Paper printed utilizing lithography can be printed with soy ink as a replacement for conventional oil-base inks.

Soy ink contains non-toxic soybean oil, the same oil which is used in cooking oils, dressings and thousands of other foods and beverages. Soybean oil is extracted from soybean primarily grown in the United States. The United Soybean Board and the National Soy ink Information Center states, "Using soy ink helps the nation's economy by providing a market for a domestic crop while demising dependence on foreign resources such as petroleum oil". Soy inks create rich vivid color that "pops" off the page. They are low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's). Soy inks are safe, sustainable, made from a renewable resource and are more easily stripped from paper during the de-inking and recycling process than petroleum inks.

Printing with soy ink produce images that compete in every way with conventional oil-based inks. Soy inks are viewed by the public in a positive manner due to their lessened impact on the environment. Customers wishing to demonstrate this outwardly can opt to have the Soy Ink logo printed on each envelope or on the box and /or carton label.

Printing with soy ink is considered more beneficial for the environment because the ink is low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's), safe, sustainable, made from a renewable resource and is more easily stripped from paper during the de-inking and recycling process than petroleum inks.