Inkjet Inks: What Makes Them So Doggone Special?

What makes inkjet inks special?  Ask Adam Tourville, that question and he has several definitive responses at the ready. “What makes inkjet in general so special is its variability, or the ability to print variable data on demand,” said Tourville, account manager, inks, for digital ink solutions with Avery Dennison.

Another way the inks are special is that they are very highly technical, he said. The print heads are very specific to what is required. “The inks are tailored to each print head and each printer,” he reported. “And one of the other things that’s really special about inkjet ink is the particle size. They’re actually nanoparticles, so they’re very precise. That precision enables good print quality and jet-ability.”

Tourville is by no means alone in his assessment that today’s inkjet is a very special product. While industry experts may differ on the most special aspect or latest trend in the inks, they all agree inkjet offers increasing ways for print service pros to profit.

Randy Paar, manager of marketing – digital graphics for Canon Solutions America, has a different view of inkjet’s specialness. He reports in general terms, the near-instant polymerization that occurs during the curing process, compared to an evaporative drying process with solvent or latex inks, allows UV printed graphics to immediately be finished, packed, shipped and—most importantly—invoiced. 

It's an exciting time to be in the inkjet business, added Erik van Deurzen, senior director, product marketing, Production Print Solutions with Canon Solutions America.

“Inkjet ink chemistry is moving forward at a much faster pace than what we’ve ever seen before. These advances mean higher-quality inkjet printing, more vibrant colors, and more media options for production inkjet.”  All of these advances translate to producing a wider range of applications and considerably better color coverage, he concluded.

Latest developments

One of the most noteworthy and overarching developments in inkjet inks is the increasing diversity of inks brought to market, said Reed Hecht, product manager, professional imaging with Epson America Inc. “Ten years ago, the majority of inks Epson produced were aqueous ink types,” he said. “Today, Epson has expanded into various other ink types to meet increased demand in a variety of market applications and segments.”

Among additional trends and developments in inkjet is the introduction of specialty colors that can make the printed images more realistic than ever. So said Daniel Valade, product manager, color products and cutters, for Roland DGA. “When light cyan, light magenta, and light black are added to a traditional CMYK setup, PSPs can benefit from much smoother gradations, improved gray scale and more natural skin tones.” Lily Hunter, Roland DGA product manager, textiles and consumables, noted fluorescent inks, such as Roland’s Texart SBL3 formulations, have become popular not just for sportswear, but also for accessories and home décor.

For his part, Paar believes the most significant new development in the industry is the advent of UV gel inks that, he said, “literally have the physical characteristics of a gel. This enables printing without dot gain and avoids issues with coalescence that can muddy up the colors. This gel characteristic enables more ink to be jetted before the curing process, thereby increasing print speeds dramatically.” The Oce Colorado 1640 printer is the only device currently utilizing this new ink technology, Paar adds.

Flexibility was once solely the domain of solvent inks, but newer formulations of UV inks enable greater pliancy, said Josh Hope, senior manager with Mimaki USA. “Mimaki offers LF-140 flexible ink for the tabletop UJF Series UV flatbed models,” he said. “This ink prints onto and adheres very well to substances such as leather.”  

Susie Mendelssohn, North American sales manager and international marketing manager Inx Digital, believes one of the most important developments is the move of the traditional market toward the digital segment. “This involves not only the printers, but the equipment manufacturers too,” she said. “We also receive an increasing amount of requests to work with many of the traditional printer manufacturers when they place new digital equipment in the field.”

Many in the industrial segment are focusing on the packaging market, and for a number of reasons, Mendelssohn said. Some forecasts suggest a 20 percent growth in the packaging market over the next five years. “In addition, prototyping and short-run customization continues to grow,” she noted.

Leveraging the trends

Virtually any technological development offers opportunity for someone to gain more sales, reap greater revenues and enjoy richer profits. The evolution of inkjet inks is no exception, and that someone profiting is the PSP. “By staying on top of the latest marketplace technology and trends, [PSPs] can leverage those trends to charge more for their products,” Tourville said. “They can command greater margins. A lot of our customers find niches in the market where inkjet really hasn’t been a factor before. By doing so they can be a market leader, with shorter lead times and higher quality.”

Hecht argues along the same lines. Exploring new inks providing capabilities not offered by their current inks lets PSPs invade markets they haven’t serviced before. That can greatly expand the range of printing they offer and the profits they reap, he said

Compared with solvent and latex systems, UV gel ink technology will deliver to PSPs a very significant profit opportunity in the years ahead, Paar said. That, he reported, is “to dramatically lower ink costs, while increasing overall productivity.”

PSPs can now increase their range of media options and applications printed on production inkjet devices, van Deurzen added. “They can also consider moving color applications from toner devices, which tend to have a higher cost-per-piece printed, to a production inkjet device, without sacrificing color quality. With today’s production inkjet printing, you can now get print quality, ink coverage, and paper options comparable to toner. And if you print larger production runs, you can print at a lower cost with inkjet, while maintaining high productivity and uptime.” 

A huge benefit of UV printers and inks is that they permit customization and personalization of almost any substrate or 3D object with vibrant, detailed graphics.

So said Jay Roberts, Roland DGA product manager, UV printers. “Being able to transform standard or blank products by adding unique printed design dimensional effects allows for the creation of products with a higher perceived value than typical mass-produced offerings. Roland’s advanced UV printers, such as the flatbeds offered within our VersaUV LEF series, make it easy and cost-effective for users to expand their product offerings and increase sales by producing a vast array of customized items. The impact of devices like our LEF-12i, LEF-200 and LEF-300 printers is evident in both the POP market and boutique printing, as customers continue to promote personalized offerings [and] the ease and immediacy of making such items.”

If possible, PSPs should explore whether or not manufacturers provide a total solution, or just part of a solution, Hope said. Having access to a manufacturer that understands all ink technologies will help PSPs determine the best solution for their needs.