 Xerox Corporation's experimental magenta gel ink is examined by Greg Kovacs,
manager of inkjet technology at Xerox Research Center Webster. Starting at a consistency
like peanut butter, the ink droplets become rock hard when exposed to a pulse
of ultraviolet light, enabling printing on virtually any surface. (Photo credit:
Kevin Rivoli)
Ink transforms from consistency of peanut butter to rock hard; prints on virtually
any surface
DÜSSELDORF, Germany, May
29, 2008 -- Xerox Corporation today previewed a cured gel ink technology that
prints on materials like plastic and foil, enabling digital printers to compete
in areas like packaging to capture even more of the traditional offset print jobs
making up the estimated $400 billion market.
"Today digital systems shine in many applications while
offset presses are selected for others. The ability to print on nearly any surface
will bring a world of new applications within reach of digital printers,"
said Steve Hoover, vice president and director of the Xerox Research Center
Webster. "Cured gel ink systems combine the best of both - the speed, low-cost
and ability to print on varied materials like offset, and the personalization
of digital."
Showcased here at drupa, the print industry's largest conference
and exhibition, the new cured gel ink holds its shape on nearly any surface
because it is not water-based like traditional inkjet technologies. The gel
ink has the consistency of peanut butter after it is jetted through the print
heads and turns rock hard when exposed to a pulse of ultraviolet light. The
result is a crisp, vivid, and long lasting image. Unlike current water or solvent-based
inkjet systems, the gel ink won't bleed-through or require dryers and vapor
recovery systems, thereby increase print speeds and making the system more environmentally
friendly. Developed by scientists at the Xerox Research Centre Canada, the cured
gel inks are based on Xerox's proprietary solid ink technology.
In addition to the ink itself, the Xerox print heads, which
determine drop size, reliability and imaging speed, are also at the heart of
the new technology. With 10 times the life of a thermal inkjet print head, the
Xerox heads are made from stainless steel in a modular, scalable and sturdy
design. The individual print head module can jet over 40 million drops of ink
in a second, supporting high-speed production. Individual modules fit together
seamlessly to create wider prints.
"The technology is still in the research phase," Hoover
said, "but it is clearly an innovation that will take inkjet beyond the
products and applications available today. These cured gel inks will set a new
benchmark for performance, print surface options and image quality."
Beyond traditional high-volume printing jobs such as brochures,
posters, and catalogs, Xerox foresees an almost limitless market for its new
technology. The high image quality on low cost paper will be appealing in what
are called transpromo applications that combine bills or invoices with marketing
messages in one document. The ability to print on cardboard without precoating,
or on plastic films or foils will suit packaging applications, and direct mailers
can save on mailing costs by using lighter weight papers without show through.
About Xerox
Xerox Corporation is the world's leading document management, technology and
services enterprise, providing the industry's broadest portfolio of color and
black-and-white document processing systems and related supplies, as well as
document management consulting and outsourcing services. This past year Xerox
was awarded the National Medal of Technology, the highest technology award in
the United States.
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