The manufacturer said that up until now, the available commercial green pigments did not meet the stringent compliance requirements for direct food contact printing (DFC).

However, Sun has formulated a new blue pigment base with a green shade, that meets all the requirements.

It said the addition to its SunPak DirectFood Plus range would mean that 1,801 Pantone colours could now be achieved with a tolerance of Delta E <2.

Sun Chemical has also produced swatch books – SunDigiGuides – for designers and brand owners to show which Master Pantone references are achievable “setting expectation for colour upfront that results in speed to market for new product launches”.

In addition, GamutViewer software also allows brand owners, designers and converters to predict if the colour they want to use will be within the gamut of the ink range.

“This will result in less rework and waste throughout the entire packaging development workflow,” Sun Chemical stated.

Patrice Aurenty, global business leader at Sun Chemical Color Management, described the launch as “exciting” and said it was evidence of the group’s commitment to R&D.

“We’re delighted to be able to not only extend the colour gamut available with the new SunPak pigment, but also enable designers and brand owners to achieve their visions clearly with our GamutViewer software and SunDigiGuides,” he said.

“We’re confident that our solutions will enable brand owners and designers to take direct food contact packaging solutions to new heights.”

Sun Chemical has also invested in expansion at its DFC mixing centres in the UK and Germany to meet growing demand for bespoke spot colours.