Author: Anthony Gloster-Guest
Source: ezinearticles.com
There is a basic flaw in the formula for Inkjet Inks, that flaw involves the coloring agent (being either a dye or pigment) and its ability to remain on the surface of the media it is applied to, and how to manage the rapid dispersal or evaporation of the carrier fluid. Commonly called Aquouse inks, or water base ink they consist of a mixture of water, glycol, dyes or pigments, and are commonly used in desktop printers located in the home or office.
The ink for inkjet printers is inexpensive and easily produced, but controlling it, on the surface of the media that it is applied to, has proven to be a difficult problem for manufactures to over come. Aquouse inks whilst they do provide the broadest spectrum of colors, are not water proof in their own right, and they tend to quickly fade when exposed to the light.
The inkjet ink cartridges that contain pigment based inks, are far more durable than those that contain dyes, and have proven to be resistant to UV light, these pigment based Aquouse inks, are generally of archival quality and are used when document longevity is an issue.
Another type of inkjet printer cartridge, will contain, what is known as “solvent ink” whose main ingredient consists of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). Their colors are achieved using pigments instead of dyes; they are used for their excellent fade and UV resistant properties.
The advantage of this type of solvent based ink, is in the cost of manufacturing, and its use in the production of flexible or vinyl billboards, banners and adhesive vehicle graphics. However, the disadvantages of these types of Inkjet Inks include, vapor produced by the solvents in the ink, and disposal of any used solvent, prints made using this technology have proved to be fade and water resistant, making them ideal for outdoor use, and with no need for any special over-coating to protect the finished product.
The high printing speeds obtained using this technology requires special drying applications; these may consist of a combination of heaters and blowers, where the media is heated before and after the application of the solvent ink.
Solvent inks can be divided into 2 category’s
Hard solvent ink
Offers durability with out over-coating but requires specialized ventilation systems due to the harmful fumes given of during the printing process.
Mild or Eco solvent ink
Still not as safe as Aquouse ink, they are intended for use in enclosed spaces and do not require the use of specialized ventilation systems. These mild solvent inks have gained market share in the last few years due to their increasing durability and reduction in manufacturing costs.
UV-Curable Inks
Consisting mainly of acrylic monomers with an initiator this type of ink is cured by exposure to ultra violet light. As soon as exposure to UV light has taken place the ink can be considered as dry, it can be applied to a wide range of untreated materials, the image produced using this technology should be considered as very robust, the disadvantage of this type of printing is the cost to produce the finished image, and the significant amount of ink that is actually used, plus it susceptibility to cracking if used on any flexible kind of medium.
Due to these traits it is generally used on large flatbed printers and printed directly onto any rigid media such as wood plastic or aluminum were the flexibility of the medium is not a concern.
Dye sublimation inks:
Used in a hot printing process, the ink converts to a gas state without changing from a solid to a liquid (sublimation), printing on fabrics, it renders the finished image waterproof, durable, and has found its niche in the Tee shirt printing industry.
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