Solvent Ink and Aqueous Ink for Wide-Format Printers: What Is the Difference?

When we order a printing job from a print service provider that requires the use of a wide-format printer, we sometimes need to ask the provider what kind of ink they are using. In the print service industry, there are two general types of ink that are used with wide-format printers, and they are solvent inks and aqueous inks.

You may ask: Why should it matter to me what kind of ink is used for my printing job? The answer to that question is that the kind of ink used on your printing job can determine the quality and the longevity of the printout you ordered. Solvent inks and aqueous inks have formulations that are entirely distinct from each other. In some printing jobs, it would be more appropriate to use solvent inks while in some, aqueous inks are better. Knowing what ink is used for your printing job can help you determine if you are getting your money’s worth or not.

The Basic Difference

How exactly are aqueous and solvent inks different from each other? Actually, the terms “solvent” and “aqueous” only refer to the liquid that carries the ink in the formula. Whether the ink is dye-based or pigment-based, which is another story altogether, its carrier can either be solvent or aqueous.

Solvent ink is ink where the carrier liquid is derived from oil or alcohol. It is a non-polar substance, which means it works well with plastic-based medium such as vinyl. Aqueous ink, on the other hand, has water acting as its carrier. Since water is a polar substance, the perfect printing medium for it would be something polar as well, such as paper.

Now that you know the basic difference between these two inks, which one is better between the two?

The Safe and Eco-Friendly Advantage

If the issue of safety and cleanliness is the criterion by which to judge these two types of inks for wide-format printers, the aqueous type has the edge. Water is safe and clean in that it does not pose a threat to the environment. Aqueous inks do not release high volumes of volatile organic compounds or VOCs into the atmosphere. Water is also a renewable resource, and so water-based inks are more sustainable.

Solvent inks, however, are not seen as environment-friendly. They have a petroleum base and petroleum is a non-renewable resource. They also release a lot of VOCs into the atmosphere. They emit toxic fumes as well, which means that print service providers using wide-format printers that require solvent inks must have a special ventilation system that will prevent their printer operators from breathing in those harmful fumes.

The Durability Advantage

When it comes to durability, water-based inks have not yet removed solvent inks out of the scene. For all that they are not safe or environment-friendly, some customers still prefer printouts made with solvent inks. That is because such printouts last a lot longer, especially when set outdoors.

That is soon to change, however, with the advent of latex inks. Latex inks are water-based inks that are said to have almost the same level of durability as solvent inks.

It pays to know what kind of ink your print service provider is using for your printing jobs. It depends upon you which ink you will eventually prefer using. What matters in the long run, after all, is the quality of the printout.

Printer Ink Cartridges

Disclaimer

PrintCountry offers a wide range of replacement cartridges, generic printer supplies, remanufactured and recycled printer inkjet cartridges for various brands like HP.com , Dell.com, Epson.com, BrotherUSA.com, Lexmark.com, Samsung.com, Canon.com and other brands less known than HP, Epson, Brother, Dell like Pitney Bowes, Minolta, Mita, Kodak printers. All brand names mentioned on this page are used for demonstrative purposes only. PrintCountry is not associated, affiliated or connected with. At PrintCountry.com besides offering deep discounted warehouse prices and online shopping offers and promotions for compatible toner cartridges, replacement printer ink cartridges, you can also find printer reviews about the most popular, best rated, newest printers, coupons and promos for other printing equipment manufacturers, do it yourself guides from friendly kid projects using your printer to great gift ideas using things like photo paper and your printers features. Whether you would like to buy your printer supplies online at discount prices, or save a bunch on cheap ink cartridges without sacrificing from quality prints, we hope you will find our website a good resource & guide to your print supply shopping needs.

All brand names and logos mentioned on this page are used for demonstrative purposes only.
These brand names are registered trademarks of their individual parent companies.