Latex ink Printing

The Inks made from latex use water as their carrier. A water-insoluble pigment is the colourant used in this process. Also mixed into this solution are microscopic polymer particles.

An overview of latex printer printing and ink fixing.

1. To begin with, latex ink is layered onto the media, which consists largely of water.
2. A specially developed plastic compound and pigments are also included in this ink.
3. The printing machine is also equipped with some powerful heaters.
4. The printed media is heated to over 100 degrees centigrade by these heaters.
5. During this process of heating, two things happen simultaneously.
   1. The ink’s water component evaporates, leaving only the pigment and polymer on the media.
   2. The Polymers (plastic) melt instantly when heated. By melting the plastic, pigment particles fuse with the media beneath to produce our ink dots.