Flint Group announces price increases

Flint Group has announced price increases for its heatset, coldset and sheetfed inks, pressroom chemicals and transfer products as of 1 July.

The company said the hikes were a result of "relentless price increases in key raw materials" used to make printing consumables.

This includes gum rosin impact on printing ink, solvent's effect on chemistry, and cotton's impact on tension blankets.

Jan Paul van der Velde, senior vice president procurement, Flint Group, said: "The consistent challenge among all printing consumables in 2011 is the demand and supply imbalance of nearly every key raw material."

The price increases will hit all of Flint's print media Europe division's product lines.

Heatset inks will increase by €0.30 (£0.26) per kg, coldset inks by €0.25 per kg, and sheetfed inks by as much as 6%.

Heatset Fount will increase by €0.20 per kg, coldset fount by €0.15 per kg, and sheetfed fount by €0.15 per kg.

Anti set-off spray powders will increase by €0.15 per kg, while press room washes will rise by €0.15 to € 0.32 per litre, depending on the product range.

Tensioned blankets, rolls and cuts, will increase by €5.80 per sqm.

Flint confirmed that it is able to secure raw material supplies to meet all anticipated requirements.