1 Reach, which launched on 1 June 2007, is an EU law covering chemicals that could affect the supply of inks, cleaners and similar products used in the printing industry

2 From 1 June 2008, manufacturers and importers of chemicals (following a timetable depending on tonnage)
should register them with an EU Agency and must make sure the information provided in safety data sheets matches customers’ use

3 This may make chemicals more expensive and it’s possible some products will be removed from the market. Reach will also force the substitution of some particularly dangerous chemicals

4 For many in the print industry this will be good news, but for some there may be problems, especially if they use specialist and niche products or import products from outside the EU

5 If you are an importer of printing chemicals, such as specialist inks, you will need to pre-register the ingredients (if over one tonne per year) by 30 November 2008. Registration is free and if you don’t sign up you must stop importing these
chemicals

6 Ask your supplier what it is doing about complying with the Reach legislation – if it doesn’t know, it might
not pre-register, which could cause supply problems after 30 November

7 ReachReady, a free service from the Chemical Industries Association, can provide advice