DIGITAL Inks

Perfect your

balancing act

Most decisions come down to cost these days, but even in the field of digital inks it is essential to find a balance between cost and quality

By Tracey Rushton-Thorpe

I

nk jet printing continues to make advances in product functionality, cost performance, print quality and colour printing capabilities. Such improvements have made inkjet printing the leading computer printer technology and have enabled the development of new markets and applications.

Sales and marketing manager for Sun Chemical, Peter Saunders, said: “Over the next 12 months, we predict continued movement away from traditional printing methods to digital direct-to-media output. The market for wide format graphics, point-of-sale and advertising displays is already leading the way in digital adoption and this will accelerate as technology allows faster machinery producing better quality output.

“In other areas, such as the narrow web

label space, there is interest in digital printing for shorter run jobs. The market has been dominated by flexographic printing and the drivers for moving to digital are: overall cost reduction in short run jobs, increased number of short runs required by output buyers and operational flexibility for the label printers themselves.

“Businesses are always looking for cost- effective alternatives, but new processes must provide the same qualities as traditional methods. Digital processes reduce pre-press and set up costs and job change can be almost instant. The argument that inkjet or digital is not up to the required print quality is also being challenged in almost every area. “Another trend is the move to LED curing lamps to replace mercury lamps with digital

equipment. Advances in ink technology and lamp design means full cure is now possible and may also offer environmental benefits, including longer lamp life.”

Smooth evolution

New technology will play a major part in the digital ink industry as manufacturers step up to meet demand for durability and reliability. This was exactly the case for Epson in 2005 when they introduced their Ultrachrome K3 ink technology.

The inkset has a wide colour gamut, which allows the reproduction of colours that were previously unattainable. It utilises a three-level black ink technology designed to improve the overall grey balance while enhancing the mid- tone and highlight detail, which in turn gives a

Epson Ultrachrome HDR pigment ink features two extra colours: green and orange

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SCREEN PROCESS AND DIGITAL IMAGING l April/May 2010

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