I. Comparison of ink types and core technologies
1. Dye Based Ink
Ingredients: water soluble organic dyes (such as aniline purple derivatives), 99% water + 1% dye.
Advantages:
Bright colors: wide color gamut, suitable for photo printing, especially gradient and highlight details.
Low cost: mature raw materials, compatible ink prices are only 30%50% of the original.
Disadvantages:
Easy to fade: under ultraviolet and oxidation, the outdoor service life is only 36 months.
Poor waterproofness: easy to smudge when exposed to water, need to be matched with coating media.
Applicable scenarios: family photo printing, temporary indoor posters, art design drafts.
2. Pigmented Ink
Ingredients: Solid pigment particles (such as titanium dioxide) suspended in a solvent to form a "suspension".
Advantages:
Strong durability: Lightfast, waterproof, and scratchresistant, the life of outdoor advertising can reach 23 years.
Wide media compatibility: Print on ordinary paper, canvas, etc. without coating.
Disadvantages:
Darker color: The contrast is slightly inferior to dye ink, and highprecision equipment optimization is required.
Higher cost: The price of original ink is 20%30% higher than that of dye ink.
Applicable scenarios: Commercial document archiving, outdoor signs, industrial labels.
3. Solvent Ink
Ingredients: Pigment + organic solvent (such as ketones).
Advantages:
Super strong adhesion: Can be directly printed on uncoated PVC, car body stickers, etc.
Excellent weather resistance: Suitable for extreme temperature and humidity environments.
Disadvantages:
Toxicity risk: High volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, ventilation equipment is required.
Flammability: Transportation and storage must comply with hazardous goods regulations.
Applicable scenarios: Car body advertising, outdoor light boxes, industrial signs.
4. UV Curable Ink
Ingredients: Photosensitive resin + pigment, ultraviolet light curing.
Advantages:
Dry immediately after printing: No volatile solvents are required, high production efficiency.
Environmentally friendly and safe: No VOC emissions, RoHS certified.
Disadvantages:
High equipment cost: Dedicated UV printer and curing lamp are required.
Allergy risk: Uncured monomers may cause skin sensitivity.
Applicable scenarios: 3D relief printing, glass/metal decoration, food packaging prototypes.
III. Original vs. compatible ink comparison
Indicators Original ink Compatible ink
Print quality Accurate colors, no broken lines Color cast and graininess may exist
Device compatibility 100% adaptation, reducing the risk of plugging Strict model matching is required, compatibility is floating
Longterm cost High unit cost, but low maintenance cost Low unit cost, but high failure rate
Warranty policy Using nonoriginal ink may void warranty No official warranty support
IV. Industry application recommendation
1. Advertising printing:
Outdoor: Solvent ink (durable) / UV ink (environmentally friendly).
Indoor: Dye ink (low cost) / Pigment ink (durable).
2. Textile printing:
DTG direct injection: waterbased pigment ink (strong adhesion).
Thermal transfer: sublimation ink (multimedia adaptation).
3. Industrial packaging:
Food grade: UV ink (nontoxic certification).
Label printing: pigment ink (frictionresistant).
V. Environmental protection and certification guide
International standards: give priority to inks certified by Greenguard Gold and RoHS, especially for the European and American markets.
Sustainable development: HP Latex ink and Epson EcoTank series reduce waste emissions.
In short: choosing ink requires balancing color requirements, use environment and longterm cost. It is recommended that customers make decisions based on the actual application scenario and refer to the matrix in this article, and give priority to purchasing original or reliable compatible brands to ensure the life of the equipment. If further technical parameters are required, Fedar can provide free sample testing service!
