How to determine ink quality and factors affecting print quality

Classification of printer ink

1. If classified according to color base, ink can be divided into:

Dye-based inks-dye-based inks are also used in most inkjet printers.

Pigment-based ink-ink based on pigment.

2. If the ink is distinguished according to the solvent, it is divided into:

Water-based inks-with water and water-soluble solvents as the main components of the dissolved color base.

Oil-based inks-use water-insoluble solvents as the main component to dissolve the color base.

The above concepts cross each other in actual use. For example, some pigment inks may be water-based inks or oil-based inks. But in terms of its nature and the actual requirements of the printer, water-based inks and oil-based inks are absolutely not allowed to be mixed in the same print head.

The shelf life of the ink is generally two years. The preservation of the ink requires sealing to avoid direct sunlight. The temperature should not be too high or too low (normal room temperature).

Three main factors affecting ink quality

1. Purity of solvent in water

2. moisturizer

Since the nozzle is in the idle state, the volatile components and moisture in the mouth will evaporate, so the moisturizing must pass the level.

3. Defoamer

If there are a large number of bubbles in the ink cartridge during printing, it may cause the interruption of printing or the print head to burn and damage. [next]

How to judge the quality of ink

1. Purity and salt content of raw materials

High-purity raw materials will better restore the saturation of the image and fully display the bright parts of the image; too high a salt content will cause the ink to produce a certain amount of alkali during the high-temperature inkjet process, resulting in clogging of the ink head nozzle.

2. Viscosity

If the viscosity of the ink is too high, the ink supply will be interrupted during the printing process; if the viscosity is too low, the ink head will flow during the printing process.

Ink is generally divided into 1 to 8 levels of weather resistance. The higher the level, the longer the weather resistance time. Including anti-ultraviolet rays, anti-acid rain, anti-humidity, anti-wind and sand.

Since different inks have different chemical reagents and different solution compositions, there are certain differences in the chemical composition and color system composition. Here are some suggestions for everyone to use in reference.

1. When changing indoor and outdoor ink, especially when changing from outdoor to indoor, please empty the original ink first, and then clean the pipeline with cleaning liquid or pure water, otherwise the chemical substances in the ink may cause a chemical reaction to block the nozzle.

2. Users who use thermal foaming machines such as HP and NovaJet must evacuate the air when filling the ink, otherwise it will cause the ink head to burn, reduce the life of the nozzle, or may cause the ink head to be damaged, or the ink may be broken during printing .

3. Users who use micropiezo machines such as Epson, Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland, etc. After using the new ink, it is normal for the test strip to break within a few hours due to the need for a fusion time between the ink head and the ink;

If there is no ink or no ink at all, or if the ink breaks after a long period of use, it may be caused by insufficient ink (less than two-thirds) or too much (full) in the ink sac, or there is air in the pipe, scraping There is too much silt on the film and waste ink pad; it is best to manually evacuate the duct air and handle the ink sac and clean the unclean parts.

4. It is best to print the test drawings every day for the piezoelectric machine to keep the nozzles moist; when the machine is shut down for a long time, it should be turned on once a week to ensure that the ink pipes are unblocked and the ink heads are moist. [next]

Ink ink plugging rate

Since the ink can only use neutral ink and does not react with any material, the ink must be attached to the coating. The water-based PIGMENT ink adds UV (anti-ultraviolet) components to the ink to extend the outdoor weathering time and improve the waterproof performance. The composition and the plugging rate can be said to be directly proportional, so when the UV component is too high, a plugging phenomenon will occur. Therefore, the water-based pigment ink must also be covered with an ultraviolet protection film to ensure outdoor weathering time. The UV component in the UV ink must be at a certain level. Proportion, otherwise plugging is inevitable. After the ink is waterproof, without any protective measures, the outdoor weather resistance within eight months, it is not easy to produce blocking phenomenon, otherwise it must be coated with UV glue. Therefore, the soluble ink can only reduce the UV component to reduce the plugging rate, and the household weathering period of the soluble ink will not exceed 2 months.

Weather resistance

Regardless of the ink or ink, the difference in solvent type is the difference in the use of dyes and pigments. In general, the weather resistance of dyes is far inferior to pigments, and the weather resistance of dyes differs between different colors; Magenta (magenta) is the worst, Cyan (cyan), Yellow (yellow) ) And Black (黑) are far better than Magenta. The weather resistance of the pigment has better performance for each color, and the average weather resistance level is six to eight.

In fact, in addition to the color factor, the formulation of the ink is the key to the weather resistance of the ink. In addition to the use of mild and non-corrosive solvents, heat resistance agents, UV absorbers, antioxidants, and free radical scavengers Adding can enhance the weather resistance of ink dyes;

In addition, choosing the protective film on the coating layer material is also one of the important factors that affect the weather resistance performance;

In addition, its weather resistance will vary depending on the time of the external environment, the length and humidity of the area, the length of sunlight exposure, the location of the pictures and the climate of the location.

Therefore, there is no absolute guarantee for the length of the weather resistance. In fact, with professional technology and different angles of evaluation, the same guarantee cannot be made. This is an absolute guarantee different from ordinary items.

At the end of the article, let's take a look at several frequently asked questions by users, hoping that you can further understand the impact of ink on print quality.

1. How does viscosity affect printing?

Viscosity is absolutely important for inkjet printing. To obtain the best performance of inkjet printers, the viscosity of the ink must be maintained within a specific range. If the viscosity is too high, the ink will block the nozzle. If the ink is too low, the air will be reversed. Back to the nozzle, causing ink leakage. By maintaining the viscosity within the range of the special certificate, the maximum density can be obtained without ink flow or ink leakage.

2. The relationship between temperature and viscosity?

The increase in ink viscosity is usually mostly due to operating the inkjet printer in a cold environment, and when the ink becomes cold, it becomes very thick. The simple solution is to increase the temperature to maintain the environment in the studio above 20 degrees Celsius. . The lower temperature will also cause the adhesion of the ink on the media to weaken, and dots will appear.

3. If the viscosity is too high or too low and the relationship between spray painting?

If the viscosity is too high, you will start to see the density decrease because the ink droplets become fewer. If the ink is indeed too thick, the ink droplets can no longer come out of the nozzle and the right-to-use printing will stop.

If the viscosity is too low, the ink will flow out of the print head, which will also cause air to flow back into the ink chamber.

4. What is the relationship between surface tension and printing?

Surface tension is the attraction between molecules on the surface of a liquid. For example, if you look at the raindrops on the window, the beginning of the circle is caused by surface tension. Water molecules are tightly concentrated to form a hemisphere. The tension of pure water is high, about 75 (up to sleepy square centimeters). Most organic solvents are very low, about 25 dynes square centimeters. This is why oily solvents are even better.

But since the plane tension of water is so great, why can we still use water-based ink? This is where chemistry starts. Due to the phenomenon of hydrogen bonding in pure water, the water molecules are tied together, so the surface tension is increased. A chemical element called 'wet base' is added to the water-based ink. One end of this wet-based molecule is in contact with water, breaking the hydrogen bond, and the other is in contact with the matrix. The wet base reduces the surface tension of the ink. And dyeing a wet substrate, another alcohol-like solution, can also reduce the surface tension of water-based inks.

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