Introduction to Five Types of Inks for Digital Printing Presses

Release Date： 2024-05-18 18:13:31 View Count： 0

Dry Powder Digital Printing Ink

Dry powder digital printing ink consists of pigment particles, charge control agents facilitating electrostatic charge formation, and fusible resin, mixed into a powder form. Negatively charged toner particles adhere to the exposed areas to form images, which are then transferred onto paper. The resin within the toner melts upon heating, fixing the image onto the substrate.

Liquid Digital Printing Ink

Liquid digital printing inks, commonly used in inkjet printing, vary according to printhead design. Printheads can be thermal or piezo-driven, with piezo types further classified into high and low precision categories – EPSON utilizing high precision heads, while Xaar and Spectra offer low precision heads. High precision heads often employ aqueous dye or pigment inks, whereas lower precision ones tend to use solvent-based pigment inks.

Unlike conventional inks, electronic liquid inks solidify instantly upon contact with a hot blanket (at around 130°C), transferring the image entirely onto paper or another medium. These inks are based on novel resin materials featuring polygonal microstructures that resist spreading under pressure, adhering firmly to the substrate for crisp images with slightly diffused edges. They come in aqueous and solvent-based (oil-based) varieties, composed of solvents, pigments or dyes, dispersants, pH regulators, drying agents, and additional additives depending on the type.

Solid State Digital Printing Ink

Primarily used in inkjet printing, solid-state digital inks are solid at room temperature and liquefy during printing when heated, reducing viscosity for jetting onto the substrate. They consist of pigments, charge control agents, viscosity controllers, and carriers.

Electronic Ink

Electronic ink is a specialized ink applied to a unique film substrate for display purposes, encapsulated in microcapsules with nanoscale diameters. Inside each capsule, positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles float in a transparent fluid. The display color (white or black) changes depending on the polarity of the charge applied, controlled by a high-resolution array beneath the display.

UV/EB Inks

UV/EB inks are radiation-cured inks utilizing ultraviolet light or electron beams, gaining popularity in inkjet printing for their stability and ability to cure only under UV light, preventing printhead clogs and prolonging printhead life. However, they may limit printing speed due to ink supply constraints and printhead throughput. Notably, Xennia’s Xenjet Vivide series pigment-based UV-curable inks have been certified for use with Xaar’s Omnifire 760 printhead.

Research and development of digital printing inks are thriving globally, with manufacturers like Canon, Hewlett Packard, EPSON, Scitex, Xeikon, HP Indigo, and ink giants DIC, Sun Chemical, Flint Group, and Sakata Inx Corp actively engaged in developing inks tailored to digital printing systems. As digital printing becomes more ubiquitous, advancements in ink technology are expected to continue, ushering in new generations of digital printing inks.

Digital Printing

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