DEMYSTIFYING INKJET PRINTING

Inkjet Printing Technologies

Inkjet Media & Coating

Printing Tips

What is Ink Jet Printing ?

COMPONENTS NEEDED:
- A method of ejecting or pulling ink from an orifice
- A way to control the breakup of the stream into drops and achieve more or less uniform drop size and spacing.
- A means to turn the drop stream on and off, or control which drops are allowed to reach the receiving surface
- A control over drop placement on the receiving surface

INK JET PRINTING IS AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM

PRINTER+MEDIA +INK

INKJET PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES

3 Basic Inkjet Printing Technologies

- Continuous Flow

- Thermal (Bubble Jet)

- Piezo Electric

Continuous Flow Ink Jet

- High System Cost, typical of large scale plotters

- Complex Ink System requiring maintenance

- Multiple Dedicated print heads

- Best suited for graphic arts and industrial applications

Thermal (Bubble Jet) Technology

- Actually a drop-on-demand system

- Voltage pulses are applied to a heater which gassifies

- Force of the bubble causes ink to jet out

- The most popular ink jet technology for desktop printers

- Examples:
Canon BubleJets
Hewlett-Packard DeskJet, ThinkJet, DesignJet
Lexmark

Piezo-Electric Ink Jet Technology
- Drops are produced by a transducer

- Droplets are subsequently distorted relative to the data charge

- Yields small drop sizes/high resolutions

- Open orifice requires careful control of Ink drying characteristics

- Becoming the main direction of ink jet printing

Example:
Epson Color Stylus Series
Some industrial plotters

Ink Jet Media

Coating Processes

Media Types

COATING PROCESS

Needs for coating;
- Limit and control dot size and shape
- Hold colorant on surface
- Provide brilliant and neutral reflective background
- Control the absorption rate
- Store the carrier until medium has evaporated
- Provide various textures, and appearance

A high quality product will minimally have:
- Barrier coating (prevents saturation)
- Reflective coating
- Gloss coating
- Texture/Finish coating
- Sealer coating

Methods of coating:
Off-Machine Coating
- Most common method utilized
- Media is processed through coating heads where the liquid is applied, subsequently dried.

Air Knife Coater
- Used for applying moderate of low viscosity fluids.
- Media receives coating from transfer wheel, excess is removed with an air knife.

Other coating methods;
Gate Presses, Size Presses, Rod, Reverse Roll, Gravure, Cast, Slot, Curtain, Bead

Media Types and Applications
- Coated Bond paper, (various weights)
Reports, Formal Correspondence, Graphic Layout- Glossy Paper
Photo Reproduction, Signage
- Glossy Film
Photo Reproduction, Business Cards, Signage
- Textured Media
Canvas, Silk, Linen
- Specialty Film
Transfer Paper, Backlight, Silver Reflective, Gold,
Transparency

Additional Media's
UV Reactive Transfer
Glow In The Dark
Magnetic Backed

Printing Tips

Selecting Ink and Media

Know your Driver

Maintaining your Printer

SELECTING INK AND PRINT MEDIA

ALL INKS ARE NOT EQUAL !!

- Alternative quality inks ARE available !

- Be cautious of ''1 Ink for Any Printer”
(Refill kits)

MEDIA DOES MATTER !
( A wide array of coated paper is available,
low end ''thrifty” paper to ''photo quality” bond paper.
- Most paper ranges from 20 # to 28 #. - Opacity is equally important as brightness is.
- Can achieve ''photo quality” performance
- Significantly less expensive than photo paper.

( Photo paper achieves ''snapshot” thickness, and usually glossy finish.
- Has paper as a substrate
- Consistency is most predominant concern

( Photo films are all synthetic materials
- Greater durability
- Very thin compared to photo paper.
(4 mil vs. 9 mil)
- More expensive
(T- Shirt Transfer is extremely popular!
- New formats; UV, & Color Laser
- Hot Peel vs. Cool Peel
- Creative applications; using glitter
Wood and other porous surfaces
- Bundled products ?

( Transparency Films
- Special surface to hold the ink
- Printed w/mirror image makes great signs

( Fabric and other specialty medias are plentiful.
- Fabrics can also provide image characteristics not otherwise available. (i.e.; Canvas, Silk, Linen, Satin, etc..)
- Metalized films for special effects.
(Silver, Gold)
- Adhesive and Magnetized backings becoming very popular.

UNDERSTAND YOUR PRINTER DRIVER

- Media selection will alter the volume of ink released
- Plain Paper, relatively high due to the absorbency of media
- Inkjet Paper, nominal amount utilizing the resolution desired.
- Photo Paper, less than inkjet paper due to gloss coatings
- Transparency/Film, least amount

- Selecting the highest resolution will not afford the greatest image

- Solvent based ''fixatives” will increase the durability of your images and reduce water impacts.

MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER

Clean your printer regularly !! (Cartridge change)

Coated paper will leave a residue in the paper path.

Invest in a dust cover !

Terminology

Basic Size - The standard size for a grade of paper, used to determine its basis weight. (e.g. Bond 17x22).

Basis Weight - The weight of a ream of paper in the Basic Size for that grade (e.g. 500 sheets of Sub. 20 Bond paper in its basic size, 17x22 in., would weigh 20lb).

Brightness - The measurement of a paper's light-reflective qualities that affect contrast and halftone reproduction.

Caliper - the thickness of a sheet, or stack of sheets of paper as expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils); also referred to as Bulk.

Opacity - The ability of paper to inhibit show-through of material printed on its other side or from sheet to sheet. Usually, the lower the basis weight, the less opacity.

Klassic Specialties
Inkjet Papers and Films