What you need to know about Inkjet Inks and Printers
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pigment Ink?

Pigment ink is made up of a few basic components: Pigment for color, Resin for gloss and adhesion, and water based cosolvents, and humectants similar to what is used in hair shampoo and some very proprietary elements. Pigment inks must be filtered to about .2 microns to insure smooth flowing through the new Epson and Canon heads.

Pigment ink is not a solution. It is a colloidal suspension similar to milk. The pigment and resin make up the solids of ink. A resin is liquid plastic. Imagine what happens to liquid plastic when it dries. Yes, it becomes a solid. When pigment ink bound with resin dry it becomes a colored solid and often difficult to loosen. This is why a head must be kept lubricated. Over time it will dry out even when at rest on a capping station. By keeping the capping station moist with a lubricant that loosens ink and lubricates the capping station it will keep the head properly moist and free flowing. This is one reason we created CLF1 cleaner and lubricator. Do not use cleaners that dry instantly like Windex. You want to keep the head and capping station moist with a proper lubricant.

Dye ink is usually made up of compounds similar to Pigment, but without resin. Dye inks form a solution which is can be more stsble in than Pigments and do not need to be shaken. It should be understood that some Dye Inks use a great deal of Dye in order to produce a rich result. When Dye Ink dries it can form crystals that can clog a printer. The head and the capping station must also be kept moist. Some Dyes such as a special fabric group have resins added and they must betreated with the same care as Pigment inks. Here too, Dye inks should be filtered to .2 microns to insure smooth flowing.  

What are the ideal printing conditions to prevent the head from drying out?  

Humidity should be at about 30 to 40 percent and temperature should be about 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. As temperature decrease the becomes thicker which makes flowability more difficult. When the temperature rises the ink viscosity decreases making the ink thinner. The changes in temperature can also affect the printing color. Low humidity can cause the heads and capping station to dry out causing ink drop out and imp[ropper cleaning. 

What can I do to prevent the head from drying out?

Run a nozzle check at least once a day. Place two drops of CLF 1 on the capping station each evening. Do not let the printer get below 65 degrees. CLF1 is a special cleaning solution that can disolve dried resin and pigment from the ink, while lubrication the head and capping station to prevent drying. Do not use fluids that dry fast, such as window cleaner. They may clean, but then cause the head to dry and clog.

What is a capping station?

A capping station is where the head rests and where it is cleaned. The capping station contain a foam pad that the head sits on and underneath it a tube that goes to a pump. If the pump becomes worn suction decreases and cleaning suffers. If the pad becomes deformed over time improper contact is made and suction decreases. All this causes missing nozzles.

When do I need to change a capping station?

A capping station will become worn over a period of time. It should be replaced every three years with average use. The symptom of a capping station becoming worn is when you perform a cleaning and some nozzles fire and others drop out and then when you clean again the dropped out nozzles fire and other nozzle now drop out. This is when it is time to change the capping assembly. If the same nozzles drop out all the time, the head is clogged.

What causes nozzles to drop out when they were printing just fine a month ago?

At any time the damper that sits on the head can become clogged from particle build up on its screen. This will restrict ink flow, thus starving the head.

What is a damper?

A damper is plastic structure with a mesh filter that acts as a one way valve. It has several functions. It can collect a small amount of air, it prevents ink particles from entering the head, it is a one way valve, it holds and dispenses ink. Epson designed this structure to keep the head performing well. It should be changed ideally once every two years. For Mimaki and Roland printers we offer large dampers with larger screens. This helps in handling high speed printers.

When should I use cleaning cartridges?

If you have what I described as a partially clogged head, I recommend placing our CLF2 tinted cleaning cartridges in the printer and perform a fill or several power cleans. Let the cleaning fluid sit in the head for at least half a day to loosen the hardened particles in the head. You also need to place extra cleaning fluid on the capping station in order to work on the bottom of the head. This process can work within hours or it may take many days. It depends on the amount of resin used in the ink and the time it has been clogged. 

Sometimes just using CLF1 over a weekend may breakup the particles and flush through with a standard cleaning. It all depends on the degree of the particle clogging the head. There is no way to predict how hard it is.

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