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Dry Toner
Many digital printing systems use electrophotographic technology and many electrophotographic systems use dry toner. Unlike traditional ink, dry toners are not absorbed into the paper, but sit on top of it. Dry toner systems provide excellent results. Dry toner is typically used to print text and graphics on color applications including direct mail pieces, tags, labels, tickets, statements, and business forms. It is also widely used on applications requiring sequential numbering, barcodes, or MICR encoding.
Liquid Toner
An alternative to dry toner is liquid toner which can be either water-based or solvent-based.
- Water-Based Liquids
Liquid toners with a water base are used with several ink-jet processes including continuous ink-jet, drop-on-demand piezoelectric liquid, and drop-on-demand thermal liquid/bubble jet. They are more environmentally safe than solvent based fluids. The paper surface can be affected if a heavy coverage of water-based liquid toner is applied, so special papers can be used to absorb more of the moisture without changing the surface characteristics of the paper. Water-based liquid toner can be printed on bond paper, tag and label stocks, and carbonless paper for many types of applications including direct mail forms, statements, tickets, and labels.
- Solvent-Based Fluids
Some liquid toners are manufactured with low emission solvent-based fluids. Solvent-based liquid toners are not as environmentally friendly as water-based and they may emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which are under strict government regulations; however, they have several advantages over water-based liquid toners:
- Solvent-based liquid toner dries faster so printing speeds can be increased.
- Curling and wrinkling of the paper (due to excess moisture) is not a problem as it is with water-based liquid toner.
- The pigment is more concentrated in solvent-based fluids than in water-based, so the color is sharper and the resolution is improved.
- Organic pigments do not fade as quickly when in solution with solvent-based fluids.
Solid Ink
 Solid ink is used for solid ink-jet thermal phase change printers. The ink begins as a solid and is heated to transform it into a liquid state so that it can be applied to the substrate. The ink returns to a solid immediately after being applied to the substrate. It can be used on many types of applications using bond paper, tag, label stock, carbonless paper, foils, and fabrics. Solid ink technology produces outstanding results.
UV Resistant Inks
The inks used for ink-jet systems are created with dyes, which tend to fade under repeated exposure to the ultraviolet rays of sun light. Ink-jet dyes are constantly being improved to increase fade resistance under UV light.
Magnetic Toners
Magnetic toner is required for Ion deposition printing in which the toner is attracted to an imaging drum. Magnetic toner is also required for the magnetographic process, which utilizes a toner of iron particles. The toner is attracted to the magnetic imagng drum used with the process because of the iron particles contained in the toner.
Donor Ribbons
Donor ribbons are used with processes such as dye sublimation in which the ribbons are coated with special dyes. They are also used with thermal transfer systems in which the ribbons are coated with thermoplastic inks.
Wax Based Ink
The thermal wax transfer process uses a colorant that is wax-based. Heat generated by the process melts the wax, which is deposited on the substrate where it quickly hardens. |
