What is a printing ink project report?
A printing ink project report is a detailed project report (DPR) for a unit that cooks varnish, disperses pigment into it and mills it into offset, flexo or gravure ink. It sets out the process, machinery, raw materials, market, project cost, means of finance, five-year projections, DSCR and break-even a lender needs.
Entrepreneurs and existing printers use it to size the plant and apply for a term loan or PMEGP, and bank officers use it to judge whether the unit can repay.
Also known as: project report on printing ink, printing ink business plan, printing ink manufacturing plant DPR, ink manufacturing project report.
What a bank looks for in a printing ink project report
A credit officer reads an ink report for four numbers that show whether the plant can carry its loan. These are the values in our sample report and why each one gets checked.
Pigment and resin prices decide margins. A report showing a much lower share is usually pricing every colour like a premium spot shade.
Ink ships in tins, pails and drums, so packing costs far more than in most chemicals. Leaving it low inflates profit.
Trade receivables are the biggest part of working capital in the sample, ahead of raw material and finished stock.
DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) is cash available for loan repayment divided by the instalments due. It dips when full repayments begin, and banks look at that year.
Values are the assumptions in our illustrative sample. Your report uses figures for your capacity, ink range and buyers.
How much does a printing ink unit cost?
Cost depends on daily output, the type of mill and whether you cook your own varnish. The large tier is the plant in our sample report; the two smaller tiers are indicative ranges.
Small unit
₹25–60 lakh
About 150–300 kg per day, one mill, bought-in varnish
- Machinery and lab₹10–25 lakh
- Shed fit-out (rented)₹5–15 lakh
- Working capital margin₹5–15 lakh
Fits PMEGP, subject to scheme limits
Mid-size unit
₹1–2 crore
About 500–800 kg per day, two to three mills
- Machinery and lab₹50–90 lakh
- Land and building₹30–70 lakh
- Working capital margin₹15–30 lakh
MSME term loan with cash credit
Large unit
₹311.67 lakh
1,400 kg per day, 4,20,000 kg per year
- Plant and machinery₹151.49 lakh
- Land and building₹95.65 lakh
- Working capital margin₹30.86 lakh
Term loan ₹233.75 lakh (75%), promoter ₹77.92 lakh
Small and mid-size ranges are indicative. Costs vary with location, mill make and how many ink types you plan to run.
Printing ink plant economics in our sample
The sample report runs a 1,400 kg per day plant for 300 days a year, rising from 60% of capacity in Year 1 to 80% in Year 5. Ink is priced at an average ₹303 per kg, ex-factory and before GST.
| Land and site development | 32.07 |
|---|---|
| Building and civil works | 63.58 |
| Plant and machinery | 151.49 |
| Other fixed assets | 16.07 |
| Contingencies | 10.75 |
| Preliminary and pre-operative | 6.85 |
| Working capital margin | 30.86 |
| Total | 311.67 |
| Promoter's contribution (25%) | 77.92 |
|---|---|
| Term loan from bank (75%) | 233.75 |
| Cash credit limit (separate) | 92.56 |
| Total project cost | 311.67 |
Term loan at 10.5% with a 6-month moratorium and 54 monthly instalments. All figures are illustrative.
Printing ink manufacturing process
Ink is a batch product. Every batch is made to a shade card and checked before filling, so lab time is part of the process, not an extra.
- Varnish making
Resin is cooked into oil for offset ink, or dissolved in solvent for flexo and gravure ink, to form the vehicle that carries the pigment.
- Premixing
Pigment powder is wetted into the varnish with dispersants on a high-speed disperser until no dry lumps remain.
- Milling
The premix passes through a bead mill, or a three-roll mill for paste inks, until the grindometer reading reaches the target fineness.
- Let-down
The concentrated base is thinned with more varnish and solvent to the viscosity or tack the customer's press needs.
- Testing
The batch is drawn down or proofed against the standard and checked for shade, gloss, drying and rub resistance.
- Filtration and filling
Ink is filtered to remove oversize particles, filled into tins, pails or drums and labelled with its batch number.
