People can be easily tempted to go for low-cost, non-original ink for their printer, but experience has taught many to think again. Although at face value imitation inks may be cheaper, there are hidden costs involved, including the higher maintenance required, which makes profits decidedly lower.

In order to try to understand the pros and cons of original versus imitation inks, HP has carried out comparative studies. The results of these scientific studies show that lower-cost, non-original HP Ink, for example, reduces productivity and increases printhead replacement costs. When using a non-original, printheads need to be replaced more often and productivity is only 75 per cent of the original since some jobs must be run in Best Mode to achieve the same quality.

Since ink properties are critical to every part of the printing system and affect print quality, productivity and reliability, there are risks and costs to calculate when deciding against the original.

An inkjet printing system has many interacting chemical, physical and image processing components that all depend in some way on the properties of the inks used in the printer. Ink must be chemically compatible with all the materials in the printer that are exposed to ink. If it is not, immediate or long-term failures will occur, forcing printer downtime for maintenance and requiring potentially expensive repairs.

Original HP Inks are manufactured under rigorous quality control processes and are designed, tested, and developed with HP Designjet printers and original HP media to optimise print quality, durability, and fastness in applications ranging from fine art and photographic reproduction to graphic arts, prepress proofing, and technical and display graphics.

With other inks and media, it is the job of the user to optimise print quality through a trial-and-error process that wastes time and materials. Even after that, there is no guarantee of stable imaging properties and long-term

system reliability.

Consistent printing performance also depends on dot size and placement on print media. Even small changes from nominal values of surface tension and viscosity affect drop generation, which can cause colour inaccuracy, an increased image graininess, and banding. The print’s durability, water-resistance, and fade-resistance also depend on how the ink and media interact to secure the colourant.