Photomedia for Ink Jet Printing

Abstract

With the rapid development of digital photography, there is now an increasing demand for the development of printing systems capable of producing digital images equivalent to those produced by silver halide technology. With the latest developments in photorealistic ink jet printing, very high quality photographic images can now be produced. There is now greater emphasis on the development of matched ink and media systems. These in combination with printer and software developments, all contribute to the quality of the digital images produced. Ink/media combinations are now being developed which will provide silver halide levels of performance.The dye based ink system has required the development of chromophores with much greater photostability, particularly for the light inks (magenta and cyan), which are now included in most photocartridges. Pigment ink systems still have much greater durability however, it is more difficult to obtain compatible photomedia for such inks.The development of more durable photomedia has presented a significant challenge. These media can either be based on the traditional resin coated photographic substrates, which contain a polyethylene barrier layer, or on glossy coated substrates which can have increased ink absorption capacity. For all these media rapid dry times and excellent image quality are essential features. One further requirement is for silver halide levels of durability to provide images which do not fade when displayed over long periods and which can be archived for long periods without any noticeable change.