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Staedtler Lumocolor ink for wide format inkjet printers Since this is a water-based ink we will cover it on www.wide-format-printers.org, but since this ink prints on signage material used by print shops that tend to use eco-solvent, mild-solvent, full-solvent, or UV-curable inks, we will also including mention on our signage ink site later. The best place to obtain our information on the Staedtler Lumocolor ink is in the free download. Simply fill out the Survey-Inquiry form. Lumocolor is by far my absolute favorite ink. Unfortunately all major printer manufacturers already have such deep connections with printhead manufacturers, and printhead manufacturers are already tied up with favored ink manufacturers, so merely being a new and innovative ink is not enough. It’s all politics and price (that decides which inks are used); not really which ink is best. The reason more printers don’t use the Staedtler ink (besides politics and the ink-tithe tax system) is because the ink requires a heater for printing on non-absorbent materials. The only company that dared to try to produce a printer with this kind of heater was Encad with their VinylJet.
Unfortunately Encad’s ink delivery system and printheads were primitive, and Kodak’s management drove what was left of the company into the ground. Plus it was a first-generation ink and not enough media was available for it. HP has a long more clout for launching its latex ink. HP latex ink is another ink that requires a heater
I have long felt that Staedtler Lumocolor ink is one of the most interesting inks available. Unfortunately, no printer manufacturer was brave enough to be willing to go out on a limb and develop a printer that could handle it. But now HP has shown that it will at least try when a new ink requires special printheads and an even more special heating/drying system. Since HP has never made it’s own heating drying system (it’s solvent printers HP 9000s, HP 8000sr, HP 10000s are all made by Seiko, based on the original Seiko ColorPainter 64S), it will be interesting to see the printer that is intended to use the new HP latex ink. So now HP has a new latex ink; it also requires heaters. The printer that utilizes this HP latex ink will most likely be shown at DRUPA. One difference between HP latex ink and Staedtler Lumocolor is that HP latex ink is aimed directly at signage, whereas Staedtler is primarily showcasing its inks ability for specialty items, including thick rigid materials via a flatbed. The first generation HP latex ink will not print on flat rigid materials because the heaters are on the bottom. Staedtler’s ink can accept heaters at the top. Staedtler ink works best in piezo printheads with small droplet size. HP latex ink works best (so far) with thermal printheads with 12-picoliter droplet size. First posted March 18, 2008. |
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