Four commonly used ink types: Water-based ink, UV ink, Solvent ink, and Eco-solvent ink. Detailed explanations are as follows:
01 Water-based Ink
Core Features
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Eco-friendly and Safe: Formulated with water as the solvent, odor-free, and free of pungent chemical fumes.
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Process Requirements: Soluble in water. Lamination protection is mandatory after printing.
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Color Performance: Delivers delicate and high-saturation colors, ideal for photo printing and art reproduction.
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Printer-friendly: Non-corrosive to printheads, effectively extending the service life of printing equipment.
Application Scenarios
Exclusively for indoor advertising, including indoor photo printing, decorative paintings, art reproductions, and indoor posters.
02 UV Ink (Core Factory Ink)
Curing Principle
UV ink is liquid when ejected from the printhead and cures instantly into a solid state under UV ultraviolet irradiation with no drying waiting time required.
Universal Printing Materials
Compatible with almost all printing substrates, including flexible films, banner fabrics, leather, plastic, metal, glass, wood, acrylic, ceramic tiles and other coiled and rigid board materials.
Three Classifications of UV Ink (Material-based Selection)
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Soft UV Ink: Flexible and stretchable, suitable for deformable flexible materials.
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Neutral UV Ink: Balanced soft and hard properties for universal application.
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Hard UV Ink: Specially designed for rigid materials such as metal, glass and ceramic tiles.
Advantages
Features extremely strong adhesion, preventing ink smudging after printing. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.
03 Solvent Ink
Pros and Cons
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Advantages: Excellent outdoor weather resistance, waterproof and wear-resistant, low procurement cost.
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Disadvantages: Strong pungent chemical odor, poor environmental performance.
Application Scenarios
Ideal for low-cost large-scale outdoor advertisements, most commonly used for banner printing.
04 Eco-solvent Ink
Core Advantages
Balances environmental friendliness and outdoor durability, featuring waterproof, sun-resistant and high-precision printing performance.
Typical Applications
Used for high-precision outdoor printing, mainly including vehicle body stickers and high-end outdoor photo stickers.
Comparative Summary of Four Ink Types
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Ink Type
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Environmental Performance
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Drying Method
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Application Site
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Typical Usage
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Water-based Ink
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Excellent
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Natural air drying, lamination required
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Indoor
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Photographs, art reproductions, indoor posters
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UV Ink
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Good
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Instant curing via UV ultraviolet light
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Full-scenario indoor & outdoor
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Universal printing on glass, metal, leather and boards
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Solvent Ink
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Poor (strong odor)
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Solvent volatilization drying
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Low-cost outdoor projects
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Large-format banner advertisements
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Eco-solvent Ink
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Fine
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Slow solvent volatilization drying
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High-precision outdoor scenarios
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Vehicle stickers, high-end outdoor photo printing
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Simple Application Selection Rules:
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High-quality indoor images → Water-based ink;
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Complex materials (glass, wood, leather and other soft & hard materials) → UV ink;
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Low-cost & large-quantity outdoor banner advertisements → Solvent ink;
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High-precision outdoor vehicle stickers & high-definition outdoor images → Eco-solvent ink.