When selecting ink, to distinguish between "genuine eco-friendly" products and "pseudo-concepts," you need to make a comprehensive assessment across five dimensions: ingredients, certifications, performance, packaging, and purchasing channels. The following is a detailed guide:

### **I. Ingredient Analysis: The Core Standards of Eco-Friendly Ink**

1. **Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: UV inks, water-based inks, and low-solvent inks (ECO-solvent inks) have extremely low VOC content, approaching zero emissions. For example, UV inks cure via ultraviolet light, leaving virtually no volatile substances behind; low-solvent inks optimize their solvent formulations to reduce the use of toxic organic solvents such as cyclohexanone and methyl ethyl ketone.

- **Pseudo-concept**: Traditional solvent-based inks can emit VOCs at levels as high as 70%–80%. If a product does not explicitly state that it uses low-VOC or environmentally friendly solvent formulations, it may be falsely marketed as eco-friendly.

2. **Non-toxic and harmless ingredients**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: Uses biodegradable water-based inks (such as ether solvents derived from mineral oils) or inks that have obtained international certifications (such as GREENGUARD and French VOC emission standards).

- **Pseudo-concept**: Be cautious if the product contains toxic solvents such as aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, or ketones, or if the ingredient list is not provided.

### **II. Certification and Standards: Authoritative Endorsement is Key**

1. **International Environmental Certification**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: Certified by standards such as the U.S. GREENGUARD, French A+ VOC Emission Standard, and German Blue Angel certification. For example, certain low-solvent ink models from Epson (such as S80680) have already obtained these certifications.

- **Pseudo-concept**: Simply labeling products with terms like “environmentally friendly” or “green” without providing specific certification numbers or the names of certifying organizations may constitute false advertising.

2. **Compliance with Industry Standards**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: Complies with national standards such as “Green Printing Inks” (GB/T 38597-2020), which explicitly limit the content of heavy metals (such as lead and mercury) and harmful substances.

- **Pseudo-concept**: No mention of standard references, or only self-defined enterprise standards are cited.

### **III. Performance Comparison: Balancing Environmental Friendliness and Practicality**

1. **Odor and Volatility**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: UV inks and water-based inks are virtually odorless; low-solvent inks have significantly reduced odors compared to traditional solvent-based inks, and they don’t require ventilation systems.

- **Pseudo-concept**: If the ink has a pungent odor or requires prolonged ventilation after use, it may contain highly volatile toxic substances.

2. **Weather Resistance and Versatility**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: Low-solvent inks allow direct printing on outdoor materials (such as lightbox fabrics and PVC), offering excellent resistance to sunlight and water; UV inks, once cured, form a durable, abrasion-resistant coating.

- **Pseudo-concept**: If eco-friendly ink requires additional coating treatments or has significantly lower weather resistance than conventional ink, it may be a pseudo-environmental product that compromises performance.

### **IV. Packaging and Labeling: Details Reveal the Truth**

1. Anti-counterfeiting mark

- **Genuine Eco-Friendly**: The authentic packaging features a color-changing anti-counterfeit label (the color changes when viewed from different angles) and a coated anti-counterfeit label (scratch off the coating to verify authenticity).

- **Pseudo-concept**: The anti-counterfeiting label has a dull color, lacks color-changing effects, or the packaging is simple and lacks any anti-counterfeiting information.

2. **Information Transparency**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: The packaging clearly indicates the ingredients, VOC content, certification number, and date of manufacture.

- **Pseudo-concept**: The ingredient list is vague (e.g., “environmentally friendly additives” are not specified in detail) or lacks a production batch number.

### **V. Purchase Channels: Reduce Risks by Using Official Channels**

1. **Official Authorized Channels**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: Purchase through the brand’s official website, flagship store, or authorized dealers to avoid the low-price traps on third-party platforms.

- **Pseudo-concept**: Products from informal channels may be counterfeit or refurbished ink cartridges, with no guarantee of environmental performance.

2. **Price Reasonableness**

- **Truly Eco-Friendly**: Since eco-friendly inks are made from high-cost raw materials, their prices are typically slightly higher than those of conventional inks. If the price is significantly lower than the market average, you should be cautious about the quality.

### **Summary: A Mnemonic for Choosing Eco-Friendly Inks**

- **Check ingredients**: Low VOC, non-toxic solvent, biodegradable.

- **View Certification**: Backed by both international standards and industry norms.

- **Performance Testing**: Odorless, highly weather-resistant, and widely applicable.

- **Package Inspection**: Full anti-counterfeiting measures, transparent information, and legitimate distribution channels.

By using the methods outlined above, you can effectively distinguish between “genuine environmental protection” and “false concepts,” thereby avoiding being duped by misleading advertising.