Inks include solvent-based inks and weak-solvent inks. In addition to the familiar CMYK four-color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) used for thermal transfer printing, there are also some special colors such as dark blue, Deep red and orange. At present, the inks produced by many manufacturers such as Trident Company in Brookfield, USA have reached 12 colors.
Many inkjet printing machine suppliers also provide corresponding software (either own production or cooperative production). Using these software, some image data can be modified into commands and controlled by a computer. While print heads may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer or batch to batch from the same manufacturer, the "RIP" software, the heart of an inkjet printing system, must be tailored to each print head.
The basic task of the RIP software is to accept the scanned digitized image, color separation and color management, and control the inkjet system by digital technology.
Now, different designs of dryers can dry solvent-based inks, including infrared dryers, UV dryers, which are installed on the press in sequence and matched to the printing speed. The printing speed is generally 30-50 m2hr, and some can reach 150 m2hr or more.
But in general, the most important point is the printing quality. It is understood that the better the printing quality, the slower the speed.
Pigment ink: Now there are many manufacturers selling it, and there are also some small manufacturers. Due to the late development of pigment ink and its technical difficulty, the size of pigment particles is particularly sensitive to the influence of nozzle clogging, ink rheology and stability during inkjet printing. At present, the number of printed fabrics produced by pigment printing technology in the world averages 40%-50%. Pigments must be pulverized into extremely small particles and dispersed in an aqueous solution to form inks, which can be regarded as water-soluble inks. Such inks do not require pretreatment, as long as they are dry after printing. It is said that UV desiccant will play its greater advantage in pigmented inks, which are usually installed directly on the printing press.
