Often
overlooked, printer
inks are a key component
of the digital darkroom
By Dikla Kadosh
When
shopping for a photo
printer, you’ll
probably consider physical
dimensions, print speeds,
resolution and droplet
size, plus extra bells
and whistles such as
a built-in card reader
and LCD, all of which
are important. Some
of these features enhance
the usability of the
printer, while others
affect print quality.
Just as essential are
the inks you use with
your printer. Inks
aren’t particularly
sexy or alluring like
that sleek and shiny
printer, but as with
the paper you choose,
they have a dramatic
effect on the look
and longevity of the
prints you’ll
make.
While you’ll
see great results by
using the recommended
inks for your printer,
there’s also
a selection of high-quality
inks available from
third-party ink manufacturers.
In some cases, these
alternatives may be
cheaper, more advanced
or have other benefits.
The
Essentials
As you browse through
the vast selection
of inkjet inks, you’ll
notice that some are
dye-based and others
are pigment-based.
The basic differences
between the two are
a result of their chemical
make-up. Pigment-based
inks are comprised
of microscopic grains
of color that can’t
be dissolved in liquid,
so they just float
around in a state of
colloidal suspension.
Pigment inks traditionally
have had a subtler
color palette with
slightly lower contrast.
The upside is that
pigments are known
for being resistant
to damage and fading
caused by exposure
to light or humidity.
They’re estimated
to last in the hundreds
of years. For some
subjects, especially
when combined with
archival artistic papers,
the effect might be
perfect.
Dye-based inks are
pure liquid color and
produce sharper, more
vivid prints. They
tend to have a wider
color gamut, but are
more sensitive to humidity
and can fade faster
than prints made with
pigment-based inks.
The traditionally shorter
life span of dye prints
has been improving
rapidly, and many dye-based
inks now come quite
close to matching the
longevity of pigment
inks.
Both types of inks
have come a long way
in correcting their
respective deficiencies
and can be counted
on for sharp details
and brilliant colors
that will last long
enough to share with
your great-grandchildren.
That said, it’s
important to add that
how long your prints
last depends on more
than just the type
of ink you use. What
paper you use, where
the image is displayed
(in or out of direct
sunlight) and how it’s
mounted are additional
factors.
A good way of comparing
inkjet inks and papers
is to look at the research
done by impartial third
parties. Wilhelm Imaging
Research (www.wilhelm-research.com)
is a well-known objective
organization that tests
ink and paper combinations
for longevity and stability.
Their published results
are considered to be
the most accurate and
consistent in the industry.
The Innovations
Inks have been receiving
a lot of attention
lately as manufacturers
work hard to improve
the photo quality of
prints, matching and
even surpassing the
look and feel we were
used to getting at
professional print
labs.
One innovation that
has made its way around
the industry is the
use of five, six or
even eight different
inks as opposed to
the old standard of
four. In some printers,
red and green inks
have been added to
the original cyan,
magenta, yellow and
black to extend the
color gamut and allow
you to print richer,
more varied shades
of color. In others,
there are blue inks,
gray inks, different
blacks (one for photos
and one for text),
and other variations
of color that result
in brilliant photographs.
Another trend has been
individual ink cartridges
for a more efficient
and cost-effective
system of replacing
inks that have run
out. Advances also
have been made in durability
and longevity. Nearly
all inkjet inks, in
combination with the
right paper, are expected
to last around 100
years without fading
too much or shifting
in color—which
is actually much better
than traditional color
film prints!
Printer
Inks
Pigments
Epson
DURABrite
Epson UltraChrome
Epson UltraChrome K3
Lyson Cave Paint
Media Street Enhanced Generations
Media Street Generations Elite
Media Street GenerationsG-Chrome
Media Street GenerationsProPhoto
Pantone ColorVantage
Dye
Canon
ChromaPLUS
HP Vivera
InkjetMall DarnGoodInks
Lyson Fotonic Ink
Lyson Lysonic Archival Ink
Lyson Lysonic Small Gamut
B&W
InkjetMall
PiezoTone
InkjetMall Piezography
Lyson Lysonic Quad Black Inks
The
Options
The Canon ChromaPLUS ink system,
which you can find in such desktop
photo printers as the Canon i9900
and PIXMA iP8500, features the
addition of red and green dye-based
inks. The eight-color system is
capable of producing shades of
red, orange and green that weren’t
possible with four-color printers.
