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Making the point for quality
The argument for and against using third party inks in wide format inkjet printers is not a new one. But, with inks being so crucial to output quality and durability and the lifecycle of machinery, it's an important topic.
Print product manager for Roland DG (UK), Mat Drake, says: "The crux of the argument for using third party inks is their perceived cost effectiveness. Although inks produced for universal use might appear cheap at the point of purchase, in the medium to long term they contribute to increased machine wear and tear. In the short term, ink consumption is also higher, resulting in a higher cost per square metre. Add to that the wasted ink usually left in the bottles and, over the lifecycle of a machine, third party inks can significantly increase total cost of ownership.
"Generally, compatibility problems with third party inks are not apparent right away, manifesting themselves instead as increased downtime for head cleaning, maintenance or even head replacement. Proprietary inks produced by machine manufacturers on the other hand ensure high quality output, optimum machine performance and prolonged lifecycle. This is why we recommend users combine their Roland DG print and cut and print only devices with our proprietary eco-solvent inks.
"Another factor to consider when choosing an ink is the range of media profiles it supports. Roland DG's eco-solvent inks are compatible with over 3000 media profiles. Most third party inks support just a handful and because of the aggressive materials used in them, can actually damage eco-friendly and high-end substrates, eroding any increased margin on those jobs. Manufacturers' proprietary inks are formulated with the machine's best interests firmly in mind."
Use your head
When striving to achieve the best results for the best price, it is essential to take all factors into consideration, including the printhead. No matter how good the inks are, without the right printhead delivering ink to the paper, the desired results will not be achieved.
Xaar has recently launched two new printheads designed to offer significant performance benefits to the wide and grand-format inkjet print markets. Working closely with several printer manufacturers, the launch has been planned to coincide with the introduction of wide-format printers incorporating the technology. Witcolor, Hijet, Chiting Digital Technology and RTZ launched five Xaar Electron-based models and 12 Xaar Proton-based solvent and UV inkjet models at Sign China. These new printers are ideal for the production of indoor and outdoor graphics printed on flexible materials including paper, PVC, film, mesh fabrics and vinyls.
It's good news for the market that manufacturers have welcomed the Xaar Electron and Proton printheads. These flexible products are compatible with a range of solvent and UV inks and can be easily integrated with existing drive electronics. As such, companies can quickly deliver competitive printers said to combine quality and speed with low cost of ownership.
Described as a fast, high native resolution printhead, the 128-channel Xaar Electron is ideal for the indoor and outdoor graphics market. The Xaar Proton is a 53.7mm, high-resolution binary printhead, designed for high-volume indoor and outdoor graphics. Featuring piezo and nozzle processing technology as used on the Xaar 1001 printhead, the Proton is said to deliver consistent print performance without compromising on speed.
It will be interesting to see what changes printer manufacturers will make as a result of this new development, but one thing is certain - expect to see significant results in terms of quality and productivity.
War on waste
The final issue is recycling - a topic which has got everyone talking as we try to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Printing is not often perceived as an environmentally friendly industry, but contrary to popular belief there is a lot going on to change that.
One of the main issues has always been inkjet cartridge recycling. Although there are schemes available to deal with this, manufacturers are now taking responsibility for the problem, as demonstrated by Epson's Collect and Recycle scheme.
The initiative has been running in Europe since February 2006 but it has focused on laser printer cartridges. An expansion of the service last year means that large format printer cartridges are now covered.
One hundred per cent of the cartridges are recycled: their plastic components are re-used in manufacturing and construction as raw materials, while metal parts are smelted and re-used in other industrial applications.
The free box collection service is available to customers who use cartridges quickly with on-line registration to request a collection box. This is delivered within five working days and when full, customers request a pick-up and a replacement box if required. Epson's new Stylus Pro GS6000 64in large format printer with an eight-colour ink set is the company's first LFP to come with a recycling box for spent ink cartridges.
Epson's senior product manager large format printers, Martin Johns, said: "A key element of Epson's environmental commitments is to reduce the number of ink cartridges that end up in landfill. The best way to do that is to run a convenient collection and recycling programme. I'm happy that we've been able to extend this initiative to cartridges from our large format printers."
And finally
Digital inks have always been a talking point because new developments have an impact on everything we do. It's great that new technology continues to develop at a rapid pace, but it's also good to see that the industry is focused on meeting its environmental objectives thereby protecting the future of the industry itself.