Raw materials for printing ink
Pigment is the costliest input and sets colour strength. A cheaper pigment that needs a heavier load can cost more per kg of ink. Most units buy organic pigments and carbon black from several suppliers and test each lot before use.
| Raw material | Share of cost | Year 3 (₹ lakh) |
|---|---|---|
| Pigments and carbon black | 35% | 178.62 |
| Resins (rosin-modified phenolic, polyamide, alkyd) | 30% | 153.11 |
| Solvents and mineral oils | 25% | 127.59 |
| Additives (waxes, driers, dispersants) | 10% | 51.04 |
| Total | 100% | 510.36 |
Machinery for a printing ink plant
The mill decides both output and quality. Bead mills suit liquid flexo and gravure inks; paste inks for offset are often finished on a three-roll mill instead.
| Machine | What it does | Sample cost (₹ lakh) |
|---|---|---|
| Bead mill | Grinds pigment to a fine, even particle size | 45.45 |
| High-speed disperser | Wets pigment into varnish before milling | 37.87 |
| Varnish kettle and mixing tanks | Cooks resin into the vehicle and holds batches for let-down | 30.30 |
| Filtration, filling and packing line | Filters ink and fills tins, pails and drums | 22.72 |
| Quality control lab (viscometer, grindometer, proofer) | Checks fineness, viscosity and shade of every batch | 15.15 |
| Total plant and machinery | 151.49 | |
Costs are the sample report's estimates for a 1,400 kg per day plant. Get current quotations before you finalise.
Who buys printing ink in India
Packaging is now the main source of ink demand. Flexible packaging converters run gravure and flexo presses for snack, detergent and personal care packs, while carton and label printers use offset and UV inks. Newspaper and book printing still uses large volumes of offset black.
- Flexible packaging converters (gravure and flexo)
- Carton and label printers
- Commercial offset printers
- Newspaper and book publishers
- Screen and textile printers
Where a new unit wins: regional converters often need a matched spot colour in a few days and in small lots. A local unit with a good shade-matching lab can win that work, then grow into regular process colours.
Licences and standards for a printing ink unit
| Business registration | Udyam (MSME) registration and GST registration |
|---|---|
| Pollution board consent | Consent to establish and operate from the State Pollution Control Board; printing ink manufacturing is listed in the Orange category (Odisha list, checked October 2026) |
| Solvent storage | Petroleum Rules, 2002: Class B solvents need no licence below 2,500 litres, a district authority licence up to 25,000 litres and a PESO licence above that |
| Food packaging inks | IS 15495:2020 code of practice: excludes toluene, listed phthalates and heavy-metal pigments, and caps lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium (VI) together at 100 ppm |
| Factory licence | Under the Factories Act where worker and power thresholds apply; rules vary by state |
Categories and limits are set by state boards and change over time. Confirm them for your site before you apply.
Mistakes that weaken a printing ink project report
- One price for every colour
Black, process colours and special spot shades sell at very different rates and use different pigment loads. A single average price hides where the margin really is.
- No allowance for solvent loss and wash-up
Solvent evaporates during dispersion and is used to clean mills and tanks between colours. Ignoring it under-states raw material cost.
- Leaving out the lab
Without a grindometer, viscometer and proofer, batches cannot be released with confidence, and buyers who audit suppliers will ask for test records.
- Planning toluene-based inks for food packs
IS 15495:2020 excludes toluene for food packaging inks. A product plan built on it limits the customers you can sell to.
How NPCS helps you set up a printing ink unit
- Ink range and capacityChoose between offset, flexo, gravure or screen inks and size the plant for your buyers.
- Mills and lab equipmentCompare bead mills, three-roll mills and test equipment, with supplier quotations.
- Bank-ready project reportProjections, DSCR and working capital in the format your lender or PMEGP office wants.
- Approvals and solvent storePlant layout, solvent storage sizing and the approvals list for your state.
NPCS's client list records 35 assignments in paints, inks and coatings, including ink feasibility studies for clients in Uganda and Spain.
What's inside the printing ink sample report
- Introduction
- Uses and applications
- Market potential
- Manufacturing process
- Raw materials
- Plant and machinery
- Land, building and utilities
- Manpower
- Licences and approvals
- Project cost and means of finance
- Working capital
- Projected profitability
- Cash flow statement
- Projected balance sheet
- Depreciation
- Term loan repayment
- Debt service coverage
- Break-even analysis
- Financial ratios
- Key assumptions
- Conclusion
- Monthly loan repayment schedule
18 pages, five-year projections, illustrative figures.
