Frequently asked questions

All of our inks are designed for use on inkjet printers and we have a comprehensive range for most of the leading brands and models from the last 10 years. Printer compatibility information can be found in the description for each of our ink products.

In most cases yes. However, we normally advise that to ensure you get the safest changeover you flush the system first using, one of our flushing solutions. Check the product descriptions for advice on flushing and the appropriate fluid to use.

There are a number of advantages Digital Ink products can offer to users...

UK Manufacture
We manufacture in our own factory in the UK, to the highest quality and environmental standards.

Flexibility
We sell our inks in pre-filled cartridges and in bulk for use with refillable cartridges and bulk feed systems.

Performance Benefits
Certain Digital Ink inks have a wider colour gamut, when compared to the OEM products, or offer other performance benefits, such as improved alcohol or scratch resistance.

Price
Our inks typically cost 20-40% less than OEM product.

Warranty
We are one of only a few third-party manufacturers to back our products with a full warranty on the printers’ ink delivery systems.

Batch to batch consistency
We guarantee the same quality product every time, with no colour variation. Specialist approach and support
We specialise in the manufacture of inkjet inks and have detailed knowledge of the applications in which digital inks are used, as well as of the requirements for colour management and profiling.

Transport
UK customers can buy without the cost of importation, whereas most other ink suppliers are outside the country. The non-hazardous classification for most of our inks means lower transportation costs.

We manufacture a wide range of products which are colour matched to the OEM inks. This results in a smooth transition, with no need to re-profile your printer, or to adjust existing print drivers or RIP settings. We can assist with colour management and ICC profiling in some cases, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to discuss this further.

Our customers' health and well-being are of the utmost importance and we have developed most of our inks using lactate based solvents, which are sugar based and typically used in the food industry as preservatives. Unlike some other solvents the human body is capable of breaking down a food grade solvent.

Most Digital Ink distributors are either engineers and / or have many years’ experience in the inkjet field. We have skilled chemists, printer engineers and sales staff, who are specialists in inkjet printing and know each application in detail. Our in-house support team has access to an extensive range of spare parts for most machines.

This is a very difficult question to answer because of the many variables involved. When displaying print outdoors, the key factors causing fading are UV light, ozone and pollution levels; all of these factors vary from one location and print job to the next. The use of cheap media or those with low resistance to weathering and UV can also cause problems, and even some of the most expensive medias do not have a good UV display life. We only use the highest grade 3-5 year pigments, which we have extensively tested both in-house and independently. You can be assured of long term exterior performance, with proven resistance to the effects of UV degradation and colour fading.

Our inks will print onto all flexible substrates such as paper, vinyl, banner, and mesh. In many cases the substrate material does not need to be specially inkjet coated but for recommendations on the use of coated or uncoated substrates, please check the products pages. Expensive substrates, or even cheaper imported media can be used, although you should take into account your image quality and display life requirements before opting for low cost materials.

This is quite a difficult question to answer as the amount of ink used on each print is dependent on the image file you are printing and what substrate you are printing onto, as each substrate absorbs slightly different amounts of ink. If you are printing an image file that is heavy in blues then the cyan ink will be used more than any other colour. In our experience the most used colour is yellow, and the least used colour is black. There is a basic formula which will give most users a rough idea of the ink usage per square metre, however, this should not be considered as a guideline not as a guarantee of performance.

360 x 360 dpi will use approx 40mls of ink per square meter using a standard gloss vinyl profile.

720 x 720 dpi will use approx 60mls of ink per square meter using a standard gloss vinyl profile.

1440 x 1440 dpi will use approx 75mls of ink per square meter using a gloss vinyl profile standard profile.

There are many bulk feed systems available on the market and it’s always best to take a good look at the system before you buy one. Machines which use cartridges are very sensitive to pressure, so if the system uses gravity you need to make sure the system you choose has the ability to regulate the pressure.

The simplest bulk feed delivery method for machines using cartridges is the refillable cartridge system; the optimum way to use the refillable cartridges is to keep the ink level in the cartridge at half way. If the cartridges are overfilled the machine will drip ink from the print head and if they are too low in ink supply the print head can become starved.

The shelf life of an ink varies from between 6 months to 2 years. The figure is dependent upon the ink type (Aqueous, Solvent, UV curing, etc) and how the product is stored. Inks should always be stored in their original containers, with the lids firmly on, and kept at a cool room temperature between +5 and +40 degrees Celsius. It is important to read the labels and store the inks exactly as recommended by the manufacturer to maintain performance and achieve the optimum shelf life.

Solvent inks do require special storage conditions. They need to be kept away from high temperatures, naked flames and sources of ignition. Bottled inks should always be kept sealed when not in use and be stored away from direct sunlight. Certain ink types will have special storage requirements; for example, there may be recommendations to keep them away from strong oxidising agents or other high strength detergents or cleaning liquids. These conditions will always be clearly stated on a Material Safety Data Sheet.

There are different interpretations of the term "eco solvent". This ink type was originally introduced into the market as an economical solvent ink, however some users believe that Eco actually means ecologically (as in environmentally) friendly, which is not necessarily the case.

Generally, an eco solvent ink has little or no odour and doesn’t contain any harmful ingredients (such as cyclohexanone). The solvents within eco solvent inks are usually biodegradable and able to be broken down within the human body. However, just because an ink has no odour it does not automatically mean that it can be used in a normal indoor environment without extraction systems in place. You should always check the Material Safety Data Sheet, or with the manufacturer regarding ventilation requirements when using an eco solvent ink.

Full or True Solvent inks nearly always have a strong odour. The types of solvent used in the formulation of full solvent inks are usually quite aggressive. As a result, these inks can be used to print onto a wider range of substrates including some of the cheaper uncoated vinyl and banner media and can still achieve a good quality of print output. Extraction is always required as full solvent inks emit fumes which are potentially damaging to humans.

We are happy to provide relevant Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to distributors and users of our ink products. We produce our MSDS in full compliance with current health and safety legislation, to ensure that staff working with solvent based inks are protected and so that working environments have adequate measures in place for the storage and use of solvent based inks.