Here at Disk Depot, we sell a wide range of ink for all recent printers produced by the major manufacturers. For the more common brands, we make life even easier by providing a selector that lets you choose and automatically display the ink that's compatible with your printer!
People often ask us about ink formulations, and there are basically three types you need to know about:-
- Dye-based - the majority of ordinary computer printers in use today use dye-based inks. These are not waterproof.
- Pigment-based or "UV-proof" ink - these use pigments which provide improved fade resistance over traditional dye-based inks. Because pigments are not properly soluble, they are more waterproof than dyes.
- Solvent/Ecosolvent inks - generally used in larger-scale industrial printers. They are NOT used in ordinary office and domestic PC printers, due partly to issues with the smell and fumes.
In short, most ordinary users only need to worry about whether their ink is dye or pigment based. Dye dissolves in water and attaches more closely to the paper. Because it tends to spread out thinly, it is easily damaged by UV light. Pigment particles are larger and effectively sit "on top" of the paper. So they take longer to break down and are less easily dissolved away.
However, pigment-based inks tend to be less colourful and vibrant than dye versions. They are also normally more expensive, and pigment black is more suited for use in graphics, whereas text will normally use the dye ink.
See also: Our range of bulk ink, suitable for use with CISSs.
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