Kao Corporation Chemical Business
The Kao Corporation started by making soap 130 years ago. In the 1970s, the company created a de-inking solution to support recycling. Later the company began producing ink pigments and then inkjet inks.
Kao Chimigraf
The Printing Solution
Quality. Service. Innovation.
Our commitment to digital and analogue printing innovation ensures our customers have the best solutions in the fast-changing and competitive printing ink market.
Discovering Inks for Tomorrow – Today
We combine the expertise of our chemists and engineers with our years of experience working with printhead technology manufacturers, OEM printing equipment manufacturers, end users, and international consumer brands.
Delivering Performance and Value
Customers across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East depend on our products for consumer and industrial packaging, labelling, and coding. Our inks undergo rigorous laboratory testing and real-world printing evaluations to ensure our customers have the highest quality formulations that meet and exceed expectations.
Key Applications Served
- Food and beverage packaging
- Marking and coding
- Pharmaceutical packaging
- Wide-format
- Textile
- Label and narrow web
Ready with Expertise and Services
We also offer services that support print service providers, converters and OEMs.
Our Services
- Ink dispensing systems
- Technical consulting
- Colour matching
- Ink and substrate testing
- Controller repair
- Custom formulating
- White label packaging
- Printhead refurbishment
Inks for Digital Printing Technology
We manufacture hundreds of types of inks for thermal, piezo, and continuous inkjet systems. Our experts help you choose a formulation for your substrate and application.
Our Ink Categories
- Water-based
- Solvent-based
- Eco-solvent
- UV-LED curable
- Oil-based
- Security
- Bio-based
Specialists for Specialty Inks
Beyond standard inks, our chemists and engineers have developed advanced inks and chemistry offering unique benefits.
- SIGMA for HP 45si – This solvent ink, often used for marking and coding applications, offers a 12-hour decap time and 24-month shelf life.
- NEXXO for Funai – When paired with FUNAI long-throw cartridges, our solvent ink makes it possible to print high-resolution 2D codes on curved surfaces.
- Bio-Based Mineral Oil Free – Our eco-friendly MOF ink meets stringent standards for secondary cardboard packaging. The ink is OK biobased, receiving a Class 3 rating (out of 4) from TÜV Austria.
- Conductive Inks – Our R&D team have recently formulated silver-based chemistry for printing electronics boards and other materials.
- Metallic Shine Ink – Another new ink from our chemists is one that produces a mirror-like silver finish.
Supporting Fulfilling and Sustainable Lifestyles
We put our customers at the centre of everything we do, contributing to a more sustainable world through our Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives that align with our consumers’ desire for a more sustainable planet and society.
Inks – Where You Need Them, When You Need Them
GermanyHSA SYSTEMS GmbH TurkeyUltra S.A. South AfricaPITNEY BOWES-SOUTH AFRICA |
FranceHSA SYSTEMS SARL KELENN TECHNOLOGY PolandEMWI Group |
ItalyFAM FAVATA ADVANCED MARKING Srl DenmarkHSA SYSTEMS |
Get to know the other companies that are part of Kao Advanced Printing Solutions
Kao Collins
Centrally located in Cincinnati, United States, the company has access to major transportation systems. Kao Collins began manufacturing inkjet inks for OEMs in 1990.