Printing is an essential requirement at many households. Be it children’s school projects, printing out study paper, or photos to keep your memory secured, having a printer adds to convenience and productivity in daily chores.
Now, what many regular users of inkjet printers tend to ignore, is the fact that different purpose has appropriate ink cartridges, suitable for the job.
Since the ink is intrinsically tied to the printing process, choosing the right ink will greatly enhance the final output. Especially for designers or people in the arts in industry, obtaining the appropriate print quality is essential.
So, let’s look at different kinds of cartridges available in the market and the purpose they are best suited for.
Types of printer inks
Inkjet type printer cartridges are the most common type in use. These printers use cartridges that stores ink, and have a series of nozzles that directly spray the ink onto a paper’s surface. Here are the types of printer inks used in inkjet cartridges.
Dye-based Ink
These inks contain colourants that are completely dissolved in pure deionised water. Additionally, they contain other different optical compounds, to increase colour vibrancy. Presence of ethylene glycol dissolves the dye in solvent and also prevents evaporation. The ink also contains solvents to dry it fast after it lands on the print surface. Once the inked is sprayed onto a paper, it absorbs into the paper fibres.
Application
Suitable for every day documents and photo printing, dye inks perhaps the most sought after. Most inject printer cartridges on the market today uses dye inks. One limitation with these inks is that they tend to fade over time. Prints still smudge when exposed to humidity, since dye particles are liquefied
Pigment-based ink
Pigments are very fine colour powders that are suspended in liquid. When printed onto a paper, they develop a film as water evaporates and leaves only the pigment particles behind. These particles then bond with the paper surface, which ensures colour solidity and longevity.
Application
Ink cartridges with pigment inks work excellently for printing high quality projects like art works. Pigment ink’s drying qualities make them the right choice for printing on smooth or glossy surfaces like stickers and labels. They resist water better and UV lighter better but isn’t as vibrant as dye.
UV Inks
UV inks are made of acrylic monomer compounds with a photoinitiator, and they don’t dry by evaporation. Once the ink is lodged on the print through the surface, it’s exposed to UV radiation, which causes a chemical reaction that makes the pigments cross bond into a solid film. The colourants in UV cured inks are pigment based, so they are fade resistant.
Application
Inkjet printers with UV technology produce robust quality prints that dry quickly. Therefore, they can be used to print projects quicker. Since these prints dry instantly, overprinting or folding and cutting is possible with these.
The above are the types of ink cartridges that are available in the market. Additionally, laser printers are quite popular as well but cost more than inkjet printers. When buying cartridges always ensure that they are compatible with your printer model. Also opting for combinations ink packs can prove economical in the long run.
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