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