From the woodblock printing to the first printing press to modern day printers they would be useless without ink. Inks are what contain the dyes and pigments used for coloring a surface to produce an image text or design. Society has used various forms of ink from since the days of the cavemen to produce texts and drawings. Ink has evolved and transformed over time and there is now a wide variety of inks available. We have listed some of the inks that are commonly used for large scale printing.
Pigment Ink |
|
|
|
Pigment ink is ink that has solid opaque particles called pigments suspended in it to provide color. Qualities such as hue, lightness and saturation vary depending on the type and source of the pigment. Pigments can rage from naturally occurring or synthetically created. |
Dye Ink |
|
|
|
Dye inks can produce more color of a given density per unit of mass than a pigment ink. Dye in the ink is dissolved in a liquid phase which means that they are absorbed into the paper or printing material. Most modern dye inks are made with solvents that dry quickly or are used where there is quick-drying phase in the printing process. |
Solvent Ink |
|
|
|
Solvent ink is usually used to describe any ink that is not water-based. They come in a wide variety from soft, mild, hard, real, true, strong, safe and green. The solvent is really a carrier fluid to keep the ink in liquid form for jetting and once the ink has been applied, the solvent evaporates. What solvent is used determines the drying time and type of application it is good for. |
UV Ink |
|
|
|
UV ink is not generally used for traditional printing. UV ink is a dual state substance since it is a solid that stays in liquid form until exposed to a UV light. The UV ink is applied to the surface during the printing stage using a press and is dried in seconds under a UV light that is generally mounted on the press. Since the UV ink is dried as the surface is passed under a light it is ready for the next production step as soon as it comes off the press. UV Ink allows the printer to save a ton of time since they can get more done in less time. |
Ink in General |
|
|
|
General inks are needed for all sorts of uses. This section will have a variety of cartridges and inks for a wide variety of uses. If you are unsure as to what type of ink your printer uses please consult the user’s manual. |
As noted above, there are many different types of ink available for print shops. Whether large scale or small scale operations it is important to make the right ink choice for your equipment, and for the clients needs. Some inks will perform better than others depending on the situation used, and the type of media they will be printed on. Always follow the directions and test a small sample before committing to running the whole job.