2014 Volume 53 Issue 5 Pages 410-421
Serial type inkjet printer is suitable as a wide-format printer in being made wide by width to print easily. Currently, wide-format inkjet printers are the principal type of printer used for signage. The ink used in signage printers has progressed greatly during more than 10 years recently.
Together with the advantages of inkjet technology that enables non-contact printing, the fruits of the ink evolution that began in signage printers are being exploited and their applications are being progressively broadened into new industrial fields.
Here, I describe historic development of inkjet ink, which started with water-based ink and progressed through solvent ink to latex ink, culminating in UV curable ink. In addition, I describe the trends in applications of inkjet printers, which have recently been spreading progressively into signage printing and industrial and other uses. Finally, I consider the issues for future development of signage printers and related technology.
