TOPPAN Develops Fast-Drying Black Tablet Ink for Inkjet Printing on Sugar-Coated Tablets, Available from May 15

TOPPAN Inc. (Head office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Haruhiko Noguchi), a group company of TOPPAN Holdings Inc., has developed a highly fast-drying black tablet ink capable of printing on sugar-coated tablets, which had previously been difficult to print on with inkjet technology. The product will be available from May 15, 2026. Using its proprietary pigment dispersion technology, the product enables inkjet printing on sugar-coated tablets. In addition to sugar-coated tablets, it also contributes to improved identification of drug names and dosages on all types of tablets, including orally disintegrating (OD) tablets and film-coated tablets. The product will also be exhibited at TOPPAN's booth at the 28th Interphex Japan, held from Wednesday, May 20 to Friday, May 22, 2026, at Makuhari Messe. TOPPAN's booth will be in Hall 7, booth number 35-40. Background: In medical settings, printing drug names and dosages on tablets is increasingly required to improve identification and help prevent dispensing errors by pharmacists and medication mistakes by patients. However, tablet inks for inkjet printing are generally made with liquids that do not dry quickly, in order to protect inkjet heads from drying out. As a result, sugar-coated tablets, whose hard surfaces make it difficult for ink to penetrate, have been prone to insufficient drying and concerns that printed text may rub off. TOPPAN has supplied inkjet inks for tablets for more than 10 years. For this product, the company applied ink dispersion technologies cultivated in the electronics field to develop a tablet ink with superior fast-drying performance compared with existing inkjet inks for tablets. By expanding inkjet printing coverage to sugar-coated tablets, in addition to orally disintegrating tablets and film-coated tablets that could already be printed with conventional tablet inks, TOPPAN aims to enable printing on all tablet types. Product features: First, the product is a highly fast-drying tablet ink that can print on sugar-coated tablets. To enable stable printing on sugar-coated tablets, TOPPAN developed a proprietary fast-drying ink design using alcohol-based materials that dry easily. The product also improves drying speed when used on orally disintegrating tablets and film-coated tablets that can already be printed with conventional tablet inks. Tablet transport speed inside printing machines can be increased to more than twice that of conventional inks. Second, the product improves abrasion resistance. Through a proprietary resin design suitable for inkjet printing, TOPPAN has enhanced adhesion of printed areas and improved resistance to friction and contact. While maintaining fast-drying performance, the ink can retain information such as drug names and dosages for long periods, even on smooth-surfaced sugar-coated tablets. Future goals: In addition to the fast-drying black ink being launched now, TOPPAN plans to develop fast-drying color inks during fiscal 2026. The company will roll out the product to pharmaceutical manufacturers in Japan and overseas, aiming for sales of 1 billion yen by fiscal 2028, including sustainable packaging and related orders. About SMARTS™, TOPPAN Group's sustainable brand: SMARTS™ is TOPPAN Group's sustainable brand originating from packaging, offering smart choices for a sustainable future. By combining technologies and expertise developed through packaging with resources such as marketing, digital transformation, and BPO, the brand provides optimal options along the value chain. Through SMARTS™ and its diverse solutions, TOPPAN will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society together with stakeholders. Note 1: Sugar-coated tablets are medicines whose tablet surfaces are coated with sugar or alcohol to mask bitterness or odor and make them easier to take. Note 2: Pigment dispersion technology is a technology for uniformly mixing pigments, a type of colorant, in liquid while preventing sedimentation or aggregation and keeping them stable. Note 3: Based on TOPPAN research, using TOPPAN-owned inkjet printers to print on standard film-coated tablets. Product and service names in this news release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The contents are current as of the announcement date and may change without prior notice.