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Will InkTec
cartridge refill inks be as good as the printer makers
cartridges and inks?
Yes, these replacement
cartridge refill inks are as good as the printer makers OEM cartridges.
OEM means Original Equipment Maker. InkTec brings a new definition to inkjet
OEM, because InkTec is the original manufacturer of the ink. Many low cost
ink alternatives on the market today buy ink from third party manufacturers.
InkTec have never done this nor will they ever do this. By stringent quality
control of the ink manufacturing process you are ensured of getting products
as good as the printer maker's cartridges
Is ink quality really all that important?
Ink quality makes a big difference. The print head on your
cartridge or in your machine may get clogged or destroyed by inks that do
not meet the OEM specification on pH value, viscosity, boiling points,
surface tension, density, drying time and L*a*b* colour values. Many ink
products use the wrong base to their ink, this can cause damage to the
printhead - You have been warned! InkTec inks are formulated
and tested under strict laboratory conditions to ensure the
highest print quality at all times - they are designed to be as good as
or better than OEM ink.
How many times can I refill my cartridge?
It depends on a number of factors. Crucial among these is
(1) keeping the ink flowing i.e. not allowing the ink to dry out in the
print head. On the majority of non piezo printers (HP Lexmark Canon) when
the ink runs out and the user continues to try printing, continued use
results in permanent & irreversible printhead damage. (2) Less serious but
nevertheless important is not to leave the printhead exposed to air. If an
empty cartridge is removed from a printer the print head should ideally be
protected from air by covering it with a tape to prevent drying out. A
cartridge well looked after can be successfully refilled many times -
contrary to what some cartridge manufacturers say. The key is to keep the
ink flowing by "topping up" and not to allow it to "run out"
What is the difference between pigmented ink
and dye based inks?
All ink jet printer inks used in the home and most
businesses use a similar formulation. The basic make-up of ink jet inks is
de-ionized water as the solvent, isopropyl alcohol or glycol as the drying
agent, and dye base to provide the colour. These materials as well as
proprietary ingredients are mixed in various proportions to form ink jet
inks. Depending on the page speed, print head design and colour
capabilities, the actual proportion of the ingredients will vary. All
dye-based ink jet ink formulations lack water resistance.
The introduction of pigmented black inks changed
this, instead of using water soluble dye to provide colour, pigmented inks
use small particles suspended in the base solution to provide the colour.
To keep the particles from settling out of the solution the pigment
particles are coated with a polymer material to generate a static charge
around the particle, thereby keeping the particles from clumping.
The main advantage of pigmented inks
Pigmented ink particles tend to settle into
the tiny fibers that make up the paper. As the ink dries, the pigment
particles get stuck in the fibers. Thus, the pigmented inks are more
water-resistant than the dye-based inks. Only about 5 to 10 percent of the
ink will dissolve into the water if the paper is
wetted. Dye-based ink
tends to fade quicker, since all of the molecules are exposed to the
chemical and sunlight-caused reactions that fade the ink. You may notice
fading of dye-based inks exposed to direct sunlight commonly in 6 to 12
months. Pigment particles being "hidden" in the fibres.
It is much more difficult for sunlight and chemicals to react with all of
the pigment molecules. Pigmented inks therefore
will usually last for many years before fading becomes noticeable. Also
the small particle size allows sharper image detail on even low-grade
paper as the ink is less susceptible to bleeding and wicking on the paper
fibers.
The disadvantages
Pigmented ink in black tends to have a charcoal
appearance and so far colour-pigmented inks do not provide a good colour
match to dye based formulations. In addition pigmented inks are very
expensive to produce, costing 2 to 4 times that of dye based inks.
COMMON SENSE OF INK
1. Basic principles of the Ink Jet Printer.
Inkjet Printers operate by a Non-impact method through
nozzles with microscopic holes.
Inkjet printers are classified into two main types.
A - Thermal Jet
By heating up an electric element on the head of cartridge, expanded
inks are jetted through nozzles. Hewlett Packard, Canon, Olivetti and
Lexmark adopt this method where the head and nozzles are together on a same
cartridge. Depending on the direction of jet, there is a difference between
HP printers (jet in the same direction of expanding) and Canon printers
(jets are at right angles to the expanding direction, called, Bubble Jet).
B - Piezo Method
With vibrating of a Piezo Electric Element, inks are jetted through
nozzles. Epson printers adopt this method and nozzle and head are placed on
the printer itself, not on the cartridge.
2. Pigment Ink v Dye Ink
A - The features of Pigment Ink
Does not easily dissolve in
water, pigment in colloid type is used.
Strong Water Fast, does not
easily decolourize. More permanent than Dye.
The depth of colour is much
thicker
B - The features of Dye Ink
The Ink is entirely dissolved
in the solution
Less Waterfast
Wider and Brighter Colour
Vision
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