pigment ink

The answer to this question requires prior acquaintance and a few minutes of intensive work of the brain. In addition, the article, after reading, can cause a slight cognitive dissonance, especially in people who are already a little familiar with the ink-filling world.

In this area, a lot of myths and assumptions that have nothing to do with reality. Since 2000, neither the seller on the territory did not give a clear answer: how expensive pigment inks different from cheap. The main brand suppliers still cannot answer a simple question.

Get one thing straight - we are talking about pigment ink water-based, not solvent. So, what is pigment ink? The answer known a suspension of small particles in the water with all sorts of additives to improve the quality of pigment inks. In addition, the "cooler" the pigment and these additives, the "cooler" pigment ink. In General, this answer is correct, but incomplete. It is a little more complicated and complicated.

So, first, pigment ink contains only about 5-8% of the dry residue (read the pigment powder). As you know, this will not save much, even if you take the cheapest pigment. Additives, of course, also cost money, but their final product is not particularly more, too, up to 10% of the total.

So why is the final product at a price different at times?

We answer-because of the complexity of creating a suspension of pigment in the water. It is not enough just to pour all the components into the water and mix.

The process of pigment ink production is a multi-stage process. Moreover, the more components a manufacturer uses, the more complex the production processes. At any stage of this complex cycle, with the slightest mistakes the pigment is simply precipitated.

That is why for serious production (as for example on a Hongsam) is used production equipment and pages processes. Without special equipment, some additives in the finished ink just do not add

Although what to hide, in the process of studying Asian production, we have seen the wonders of ingenuity, when manual labor is trying to repeat the most complex technological processes. Sometimes it works well, sometimes not . Hence the instability of ink in different batches.

The production process, depending on the color (and different colors have different degrees of capriciousness), can last from several hours to a day. All the while, the future hangs in the pigment production plant. Summary: in addition to the price of components, the main cost is the complexity of production. It is not very difficult.

Consumer qualities of pigment inks:

Now let's briefly return to the consumer qualities of ink. What is required of good pigment inks?

1. So they were with a bright color..
2. To be light resistant.
3. Not to dry up (or rather did not precipitate).
4. Normally held on most modern photo paper.

What determines these parameters? There is no secret: all these parameters are determined by the size of the pigment grain. The larger the pigment particle, the brighter the color. The larger the pigment particle, the better the light resistance, large grain is difficult to destroy by sunlight. To pigment does not precipitate and does not clog print heads, it must be moderately large. But that pigment is not erased from the photo paper, it must be sufficiently small, then the pigment particles will be kept in the pores of the photo paper. Or the photo paper should be designed for the application of pigment inks.

The optimal size of the pigment particles has long been known. Moreover, the more grains of optimal size in the suspension of pigment ink, the better the ink. Again, nothing complicated.

However, it is in theory. In practice, the pigment powder, which is supplied to the production, guarantees only the maximum fraction. In addition, with long technological cycles, there is a partial disintegration of the pigment grains into smaller fractions.

In addition, we are getting to the basics. One of the last stages of production is the separation of pigment inks. When the plants are provided the selection to the final product of the desired fractions. In fact, it is like skimming milk.

And here the fun begins:) the Output of the finished product after separation plants is low enough, and everything else that is poured into the sewer?

No. Moreover, starts the expanse from the manufacturers. We will start with branded ink manufacturers. In addition, what is it; they are the same people as everyone, with characteristic greed.

All brand manufacturers have two classes of ink. The first, which goes into a large-format technique, so to speak, cream. Moreover, the second (read waste), which is usually filled with cartridges with built-in SG and poured into fashionable bottles today for printers with built-in CISS (and maybe there is already a class 3). This is waste-free production can raise profits and reduce production costs.

Discoverer in a production costs reduction was manufactured by h-P c-anon. Sometimes it seems that it is for the recycling of pigment production that disposable cartridges were invented.

e-Pson with its pigment was the exception to the rule. The highest quality pigment inks. However, unfortunately, the market takes its toll. Quality is a medieval concept; profit and competition are in the first place. This is just speculation, but it is too quickly overcome the crisis firm with their DX-6 heads. The timing is exactly the closeout inventory of inks.

