Mr. A. W. Knapp, a Graphic Arts industry veteran founded Grafkem Corporation in 1981 to manufacture conventional photo chemistry for the Graphic Arts industry.

We focused our efforts to produce products with reduced environmental impact in the early '90s. Grafkem targeted the most hazardous widely used developing agent in black & white developer formulations, (the chemical hydroquinone), and setout to create a viable alternative technology.

By the mid '90s our R&D efforts culminated in granting E. I. DuPont an exclusive license to manufacture and market products based on our patented technology. DuPont enjoyed good success with our technology before they sold their various imaging businesses at the end of the century. Grafkem continued research and development work in several diagnostic-imaging areas.

Today Grafkem is an innovative, value-added supplier in various black & white photo chemical industry segments. We maintain three US Patents and numerous corresponding foreign patents in principal markets for our safer NONTOX® brand hydroquinone-free developer technology.