2005 – The Beginning of Our Ink Story

The year is 2005. We face a dilemma: the digital printing inks available on the market do not meet the requirements of our projects. They either lack sufficient quality or mechanical durability. The decision is made instantly – if there’s no ready-made solution, we’ll create one from scratch!

It sounds bold – and it was. Developing our own solvent-based ink meant starting literally from zero. Chemical literature, countless lab tests, and the destruction of equipment worth a fortune. But what was the result? A unique product that today forms the foundation of Qwerty’s printing technology.

From Office Printer to Industrial Testing

Our first experiments began modestly – with a standard Epson office printer. That’s where we tested the basic properties of our experimental mixtures and observed their behavior in practice. Simple, inexpensive, but effective as a starting point.

The real breakthrough came with the purchase of a Mimaki JV3 printer equipped with Epson DX4 heads. This opened the door to true industrial testing – we could examine adhesion, color saturation, weather resistance, and droplet stability. What started as a garage experiment grew into a systematic R&D project.

Solvents, Resins, Pigments – Balancing the Formula

Creating digital printing ink is like walking a tightrope – every chemical and physical dependency must be perfectly synchronized. Each ingredient has a specific role, and even the slightest change in proportion can ruin the entire formulation.

Solvents determine how quickly the ink dries after application. Resins ensure that the print adheres to the surface and resists abrasion. Pigments define the color and durability of the print against sunlight and chemicals. Then there’s rheology – the way the liquid flows through the microscopic nozzles of the print head.

Adapting all these parameters to a specific head type required not only theoretical analysis but also real-time observation of droplet formation during printing. This is where chemical knowledge met engineering intuition.

Trial, Error, and the Cost of Knowledge

Testing our proprietary ink was far from easy. Many print heads didn’t survive the experiments – the test mixtures proved too aggressive or incompatible with their design. Each destroyed head meant financial loss and a return to formula analysis.

The scale of losses? The value of the damaged heads equaled the price of a good car. It sounds like failure, but it was actually our most valuable investment. Every breakdown brought new knowledge about safe testing and ink compatibility with printing systems.

Today, that experience forms the backbone of our technological development – giving us a deep understanding of both capabilities and limitations.

No Pre-Treatment – Fewer Steps, Greater Efficiency

The greatest advantage of our solvent ink is that it doesn’t require pre-treating the surface with a primer layer. The ink adheres directly to PET film, ensuring excellent adhesion and resistance to abrasion, bending, alcohols, and detergents.

This is a huge practical benefit. Eliminating extra layers simplifies the entire production process and reduces costs. Fewer steps mean fewer potential failure points and faster turnaround times.

Developing such a formulation required the right equipment: viscometers for viscosity measurements, disintegrators for pigment dispersion, laboratory mixers, filtration systems, and durability testing stations. The entire process was built on patience, determination, and learning from every trial – even the failed ones.

From Visual Observation to Advanced Analysis

At first, print quality was evaluated by eye. Does it stick? Are the colors even? Does it resist bending? It was enough to start, but our ambitions grew.

Our laboratory was soon equipped with advanced instruments, including a proprietary dropwatcher system. This tool uses a high-speed camera and software to analyze droplet formation in real time. It measures droplet volume, shape, and velocity – and detects unwanted “satellites,” smaller drops accompanying the main jet.

This allowed us to fine-tune the ink’s composition and behavior under various conditions. The result? A stable solvent ink used today in industrial printing – especially where extreme durability and resistance are required.

What’s Next? White Ink and New Challenges

Our experience with solvent inks is not the end – it’s the beginning of new innovations. We are now working on new formulations, including white ink, which remains in the development phase. White ink is one of the most demanding challenges in digital printing: its pigments tend to sediment and clog nozzles, requiring a special formula to ensure suspension stability.

Our extensive R&D facilities, modern tools, and commitment to continuous improvement enable us to successfully develop our own digital printing solutions. What began as an office printer experiment has evolved into a fully-fledged printing laboratory – but that’s a story for another time.

When the Market Has No Solution – Create Your Own

The story of developing our solvent ink is a story of determination turning into technological advantage. The combination of chemical expertise, practical experience, and engineering precision allowed us to create a product that eliminates unnecessary production steps while maintaining excellent mechanical and durability properties.

Innovation in digital printing doesn’t always come from market demand – sometimes it’s born from the courage to build your own solutions where none existed before. And while the cost of that courage may be the destruction of expensive equipment, the knowledge gained is truly priceless.