Making your own PC PM inks

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ray

Since the photo mengenta and photo cyan inks sell for
the same price as the unwatered down versions has any
one tried to water down the regular inks to make the
photo versions? What ratio would you use?
 
You bring up a VERY good point, and one I have made many times in the
past. Indeed these photo inks are colorant diluted, and the colorant is
typically the most costly part of the ink (not that the ink overall is
that costly anyway...)

However, the photo inks you refer to are not just dilute versions of the
full color loaded ink. The ink formulation is likely the same in terms
of the other components as the darker versions, but simply has less
colorant in it. In other words, adding water is not the correct answers
because it will change many characteristics of the ink (viscosity, dry
time, pH, adhesion, mixing ability, absorption, etc.)

What you need is a mixture of the ink base less the colorant, and then
add the colorant.

As to the ratios or color dilution, I have no idea. I'm guessing about
1:4, or 1:6 or so, or 25% to 17% or so as much colorant.

Art
 
Arthur Entlich said:
You bring up a VERY good point, and one I have made many times in the
past. Indeed these photo inks are colorant diluted, and the colorant is
typically the most costly part of the ink (not that the ink overall is
that costly anyway...)

However, the photo inks you refer to are not just dilute versions of the
full color loaded ink. The ink formulation is likely the same in terms of
the other components as the darker versions, but simply has less colorant
in it. In other words, adding water is not the correct answers because it
will change many characteristics of the ink (viscosity, dry time, pH,
adhesion, mixing ability, absorption, etc.)

What you need is a mixture of the ink base less the colorant, and then add
the colorant.

As to the ratios or color dilution, I have no idea. I'm guessing about
1:4, or 1:6 or so, or 25% to 17% or so as much colorant.

Art
Click to expand...

Thanks for the informative answer. I was under the misimpression
that dye inks were just colorant and water. Do you have any idea
of the composition of the ink base? Doing that is beyond the
scope of the project, but just curious.

Ray
 
Yes, I have some idea. They contain some type of glycol, which thickens
the ink, slows drying (to prevent clogging) and improves cohesivity (to
stick to paper surfaces) (It also works as a anti-freeze to prevent the
ink cartridges from freezing during shipping). There are often some
type of alcohol (there are hundreds of alcohol formulations, and I don't
know which they use) also used to control drying speed on the paper, to
help keep the dye dissolved in the fluid, etc) depending upon the type
and brand, a pH adjuster, with some being acidic and some basic.

Pigment inks also have a resin added because pigments don't penetrate
the paper very well as they are both very large relative to the
molecular structure of dyes, and are actually separate from the base
fluid (they are in suspension, not dissolved into the liquid, like dyes.
The resin, usually an acrylic polymer, works as a glue and a coating
to the pigment to fix it into place on the paper surface.

They may also have anti algael or fungal agents to prevent growth of
those things in the ink, and other preservatives.

So, although it ain't rocket science, it is a lot of chemistry.

Art
 
Arthur said:
As to the ratios or color dilution, I have no idea. I'm guessing about
1:4, or 1:6 or so, or 25% to 17% or so as much colorant.

Art
Click to expand...

Judging from the density difference measured by my densitometer the ratio may be
around 10:1.

Sam
 
That high, eh? Well, it just goes to show how little colorant is needed.

That also helps to explain why so much of these low color loaded inks
get used up so quickly. From what I hear, most people use them about
2:1 of the full color loaded inks.

Art
 
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