Avient Specialty Inks

What Avient Specialty Inks does

Avient Specialty Inks is a division of Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) that manufactures plastisol-based and related screen printing inks for the textile and apparel decoration industry, as well as specialty inks for adjacent industrial applications. Its product portfolio is structured around multiple registered brands — Wilflex, Rutland, Zodiac, Union Ink, Printop, QCM, MagnaColours, and ITO Textile Dyes and Chemicals — each positioned for distinct screen printing sub-segments and chemistries. The QCM brand anchors the core offering with high-opacity white inks, full-spectrum stock colors, bleed blockers (additive inks that prevent dye migration on polyester and colored substrates), and the WOW/WOWX wet-on-wet ink platform engineered to maximize throughput in high-volume automatic printing operations. MagnaColours extends the portfolio into water-based ink chemistries and textile dyes, and ITO covers textile dyes and chemicals, broadening the surface beyond plastisol.

The business model is product sales of proprietary specialty inks distributed exclusively through a network of independent authorized regional distributors, supplemented by a Find-a-Distributor locator, a mobile-compatible Ink Selector Tool, and services including technical support, ink room management, and compliance support. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company does not sell direct to end users; revenue mechanics flow through SMB and individual screen printing shops across the textile and apparel decoration segment, with no named enterprise customers or large-anchor accounts referenced in the source data. The company is headquartered in Kennesaw, United States, and is operated as a brand portfolio division of Avient Corporation, a publicly traded specialty materials parent.

Name

Avient Specialty Inks

Legal name

Avient Specialty Inks

Website

https://qcminks.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Avient Specialty Inks, a division of Avient Corporation, manufactures plastisol and specialty screen printing inks for textile and industrial applications, distributed through independent regional distributors under multiple registered brands including QCM, Wilflex, and MagnaColours.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Printing Inks

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)

Keywords

• Screen printing inks
• Plastisol inks
• Textile printing inks
• Dye migration blockers
• Specialty industrial inks

Headquarters

HQ city

Kennesaw

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Plastisol Ink Products: Avient Specialty Inks generates revenue through the sale of proprietary screen printing ink products including white inks, stock colors, bleed blockers, and specialty additives. Products are distributed through a network of independent distributors to screen printing operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Avient Specialty Inks manufactures specialty inks and coatings primarily for the textile screen printing industry, including plastisol inks and specialty inks for industrial applications. The company serves screen printing operations globally through a network of independent distributors, offering products under multiple established brands including Wilflex, Rutland, Zodiac, Union Ink, Printop, QCM, MagnaColours, and ITO. Headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia, the division operates as part of Avient Corporation's specialty engineered materials portfolio.

Product overview

Avient Specialty Inks is a portfolio of screen printing ink brands designed for manual or high-volume automatic textile printing. The core QCM™ brand offers specialized plastisol inks including White Inks (high opacity), Stock Colors (full spectrum), Bleed Blockers (dye migration prevention), and WOW/WOWX inks (wet-on-wet printing for production efficiency). The portfolio also includes complementary brands—Wilflex™, Rutland™, Zodiac™, Union Ink™, Printop™, MagnaColures™, and ITO™ Textile Dyes and Chemicals—each serving specific screen printing applications and market segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wilflex™: Brand of screen printing inks
• Rutland™
• Zodiac™
• Union Ink™
• Printop™
• QCM™
• MagnaColours™
• ITO™

Products and services

• Wilflex Plastisol Inks

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Independent DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAvient Specialty Inks operates through a network of independent distributors who resell the company's screen printing ink products. The company provides a Find Distributor tool on their website to help customers locate authorized distributors in their region.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Kornit Digital: Kornit Digital is a leading manufacturer of direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printing systems serving apparel decorators—the same end customers as Avient Specialty Inks. It is a technology substitute rather than an ink competitor, representing the structural threat to screen printing volumes.
• Epson (SureColor DTG): Epson's SureColor DTG printers target the same textile and apparel decoration customers as Avient Specialty Inks. It is not an ink competitor but a substitute technology whose adoption constrains the addressable market for screen printing inks.

Direct peers

• Marabu: Marabu is a European-headquartered manufacturer of screen, digital, and pad printing inks for industrial and graphics applications. It competes head-to-head with Avient Specialty Inks in plastisol and specialty screen printing inks.
• Nazdar: Nazdar is a direct U.S.-based manufacturer of screen printing inks and digital printing inks serving the textile, graphics, and industrial decoration markets—the same core customers and use cases as Avient Specialty Inks.
• Fujifilm Specialty Ink Systems (Sericol): Fujifilm's Sericol division manufactures UV, screen, and digital inks for graphic and industrial applications. It is a direct screen and specialty ink competitor with overlapping customer base in apparel and graphics decoration.

Broad incumbents

• INX International: INX International is a large diversified manufacturer of inks and coatings for packaging, commercial, and digital printing. It competes with Avient Specialty Inks in specialty ink chemistries as part of a broader ink portfolio.
• Sensient Imaging Technologies: Sensient Technologies is a specialty ingredient and color company whose imaging technologies division produces inks and dyes for digital, textile, and specialty applications, competing with Avient's textile dye and ink offerings.
• Hubergroup: Hubergroup is a global printing inks and coatings specialist serving packaging, commercial, and specialty printing. Its specialty ink offerings overlap with Avient Specialty Inks as part of a broader industrial ink portfolio.
• Sakata INX: Sakata INX is a Japanese-headquartered global ink manufacturer offering offset, gravure, flexo, screen, and digital inks. Its screen ink products compete directly with Avient Specialty Inks in textile and graphics markets.
• Sun Chemical: Sun Chemical is the world's largest printing ink manufacturer with a broad portfolio across packaging, commercial, and specialty inks. It overlaps with Avient Specialty Inks in screen and specialty industrial inks but operates at much larger scale across many segments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avient Specialty Inks