Today, you can often hear terms such as sublimation and ultrachromic inks, which are used to print certain documents / photographs. They differ in a number of characteristics that significantly improve print quality. So what are these substances, what is their composition and what is their main purpose?
Ultrachromic ink
Ultrachromic inks are pigment-based inks that have the same properties as conventional pigment inks. The only difference between ultrachromic inks and pigment inks is a richer palette of colors. They are used only for work with Epson printers - professional and large-format models, since ultrachromic inks reproduce the color gamut as brightly as possible and remain resistant to water and ultraviolet rays.
Manufacturers produce ultrachromic inks directly for each individual printer model.
Using this ink allows you to print rich and deep both monochrome and full color photos. Also, ultrachromic inks are used to create professional reproductions, bringing their quality to perfection. Printing with ultrachromic inks provides prints with maximum water resistance and protection from external harsh environments. Their properties are a continuation of the range of photographic and pigment inks based on water - but with significant improvements in some parameters. Ultrachromic inks have a solvent added to help them stick to paper and allow longer machine downtime than other inks.
Sublimation ink
Sublimation ink is most often used to create photographs that are printed on a special type of paper or thermal film, from which the photo is transferred to hard surfaces using a heat press. Thanks to this ink, you can get a long-lasting bright image on T-shirts, cups, baseball caps and other items. The image printed with high quality sublimation ink does not rub off, does not flake, does not crack or cloud for a long time.
Sublimation ink technology allows for the most realistic transfer of photographic images on a solid surface.
Typically, sublimation ink is used on four-color Epson printers with a printhead drop of 2 (or more) pC. The main reason for this condition is that the print head in printers with a small drop is more likely to clog and fail. This technology also has a drawback - printing with sublimation ink does not convey shades of light magenta and light cyan.
