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PrinterArchive

Ink Technologies

An encyclopedic, vendor-neutral cluster explaining the ink and colorant technologies used in consumer and office printing: dye-based versus pigment-based inks, cartridge versus refillable-tank delivery systems, and the underlying chemistry of how ink is formulated, deposited, dries, and lasts on paper. It centers on durable, standards-referenced knowledge (colorants, vehicles, droplet formation, permanence) rather than product comparisons, prices, or brand claims.

10 live pages · long-term capacity 24–38

Entities

technology

Dye-based ink · Pigment-based ink · Thermal inkjet · Piezoelectric inkjet · Dye-sublimation ink · UV-curable ink · Solvent ink · Continuous ink supply system

concept

Ink cartridge · Refillable ink tank · Colorant · Ink vehicle · Viscosity · Lightfastness · Printhead nozzle · Archival printing

standard

CMYK color model · ISO/IEC 24711 · ISO/IEC 24712 · ISO 18916

Connected clusters

In the archive

Pages in this cluster

Planned coverage

  • Dye-Based vs Pigment-Based Ink — Explains the fundamental difference between dissolved dye colorants and suspended pigment particles, and how each behaves on paper.
  • Ink Tank vs Cartridge Printers — How refillable-reservoir tank systems differ structurally from replaceable cartridge systems, without price or brand claims.
  • What Is Pigment Ink — Defines pigment ink as insoluble colorant particles suspended in a vehicle and where the term applies.
  • What Is Dye Ink — Defines dye ink as a colorant fully dissolved in a liquid vehicle and its typical characteristics.
  • How Ink Dries on Paper — Absorption, evaporation, and (for some inks) curing as the mechanisms by which liquid ink becomes a fixed image.
  • Thermal vs Piezoelectric Inkjet — The two dominant droplet-ejection methods: heat-formed bubbles versus mechanically deflected piezo crystals.
  • How Continuous Ink Supply Systems Work — How an external reservoir feeds ink to the printhead through tubing in refillable-tank designs.
  • What Is CMYK in Printing Inks — Explains the cyan-magenta-yellow-key subtractive color set used by most color printers.
  • Dye-Sublimation Ink Explained — How sublimation dyes turn from solid to gas under heat to embed color into a substrate.
  • UV-Curable Ink Explained — How ultraviolet light instantly polymerizes UV inks instead of drying by absorption or evaporation.
  • Solvent and Eco-Solvent Ink — How solvent-carried inks bond to non-porous media and how eco-solvent formulations differ.
  • What Causes Ink to Fade — Light, ozone, humidity, and colorant chemistry as drivers of print fading over time.
  • What Is Lightfastness — Defines a colorant's resistance to fading under light exposure and how permanence is assessed.
  • Pigment vs Dye Ink for Photo Printing — Trade-offs in color vividness, longevity, and paper compatibility for photographic output, stated neutrally.
  • Water-Resistant vs Water-Soluble Ink — Why pigment tends to resist water while many dyes remain soluble, and what that means for documents.
  • Ink Viscosity and Surface Tension — The physical fluid properties that let a printhead form and place consistent droplets.
  • The Anatomy of an Ink Formulation — Colorant, vehicle, humectants, surfactants, and additives as the general components of an ink.
  • Understanding Cartridge Page Yield — What page yield means and how standardized test methods define comparable yield figures.
  • What Is a Printhead — Defines the nozzle array that ejects ink droplets and distinguishes integrated from fixed printheads.
  • Why Inkjet Prints Smudge — Drying time, paper coating, and dye solubility as the causes of smearing, with neutral prevention notes.
  • Archival Ink and Print Permanence — What makes inks and prints archival and how permanence is evaluated against standards.