What are the Different Types of Inks Used in Printing?

Printing is everywhere. Even though everything is digitized nowadays, printing is still a very popular medium. Printing is not only done on paper but also fabric and other materials. For example, if you wear a graphic T-shirt, it has been printed somewhere; if you have a phone case with your favorite superhero on it, it has been printed somewhere. These are just day-to-day examples of printing which will get you to think that we are surrounded by prints.

The printing industry is very vast and dynamic. One of the most important things in this industry is ink. Without ink, how would you be able to print anything? Just as the material on which the print is to be done varies according to the requirement, the ink also varies. There are so many different types of inks available in the market that they depend on various factors such as the printers in which they are used or the material they are made of. Here, we have categorized a variety of printing inks based on certain parameters.

Printing Inks

Printing inks are used to get any type of print on a piece of paper, fabric, or any other material. These are liquid as well as solid, glossy as well as matte, UV-based as well as magnetic. There are so many options for ink when it comes to printing. These inks are filled into the printer (there are various methods to do that depending on the type of printer and ink) and then released onto the material on which the print is going to be done.

There are numerous types of printing inks that are used for various purposes like flyers, shipment, official documents, paper/cloth bags, garments, slippers, etc. The list is just too long and varied. We have divided different types of printing inks based on certain parameters to simplify things. Here is the classification.

Types of Inks based on Types of Printers

Different types of printers use different types of ink. These inks are specially made for particular types of printers to get better printing results. Using the right ink with the right printer can help you get the best results. Let’s have a look at various printer types.

Inkjet Printers

These printers print hard copies by spraying tiny droplets of ink on the paper. These printers are highly common and can be found in any office building. These printers produce black and white as well as color printouts for any document. They use ink cartridges to get the ink onto the paper. The ink used in such printers can be dye-based or pigment-based (we will discuss them in the next section). These printers are easy to use and produce fine prints.

Pros	Cons
Affordable	Less durable prints
Easy To Use	Slow printing speed
Print in a spectrum of colors	Expensive ink cartridges

Laser Printers

As the name suggests, laser printers use a laser beam to get prints. Unlike inkjet printers, these printers do not use ink to print text or graphics on any material. A heat fuser and electrostatically charged toner are used to produce the prints. These printers can help you get sharper prints. You can get prints from a laser printer on various types of paper, however, paper specially made for laser printing leads to better results.

Pros	Cons
Affordable	Less durable prints
Easy to use	Slow printing speed
Print in a spectrum of colors	Expensive ink cartridges

Types of Inks based on Their Components

Another popular categorization of printing inks is based on their component. It is important to know from which substance your ink is made. This can help you decide the best one for your printer. The following inks are compatible with inkjet printers and result in fine prints.

Dye-based Ink

These inks are made from particles that are dissolved in the liquid. When exposed to the material, they get absorbed into them to produce the prints. They come in vivid and vibrant color spectrums to give colorful prints. You can get dye-based inks from Epson and give your printing projects the quality they deserve.

Pros	Cons
Softer and vivid colors	Less durable
Highly affordable	Prints easily fade
Easy to store	Not waterproof

Pigment-based Ink

This type of ink is made from tiny particles suspended in the liquid. When exposed to the printing material, they do not get absorbed, instead sit on the surface and give the impression of prints. This ink is more durable than dye-based ones. Epson ColorWorks Inks are one of the most popular pigment-based inks in the market. They can uplift the entire quality of your prints.

Pros	Cons
Highly water resistance	Expensive
Excellent printing details	Dries slowly
Durable

Types of Inks based on Their Form

Printing inks can also be classified based on the form they are available or the form they left after printing. Not all the inks used in inkjet printers are the same; they have a variety of forms.

• LIQUID INK: Inks that are available in liquid form are liquid inks. These inks are the most common type of inks and they can be found in either dye-based or pigment-based form.

• SOLID INK: These inks have a wax-type consistency, like a crayon. The printers heat the block of ink and then apply them to the surface to get the impressions.

• POWDERED INK/TONER: Similar to solid ink, this ink is also used by heating it. These are plastic particles in powdered form and are used in laser printers.

• RIBBON INK: This is the type of ink mostly used with dot matrix printers (not covered here). The ribbon is covered in resin/wax and when pressed against the sheet it delivers the print (with the help of some heat).

• METALLIC INK: As the name suggests, this ink is used to get a metallic impression on the material. The ink contains metallic powder along with color to give the prints a metallic look.

• MAGNETIC INK: This ink is especially used in banks to print MICR checks. They can be magnetized after printing and are sensitive to MICR equipment.

Some other Types of Inks

There are some other types of inks that can not be categorized on a single basis. These types of inks are mainly divided based on their process, however, there are other criteria as well.

• QUICK-SET INK: This is the type of ink that when applied to the material, the solvent drains out and only the coloured pigments remain on the paper. This process takes place so quickly that it gets the name quick-set ink.

• HEAT-SET INK: This ink dries by evaporation in a high-temperature drying oven. Once dried, it is set by cooling it down.

• UV INK: This type of ink is used to print under UV light. This ink gives fine prints and dries quickly. Also, it is one of the most expensive inks in the market.

• SCUFF-RESISTANCE INK: This is the type of ink used in the shipment of goods. It is heavy-duty ink which can withstand wear and tear. This helps in keeping the information intact even after the parcel is handled carelessly.

• FLUORESCENT INK: This ink is used to reflect vibrant colors in the print. It has semi-transparent features which allows it to be printed on other inks to give the fluorescent effect.

• HIGH-GLOSS INK: This ink has extra added varnish that makes it look super glossy. However, their glossiness also depends on the surface they are used.

Bottom Line

You might not have thought that printing inks could be available in so many varieties. Printing is such a popular process that it has a vast reach and varied applications. This raises the need for different types of inks for different materials and to be compatible with different types of printers. All these different types of inks have their advantages as well as disadvantages. Some inks are expensive while others are affordable, some inks dry quickly while others dry late, and some inks are water-resistant while others are not.

There are so many criteria on which you can classify the types of ink used for printing. This also makes buying good quality ink very difficult. However, there is a solution. Epson ColorWorks Inks are available in most of the above-discussed forms and they are of supreme quality. They may cost a little more but they are highly durable and last long. So if you are looking for printing inks, first identify the type you want and then select the best one for your projects.