Sunsets print with finer transitions
between the pinks, yellows and
oranges of the sky, skin tones
are more subtle and realistic,
and the greens in foliage are deeper
and richer. Each of the inks comes
in individual tanks so that you
can replace only the color that
runs out instead of throwing out
an entire set of colors.
Epson has reformed the image of
pigment-based inks, which used
to produce prints with a narrower
color gamut. The DURABrite pigment
inks featured in Epson inkjet printers
are water-, smudge- and light-resistant,
and produce great-looking photo
prints that rival dye-based prints
for punch and contrast.
A little higher up in the Epson
photo printer line are the UltraChrome
Hi-Gloss pigment inks, which can
be found in printers such as the
Epson Stylus Photo R800. The eight
individual color cartridges include
a gloss optimizer so your prints
look as good as traditional photo
lab prints, plus matte black, red
and blue inks for an expanded color
range. Prints made with these “archival” inks
have been tested to last more than
100 years.
Billed as its “professional-level
inkset,” the eight-color
Epson UltraChrome K3 inks are the
latest advancement in pigment-ink
technology. Epson has added three
levels of black inks—black,
light black and light-light black—for
smoother tonal ranges and excellent
black-and-white printing capabilities.
Other features include improved
scratch resistance, a wider color
gamut and long-lasting prints (100
years for color and more than 200
for black-and-white).
The chemists at Hewlett-Packard
have been steadily improving the
quality and longevity of HP’s
proprietary Vivera inks. HP promises
these dye-based inks will deliver
vibrantly colored prints that last
up to 110 years. In the latest
eight-ink systems, the inks are
capable of producing a remarkable
72.9-million color combinations,
and brand-new colorants have been
developed to resist fading better
than ever.
A third-party ink manufacturer,
Pantone may not make printers,
but its name is synonymous with
color. Pantone’s ColorVantage
inks are pigment-based and come
with printer profiles customized
to match a wide variety of inkjet
printers, many of them from Epson.
Carefully designed and tested to
make sure they work smoothly with
each printer, Pantone claims to
have included the best of both
worlds in its inks: the wide color
range of dye-based inks and the
quality and longevity of pigmented
inks. Available as individual ink
cartridges and in bulk bottles,
the alternative inks are generally
less expensive than the inks offered
by your printer’s manufacturer.
Lyson has five different photographic
ink lines that are compatible with
Epson and Canon printers, and comparable
in longevity to Epson inks. Its
Fotonic ink line was created to
match the color gamut of traditional
photographic prints. Another product
for black-and-white printing is
Lyson’s Quad Black Inks.
These inks come in three different
tones to better accommodate the
style of your image.
A variety of inexpensive pigment-based
ink choices are available from
Media Street: Enhanced Generations,
Generations Elite, Generations
G-Chrome, Generations ProPhoto
and Plug-N-Play inkjet ink replacement
cartridges. All of them come in
individual cartridges or bulk bottles
and are made to fit each printer
type.
InkjetMall has several archival
ink sets that are compatible with
Epson printers. Its newest ink
set is Piezography Neutral K7,
a pure pigment neutral ink set
offering increased fidelity for
fine-art black-and-white printing.
Another option is PiezoTone inks,
which are pigment inks designed
for maximum longevity and monochromatic
color stability. PiezoTones are
available in Warm Neutral, Selenium
Tone, Carbon Sepia and Cool Neutral
gray sets. For the budget-minded,
InkjetMall’s inexpensive
dye-based color inks, called DarnGoodInks,
are replacement ink cartridges
for brand-name inks, such as Epson’s
UltraChrome. While InkjetMall makes
no claims that these inks are long-lasting
or superior in quality to standard
inks, they offer a cost savings
of up to 80%.
