WHAT IS SOLVENT DIGITAL PRINTING? INKS ? MEDIA or VINYL? . . . . Everything you wanted to know, But . . . . . . .

PRINT MEDIA FOR SOLVENT INKJET PRINTERS

Prior to examining the type of media that should be used as the substrate it is imperative to assess the type of INK that is to be sprayed through the PRINT HEADS on the SOLVENT INKJET PRINTER.There are many varieties of ink used for DIGITAL PRINTING from SOLVENT, ECOSOLVENT, UV,LATEX,AQUEOUS dye and pigment based and DYE SUBLIMATION, All inks have common base components in dye or pigment and a carrier liquid.

SOLVENT PRINTER INKS

The printer head sprays the liquid onto the required substrate, whether this is SIGNBOARD, PVC BANNER OR VINYL and as the solvent evaporates a dry layer of ink remains, this process needs to be well ventilated as these solvent fumes are toxic. Solvent inks contain pigments rather than dyes and the liquid carrier is VOC’s VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, the main advantage of using solvent based inks over AQUEOUS DYE BASED INKS is cost! as Solvent inks are relatively inexpensive and much more versatile, as they can be applied to UNCOATED substrates.

ECO SOLVENT

Generally an ECO SOLVENT ink has little or NO ODOUR and does NOT contain any of the harmful ingredients that are found in full solvent inks, the main culprit is CYCLOHEXANONE, the solvents that are used in eco solvent inks are biodegradable and are able to be broken down within the human body.

ULTRA VIOLET (UV) PRINTING INK

UV curable ink does not contain solvents that must evaporate the “CURE” takes place through the interaction of the ink and a strong UV lamp that follows the print head drying the ink instantly and is more akin to a “Reactor” rather than a conventional dryer The Vinyl Corporation usually recommend that for this printing process a very smooth and even surface is going to provide the best finished results so a quality ORAJET 3164 by ORAFOL or indeed any of the DIGITAL MEDIA or VINYL produced by ORACAL  will give outstanding results.

LATEX PRINT SUPPLIES

LATEX INKS also known as RESIN INKS use a POLYMER to encapsulate the Pigments which are then suspended in water as the carrier liquid, which is sprayed through the inkjet printer’s heads,heat is then used to evaporate the water away and to activate the polymers to key and bind the pigments to the VINYL FILM. LATEX PRINTING is very versatile and can print onto a wide variety of materials as long as the chosen substrate is smooth and even and there is NO silicone or impurities on the surface, whether it is ORACAL VINYL or AVERY WRAPPING FILM or even a printed banner that is the next project, expert advice is always on hand with a call to the sales and support team at The Vinyl Corporation.