There are several different types of ink used in printing.
Dye inks
- the colour is dissolved in the water - and like spilt cordial the ink soaks in and stains the page as the water evaporates. The colourant size in dye inks is tiny, allowing a very small dot size which allows for detailed images with smooth tones. The smooth surface of the dried ink reflects light accurately - leading to bright punchy colours. The trade off for these bright punchy colours are two fold.
1) Dye inks will fade in UV light. (If you were to leave a dye print in the window of a shop it would show noticeable fading or colour shift within a few weeks.)
2) If you pour water onto a dye print the colourant dissolves in the water again, and washes away, or runs. So Dye inks are not waterproof. Dye inks - suitable for dry environments for either short term use in UV Light, or indoor lighting only. Primarily therefore, used for short run promotional work, and portable indoor displays such as roller and pop up stands. Use where image quality and striking colour are critical.
Pros: Strong punchy colours, small dot size = high quality image.
Cons: Not waterproof, fade in UV light.
Pigment inks -
best thought of as chalk dust suspended in water. The colourant particles are bigger than those of dye inks, but not by a great deal. They remain small enough to give a small dot size, and a good high resolution image. However, when the ink is on the page the particles are left on the surface, like a miniature mountain range. When light hits this rough surface it is scattered, which leads to a slightly muted colour response.
Pigment inks -
best thought of as chalk dust suspended in water. The colourant particles are bigger than those of dye inks, but not by a great deal. They remain small enough to give a small dot size, and a good high resolution image. However, when the ink is on the page the particles are left on the surface, like a miniature mountain range. When light hits this rough surface it is scattered, which leads to a slightly muted colour response.
The chief advantage of solvent inks is that they are comparatively inexpensive and enable printing on flexible, uncoated vinyl substrates, which are used to produce vehicle graphics, billboards, banners and adhesive decals. Unlike the aqueous inks, prints made using solvent-based inks are generally waterproof and UV safe (for outdoor use) without special over-coatings. Solvent can offer excellent punchy colours, albeit often not as strong a aqueous dye inks. The key pro though is the durability of the print, offering excellent outdoor life.Hard solvent ink offers the greatest durability without specialized over-coatings but require specialized ventilation of the printing area to avoid exposure to hazardous fumes.
Pros: Excellent durability, excellent stability in UV Light, low cost.
Cons: Inks need careful handling/disposal/ventilation at the print stage.
- UV Cured Inks
UV-curable inks: After printing, the ink is cured by exposure to strong UV-light. The advantage of UV-curable inks is that they "dry" as soon as they are cured, they can be applied to a wide range of uncoated substrates, and they produce a very robust image. Disadvantages are that they are expensive, require expensive curing modules in the printer, and the cured ink has a significant volume and so gives a slight relief on the surface.
Pros: can print onto rigid substrates, instantly dry, heavy ink load.
Cons: ink is on surface only, physical ink layer with 3D relief, structure to machine passes.
- Latex Inks
Latex Ink is said to offer equal or improved performance compared to solvent ink for printing on PVC (vinyl), as well as printing onto paper, fabrics, polyester and polyethylene – substrates that solvent technology struggles with. The latex ink, which is water based with a polymer that is bonded to the substrate by heat, doesn't need air purification or solvent extraction. The output is also odourless, making it suitable for a range of indoor applications that solvent machines aren't suitable for.
Latex Ink is said to offer equal or improved performance compared to solvent ink for printing on PVC (vinyl), as well as printing onto paper, fabrics, polyester and polyethylene – substrates that solvent technology struggles with. The latex ink, which is water based with a polymer that is bonded to the substrate by heat, doesn't need air purification or solvent extraction. The output is also odourless, making it suitable for a range of indoor applications that solvent machines aren't suitable for.
- Dye Sublimation Inks
There are two types of dye sublimation inks available in the market. The most popular one is aqueous dye sublimation ink for use in both desktop and large format printers.
There are two types of dye sublimation inks available in the market. The most popular one is aqueous dye sublimation ink for use in both desktop and large format printers.
The other one is solvent dye sublimation ink that can be used in XAAR, Spectra and Konica printhead wide format printers.
- Liquid Ink
Inkjet printers use liquid ink
Inkjet printers use liquid ink
- Toner
Laser and LED printers use a dry form of ink called toner, made up of tiny particles of pigment.
Laser and LED printers use a dry form of ink called toner, made up of tiny particles of pigment.
- Solid Ink
Another type of printer uses “solid ink,” particles of pigment imbedded in wax similar to a crayon.
Ribbons
- Screen printing ink
poster ink (air dry)
air dry textile
plastisol textile
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