink colors

I was doing a rush job for a local zine shop in Portland last month and they wanted this specific bright purple. The client asked about a certain pigment called 'Ultra Violet 6' and I found out it's actually banned in some European countries for being toxic. I had to swap it out last minute with a safer alternative. Has anyone else run into banned materials that messed up a project timeline?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivers281mo ago

I actually heard about this on a printing podcast a few months back. They were talking about how certain bright purples and reds use heavy metals that are getting banned in more places. The host mentioned a shop in Berlin that had to trash a whole run of concert posters because they used a pigment called 'Molybdate Orange' without checking local laws first. Makes me wonder how many small printers are sitting on stock that might be illegal to use in a year or two.

elliot_miller221mo ago

Yeah, that's exactly the kind of mess that's gonna pop up more and more. The pigment thing is real - I know a guy who runs a small screen print shop and he's got a pallet of old ink he can't sell now cause some of those reds and oranges are basically illegal in Canada and parts of Europe already. Best advice I can give: check the MSDS sheets on anything you've had for over a year, especially the bright stuff. If you got stock you're not sure about, use it up on black and white prints or just clay coat over it before it becomes a liability. Better to lose the cost of ink now than get hit with a fine or have to toss a whole run later.