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Totally newb: what s water, solvent, piezo ink

zenith

New Member
Hello guys.
Im absolutely newb and couldnt understand those definitions that i got from Wiki.

Thankx
 

GARY CULY

New Member
signwriting has to be close to death if we have created ways for peope like this to make signs so easily...and there gonna be somebodys competition to put food on the table ...thats whats sad
 

zenith

New Member
Gary Culy, i thought this was a forum, and in forum people ask for info(offcourse, theres no "you guys need to answer me or i'll PK yo to death), am i wrong ?
 

chopper

New Member
water is a water based ink generally used for indoor printing will not last long in uv conditions and should be used on coated media
solvent is a solvent based ink that will have more bite and adhere to more materials generally coated and uncoated material
pezieo ink is really not an ink it is a type of print head that is used in large format printers

hope this helps//chopper
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
Gary Culy, i thought this was a forum, and in forum people ask for info(offcourse, theres no "you guys need to answer me or i'll PK yo to death), am i wrong ?

True, but it's assumed that any participant knows enough to be able to ask a good question. There's a certain level of knowledge and familiarity with the nomenclature that must be in possession of any participant. Without it actual communication is not possible.

The noble art of sign writing does give every appearance of heading straight for the dumpers but This Too Shall Pass. Just as the tsunami of maladroits that climbed out of the woodwork with the advent of desktop publishing back in the late 80's and early 90's that figured that they were writers and graphic artists. As well as the battalions of dilettantes that emerged coincident with the widespread distribution of BASIC [Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code] that thought that they were programmers.

All of these dabblers last long enough to realize that simply having a tool is no assurance of being able to use that tool. Sign writing is a noble profession and is learned via apprenticeships to various journeymen and masters of the trade. Not by buying the latest set of tools and hanging out a shingle. Pity.
 

GARY CULY

New Member
i want to publically opologize for that post this morning .it was out of line ..i just got up and get on here and see another "person comming in the sign business with no idea " and i went off

ill refrain from making smart azz comments like that in the future

again i appologize and will keep my trap shut unless it is usefull information

G.Culy
 

Urban Image

New Member
Yea, most of us aren't competing with sign companies in Vietnam, are we?

Water based inks, also known as "aqueous inks", usually come in two types. There is pigmented and dye. Dye is used only for indoor and is not water or UV (sunlight) resistant. Pigment inks are used for outdoor signs and usually last for about 6 months or a year if laminated in Texas. I know the summer is pretty hot and the winters are pretty cold in Vietnam so I would be lying if I said I knew how long it would last for you.

Solvent inks are used mainly for outdoor signs. They can be used for indoor signs, too, but the color will not be as good as aqueous dye inks. These inks last for three years in Texas without lamination and for five years with lamination.

Piezo is a type of printhead used on some aqueous printers such as Epson and all solvent printers.

I hope that helps. If you have any more questions feel free to email me at zach@premiermerchandising.com.

Cheers,

Zach
 

Todd M Castle

New Member
Brief overview of inks and types of printers:

1. Thermal Resin : A thermal head presses a resin-saturated ribbon down against a very smooth print surface and heats the ribbon, transferring the resin ink to the surface.

a) Pros - Rated for 5 years oudoors
Prints on standard sign vinyls
Easy to use. CMYK and spot color
Easy to install ribbons and cartridges
b) Cons - High print cost
Can't print on banner, canvas, fabric, etc.
Very susceptible to contamination
Lower resolution graphics. Lower print speeds

2. Aqueous Inkjet

a) Pros - Faster, Cheaper than thermal resin
Easy to profile : Known quantity
Good for photo and fine art reproduction
b) Cons - Susceptible to UV fade
Must use expensive top-coated media

3. Solvent Inkjet

a) Pros - Faster, Cheaper, larger than aqueous inkjet
Eats into media : print on just about anything
UV resistant : rated for up to five years outdoors
b) Cons - produces toxic fumes
Not good for low volume; idle time produces maintenance headaches
Colors usually not as vibrant as aqueous or ecosolvent

4. Ecosolvent Inkjet

a) Pros - Environmentally safe
Prints on a wide variety of coated and uncoated media
Great for entry level sign printing
UV resistant for up to 3 years
b) Cons - Not as aggressive as full solvent

Last thing you had asked about Piezeoelectric now that is a type of printhead. There will be Thermal inkjet and Piezoelectric inkjet.

Thermal inkjet - Ink is heated in the head causing it to expand and to be forced through the nozzle toward the medium.
Pros & Cons
Pro : less expensive to replace
Pro : less banding due to larger dot pattern
Con : Heat burns out heads regularly, so they must be replaced with ink
Con : maximum true resolution of 600 dpi

Piezoelectric inkjet - An electric current is sent through a diaphram causing it to pulse. The pulse forces ink through the nozzle toward the medium.
Pros & Cons
Pro : Higher true resoltuion of 1440 dpi
Pro : More durable heads, infrequest replacemtn
Con: "piezo banding" due to smaller dot pattern *(no longer an issue on Mutoh printers with Intelligent Interweave technology)
Con: More expensive to replace.

Basic overview but hope this clears something up for you. Good Luck
 

Jackpine

New Member
Nice description Todd. Good information for a lot of people. All printers have pros and cons. Do your homework and if you are lucky, you will pick one that will work for you.
 

zenith

New Member
Thx you guys for those replies.
I cant say how luckily im to find out this forum.

GARY CULY : i got hard feeling because i had posted this in Newb Topic, so i hope you understand.
Im absolutely new to this industry, i was working in an online game company then this idea came to me.
My hardest part was getting the knowledge that i couldnt found anywheres else (even the wiki) and i spent like 4 weeks mailing suppliers/distributors only to come to this far. Just want to let people know that i spent some efforts in this.

Anyway thank Chopper, Urban, Tod for the info.
Cheers!
 
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