Connecticut Air Pollution Control Regulations

Screen-printing operations fall into a general category for the control of VOC emissions. Under these regulations, screen printing facilities can emit no more than 8 pounds of volatiles per hour per press or 40 pounds of volatiles per day per press if using conventional ink systems, i.e., solvent based inks. If a facility uses non-conventional ink systems, i.e., water based or UV curable ink systems, then a press can emit up to 160 pounds of volatiles per hour or 800 pounds of volatiles per day.

The state’s General Solvent Cleaning regulation contains provisions impacting both screen and digital printing facilities. 

The state’s industrial solvent cleaning requirements do not apply to the use of cleaning solvent in a digital printing operation, where digital printing means a method of printing in which an electronic output device transfers variable data, in the form of an image, from a computer to a substrate.

Further, screen printing facilities that use cleaning solvents with an as-applied VOC content that does not exceed 500 grams per liter (4.2 pounds per gallon) is also exempt from the general cleaning solvent requirements. All facilities, both screen and digital, are required to maintain daily records of ink and solvent usage