Open sample reportFree sample or a report for your project?
| What you get | Free sample | NPCS report for your project |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity and location | Typical unit | Your capacity, site and state |
| Figures | Illustrative | Built on current prices and quotations |
| Machinery suppliers and quotations | No | Yes |
| Market survey for your region | No | Yes |
| Bank or scheme format (PMEGP, term loan) | No | Yes |
| Use for a loan application | No | Yes |
Real NPCS printing ink project reports
These are printing ink project reports NPCS has prepared, with the plant capacity, total capital investment, rate of return and break-even worked out in each. Costs have moved since some were written, so we bring any of them up to date for your capacity and location.
| Project report | Plant capacity | Total investment | Rate of return | Break-even | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Printing Inks | 500 Kg./Day | ₹1.07 crore | 47% | 43% | Get this report |
| Printing Ink | 400 kgs/day | ₹1.22 crore | 58.2% | 45% | Get this report |
| Water Based AND Solvent Based Flexo AND Gravure Printing Inks | 5 MT / Day | ₹3.16 crore | 52% | 34% | Get this report |
Figures as worked out in each NPCS report. Total investment includes plant and machinery, land and building, and working capital.
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Printing Ink project report: frequently asked questions
What is the printing ink manufacturing plant cost in India?
A small unit making 150–300 kg a day costs roughly ₹25–60 lakh, and a 500–800 kg per day unit about ₹1–2 crore, including working capital margin. Our sample report models a 1,400 kg per day plant at ₹311.67 lakh with land and building. These are indicative figures; your report prices the plant for your capacity, ink types and location.
What raw materials are used to make printing ink?
Printing ink is made from pigments, a resin binder, solvents or mineral oils, and small amounts of additives such as waxes, driers and dispersants. In our sample report pigments and carbon black are the largest item at 35% of raw material cost, followed by resins at 30%. The resin and solvent change with the ink type and printing process.
Which machines are needed for printing ink manufacturing?
A typical unit needs a varnish kettle and mixing tanks, a high-speed disperser to wet the pigment, and a bead mill or three-roll mill to grind it. Add filtration and filling equipment and a small lab with a viscometer, grindometer and proofer. In our sample report the bead mill is the costliest machine at ₹45.45 lakh.
Is printing ink manufacturing profitable?
In our illustrative sample, a 1,400 kg per day unit earns an 18% return on investment in Year 3. It breaks even at about 47% of capacity and pays back in about 4.1 years. Real profit depends on pigment buying, the mix of black and spot colours, batch rejections and how much credit printers expect.
Can I get a PMEGP loan for a printing ink unit?
Yes, if the project fits the scheme. PMEGP covers new manufacturing projects up to ₹50 lakh, with a margin-money subsidy of 15–35% depending on category and location, so it suits a small unit. Larger plants usually take an MSME term loan. Every lender needs a project report with projections and DSCR. Scheme terms change, so confirm them with the bank.
Is the printing ink project report PDF free, and can I use it for a bank loan?
The sample is free to view and download. It is an illustrative report that shows the format and depth of an NPCS report. Its figures are representative and not based on a real project, so it should not be submitted to a bank. For a loan, NPCS prepares a report for your own capacity, location and loan scheme.
Do I need a licence to store solvents for ink making?
Under the Petroleum Rules, 2002, Class B petroleum such as many hydrocarbon solvents needs no licence below 2,500 litres. Storage from 2,500 to 25,000 litres needs a licence from the district authority, and larger stocks need a PESO licence. Check the class of each solvent you plan to use and size the store before you apply.
Sources and references
- Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) scheme noteMSME 1 Connect, Government of Uttar Pradesh, checked Oct 2026
- Printing ink manufacturing unit: model project reportMSME 1 Connect, Government of Uttar Pradesh, checked Oct 2026
- IS 15495:2020 Printing ink for food packaging: code of practiceBureau of Indian Standards, checked Oct 2026
- Orange category of industriesState Pollution Control Board, Odisha, checked Oct 2026
- Revised FAQs on the Petroleum Rules, 2002Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), checked Oct 2026
- Printing ink: technology noteIndia Science, Technology and Innovation portal, Government of India, checked Oct 2026
The NPCS project team, led by Ajay Kumar Gupta
This page and its sample report are prepared and reviewed by the NPCS project team, which has written techno-economic feasibility studies and detailed project reports since 1994.
Ajay Kumar Gupta founded Niir Project Consultancy Services (NPCS) and leads the organisation. With 40 years of experience in MSME project consulting, he has built the team that has delivered more than 28,000 project reports for clients worldwide, helping entrepreneurs plan and finance profitable manufacturing businesses.
- Published
- Last updated
- Next review
- Oct 2027
- Reviewed by
- NPCS project team
This page is reviewed every 12 months, or sooner when scheme limits, GST rates, BIS rules or pollution categories change. The sample report is illustrative: its figures are generated from industry-typical ratios for a unit of this size, checked so every statement balances, and are not taken from any client project.