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It takes two to tango!
The idiom is very much applicable to the paper (or media) and inkjet printer ink partnership. Aqueous ink (water based ink) easily adheres to paper because both are manufactured using a similar polar molecule. Thus, the use of aqueous ink for printing will definitely result in vivid and sharp images captured on paper. Solvent inks meanwhile are a good match to plastic media - again, because both are of the same polar molecule. However if aqueous ink is used to print on plastic media (particularly on vinyl banners), water based ink will not stick to the surface. Printing can only be possible in this case if the plastic media is coated.
These incompatibilities are reminiscent of water and oil. Oil won’t dissolve in water since both substances are of different polar molecules. In the same way, paper is compatible only to aqueous ink while solvent ink works in plastic media. However, it will be doubly expensive for inkjet printer owners to use different inkjet printer ink formulations for every type of print job. A compromise is reached in the use of vinyl substrates.Said material comes coated with a thin emulsion that makes possible aqueous ink printing and solvent ink printing to paper. Media of this type are however so expensive as the price per rolls would indicate.
Users should therefore look into the typical documents printed at home or at the office to determine inkjet printer ink requirements. This would be crucial in the selection of a printer. If print jobs are clustered to printing on paper most of the time, buying a printer that runs on solvent inks will not be a sound idea. Canon, Hewlett Packard and Lexmark inkjet printers use aqueous inks while Epson inkjets use solvent inks.Always bear in mind that vinyl backed media used for aqueous ink printing is not only expensive, but also leaves clay-like impressions on the surface. Moreover, surface emulsion for this printing setup is not durable. The output could easily get scratched while prone to curl and not resistant to water and moisture. Banners of this type are often classified as low quality since the collateral easily fades when exposed to UV rays and has a limited outdoor life of 6 months.
The inkjet printer operating on solvent inks on the other hand is a new technical gem. Said type of inkjet printer ink can print directly to uncoated plastic media. However, the printer comes with a much more expensive price tag than its aqueous ink counterpart. In the course of printing, the plastic media is heated-up momentarily to allow solvent ink to penetrate and embed itself into the plastic substrate. This way, the solvent printed media becomes scratch resistant and can be exposed to water and moisture for longer periods of time. So if the intention is to print banners and other outdoor signages; printers running on solvent ink will do the job.
In the end, the user’s choice of inkjet printer must be based on the principle that the polar properties of inkjet printer ink and paper must complement in order to produce fine quality prints.
The idiom is very much applicable to the paper (or media) and inkjet printer ink partnership. Aqueous ink (water based ink) easily adheres to paper because both are manufactured using a similar polar molecule. Thus, the use of aqueous ink for printing will definitely result in vivid and sharp images captured on paper. Solvent inks meanwhile are a good match to plastic media - again, because both are of the same polar molecule. However if aqueous ink is used to print on plastic media (particularly on vinyl banners), water based ink will not stick to the surface. Printing can only be possible in this case if the plastic media is coated.
These incompatibilities are reminiscent of water and oil. Oil won’t dissolve in water since both substances are of different polar molecules. In the same way, paper is compatible only to aqueous ink while solvent ink works in plastic media. However, it will be doubly expensive for inkjet printer owners to use different inkjet printer ink formulations for every type of print job. A compromise is reached in the use of vinyl substrates.Said material comes coated with a thin emulsion that makes possible aqueous ink printing and solvent ink printing to paper. Media of this type are however so expensive as the price per rolls would indicate.
Users should therefore look into the typical documents printed at home or at the office to determine inkjet printer ink requirements. This would be crucial in the selection of a printer. If print jobs are clustered to printing on paper most of the time, buying a printer that runs on solvent inks will not be a sound idea. Canon, Hewlett Packard and Lexmark inkjet printers use aqueous inks while Epson inkjets use solvent inks.Always bear in mind that vinyl backed media used for aqueous ink printing is not only expensive, but also leaves clay-like impressions on the surface. Moreover, surface emulsion for this printing setup is not durable. The output could easily get scratched while prone to curl and not resistant to water and moisture. Banners of this type are often classified as low quality since the collateral easily fades when exposed to UV rays and has a limited outdoor life of 6 months.
The inkjet printer operating on solvent inks on the other hand is a new technical gem. Said type of inkjet printer ink can print directly to uncoated plastic media. However, the printer comes with a much more expensive price tag than its aqueous ink counterpart. In the course of printing, the plastic media is heated-up momentarily to allow solvent ink to penetrate and embed itself into the plastic substrate. This way, the solvent printed media becomes scratch resistant and can be exposed to water and moisture for longer periods of time. So if the intention is to print banners and other outdoor signages; printers running on solvent ink will do the job.
In the end, the user’s choice of inkjet printer must be based on the principle that the polar properties of inkjet printer ink and paper must complement in order to produce fine quality prints.
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