What inks are used in printing

Comparing solvent, UV and sublimation printing is like comparing an apple, an orange and a pineapple. Different inks are used for each type of printing named.

Water-based inks are pigments mixed with water. After printing, the water evaporates and the pigments remain on the material. The colors are bright, but fade very quickly in sunlight, and the color is not water-resistant, so it can be used for short-term indoor advertising. There are water-based inks with chalk powder. Such a print is very resistant to ultraviolet rays, but not bright.

Solvent or eco-solvent inks are pigments with a solvent (the solvent is not water). If such ink gets on the object, the solvent eats into the surface and brings color to it. The colors are resistant to water, sunlight, are bright and last a long time. The disadvantage is toxicity. It’s almost irrelevant to the consumer, but it’s something manufacturers should be very concerned about.

The print with ultraviolet ink is then illuminated with ultraviolet rays, which polymerize the ink. These inks dry very quickly and can be used on almost all materials, but are expensive.

You can compare: solvent ink forms a depression, ultraviolet – a rise.

Sublimation ink evaporates when heated and penetrates the material of the product. It is a completely different principle of effect, so there are no effects like other types of printing. Sublimation dyes are the most durable of all and last the entire life of the product.

Latex inks soak into the material at high temperatures. They are not as toxic as solvents, but they are also not very environmentally friendly.

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