In addition, the entire leading players switch to more profitable markets - these huge printing machines print on rolls at a speed exceeding 1 meter per second. Currently, this is the main incentive for the development of jet technologies. It is there that efforts and funds are invested. In addition, the volume of ink consumption by a pair of such machines is quite comparable to the retail sales of original ink on the Russian market. It seems that the whole sector of interior and household printing has gone to the second or even third place in quality. The cream production in the industrial sector lucrative and the rest to cover the costs of production.

Now manufacturers are compatible-everything is similar. Initially, only the tolerances for the separation less hard, otherwise profit would not. In addition, the ink are the two classes with an optimal grain size and with all that is left of him.

By the way, we answer the cry of the souls of many several ages, why used large format printers from behind the hill come pristine, and our silted after running a few liters of ink? The whole thing in a large quantity of fines (i.e. silt) in the ink to be supplied to the Russian market.

It is extremely difficult to combat this on a global scale. The Russian market is a unit of interest even from the domestic Asian market, not to mention the world market. Buy quality products is very difficult. The Russian market is so small that it is not taken into account, it is not interesting. Exception-branded cartridges that are imported to maintain the reputation of the company.

We had to carry out a huge layer of research and marketing work to supply the Russian market with ink of good quality.

We hope that we were able to answer the question: what is the difference between expensive pigment ink and cheap, and that affects the formation of prices.

How to distinguish high-quality ink of the first separation from any other in everyday conditions?

It is no easier; stick your finger in the ink tank and all that :)

Here is a photo, one finger is stained with branded quality ink, the other is cheap compatible. If you look carefully at the photo, you can see that the quality pigment remained on the surface of the skin, the grain size prevents it from falling through the pores of the skin, the particles even shine a little. Nevertheless, the development of production easily falls into the subcutaneous layer.

Wash off the ink from his hands under running water::

It can be seen that the original pigment is almost completely washed off from the hands, because most of the fine fraction is sifted out in production during separation. However, cheap pigment ink is more like a normal dropsy and will wash off from your hands only a few days.

This simple test will determine whether the separation of ink at the factory or not.

We are not trying to convince that our inks are the best of compatibility in the market. Those who use it, have the opportunity to evaluate. This article is only an explanation of the pricing of pigment ink production, as well as what are explains their quality characteristics.

In addition, finally, the advantages and disadvantages of different classes of pigment inks.

Advantages of the ink with the fine fraction of pigment:

1. Very low cost, in fact, is the development of production. From Asian manufacturers, pigment processing can be bought cheaper than dye-based ink.
2. Good, smudge-resistant on plain paper.
3. Light fastness is usually significantly higher than compatible cheap dye based inks.

Disadvantages of ink with a small fraction of the pigment:

1. Clogging of print heads (silting) with prolonged downtime or large volumes of printing.
2. Low light resistance, comparable with brand dye-based inks. For those who do not know, the pigment powder is now all-organic, i.e. it is the same water-soluble dye, but coagulated into insoluble particles of the desired size. If the particle is very small, it becomes resistant as a normal dye.
3. Low color coverage. Except when the pigment is so small that it starts to behave like a dye, soaking into the photo layer of the paper and creating a pseudo-image based on the structure of the photo paper. However, the previous shortcomings are further amplified.

Disadvantages of ink with a large fraction of the pigment:

1. High cost.
2. Mediocre resistance to smearing on conventional papers and photographic paper with a fine structure of the receiving layer.

Advantages of ink with a large fraction of the pigment:

1. Good safety of NG during operation and downtime, the ink does not precipitate and does not silt supply paths.
2. High light resistance.
3. High color coverage.

The article deliberately gives a simplified description of the production technologies of pigment inks. The name h-P, c-Anon, e-Pson are just sets of letters that have nothing to do with much respected firms, as well as their products.

Afterword:

In addition, how does the quality of the pigment differ in real examples? For example, we tested a long “simple” on the HP printer, where usually the original pigment is converted into an insoluble precipitate for 3-4 months. For example, we filled this printer with DCTec pigment ink and left it for storage for 4 years.