This guest post was submitted by Alex Dragas.
Since the introduction of Nanography technology in early 2013, more companies are beginning to include it in their arsenal of tools. The technology brings enhanced digital printing options to the industry. Printing plates are no longer required for large printing project and a new type of ink is used to ensure pristine print jobs. The main benefit besides efficiency is the ability to create brilliant colors with a very high color density. This is because nanoparticles don’t have the same level of refraction as traditional ink.
A Brief History
For those who remember the feel of a printed newspaper from several years back, you may notice that the newer papers tend to have a different overall feel. You’ll no longer take the paper with you after you’re finished reading it in the form of black smudges on your fingers. Of course, this issue was originally resolved largely with Offset printing, but nanoprinting resolves the problem more fully. Modern printing techniques are responsible for the high-quality magazine images we are now accustomed to.
From Lasers to Nano Pigments
Laser printers used to be the premiere method for printing high-quality jobs. As DPI levels increased, laser printers were able to print increasingly vivid documents. The technology really took off when laser printers started to become affordable as a consumer item. Since then, the printing industry has relied mostly on laser printers for high-quality print jobs that required extreme precision. Nanography works much like traditional printing techniques, but it’s much faster and can produce more vivid colors. Another benefit is the ability to print on several different mediums that other printing methods don’t support.
Nanography makes use of billions of microscopic droplets that are used to create the image or text. The process is timed to produce highly accurate results that achieve a very high color print job. Another advantage of nanography is the ability of the ink to dry extremely quickly. As the billions of microscopic drops spread, they quickly lose any water content and form a thin medium for viewing. In fact, one of the main features of nano ink is the ultra thin ink that forms a dry polymeric film.
Advantages of Nanography
One of the main benefits of nanography is the ability to print without any penetration of color. The thin layer of 500-nm ink is able to instantly bond to any surface without penetrating the surface. This makes it ideal for a wide variety of materials and applications. The resulting images are not only ultra-refined, but they are also tough and resistant to scratching and fading. There is no need for post-drying and no residual ink is left.
Since there is no need for the ink to dry, projects are completed more quickly with less problems. There is also a lower overall cost per page, and they have the capacity to provide great savings on cost-per-page analysis when the total cost of printing is taken into account. The print solution is based largely on water, which costs less as a carrier than any other solvents. Since you’re using less ink, you’ll save money and the product will also last longer.
Comparing Nanography to Traditional Methods
When you compare the difference in print quality to other methods, you’ll find that nanography is the best available printing option. Nanography sits right on top of the medium, and it doesn’t soak through the medium like xerography, UV inkjet, Aqueous Inkjet or Offset printing does. It’s much thinner, uses less ink and it’s more environmentally friendly. There are zero-emissions with nanography printing, and you can feel good about using a technology that doesn’t waste energy.
As the Internet continues to make strides as a medium of delivering digital content, professional printers are going to need to find increasingly affordable printing methods. The use of Nanography can help to maintain profits by reducing the cost associated with printing materials and ink. With the new technology coming out, it’s going to be possible to produce increasingly high-quality print jobs that businesses and organizations will need to promote their own products and services. The increased color quality will set any company that uses nanography apart from the competition, and early adopters are likely to attract the most new customers.