Pigment Inkjet Prints

Impression jet d'encre sur papier d'une image photographique en sortie d'ordinateur d'après un fichier informatique ©Agathe Calmanovic-Plescoff/D3P/Ville de Paris

There is a wide variety of print media, each with an ink receiving layer: pure cotton paper and baryta paper for Fine Art prints, multi-layer paper or plastic RC (Resin Coated), synthetic or natural canvas and synthetic papers with or without a receiving layer, as well as coated papers for office purposes. These various media and their receiving layers make it possible to obtain prints which look like traditional photography (baryta or multilayer papers) and explore new possibilities in terms of effects, which are traditionally closer to those of artwork (through the use of pure cotton paper). The use of Japan papers (pure cotton paper family), for example, provides totally new images in creative photography. Appropriate combinations of inks, printer, printing software and paper will optimise the quality of the prints from an aesthetic point of view and improve their stability over time. For instance, the Digigraphie® label applies to prints produced on Epson® inkjet printers using Epson Ultrachrome® pigmented inks and certified papers. Sometimes prints are varnished to protect them from abrasions.

Historical period of production and use

The process was initially developed in the 1950s by IBM, then by Siemens. These companies developed the first inkjet printers, originally designed for printing text. The first inkjet photographs date back to the late 1980s with the launch of the IRIS® printer, the pioneer in prints marketed as “Fine Art” or "Giclée".

Manufacturing

The image is produced through the projection of ink droplets onto a substrate. The ink may be based on dyes or pigments. With the IRIS® printer the ink is supplied continuously and is controlled at the nozzle outlet: it is either deposited on the paper or deflected. In the 1990s was introduced an intermittent (non-continuous) printing system known as DOD – Drop on Demand: the ink droplets are ejected on demand using a thermal or piezoelectric system. The thermal system uses a heating element placed in the ink channel of each nozzle: the ink heats up rapidly and the increased pressure causes the propulsion of the droplet. As for the piezoelectric system, it consists in ejecting droplets using a mechanical action. The pigment or dye ink used is composed of organic matter dispersed in a liquid mainly composed of water. While the basic colours are cyan, magenta and yellow, along with black, the colour range is now very wide as some printers currently have eight colours (CcMcYyKk), or even twelve (RGB and various tones of grey).

Credits

Visual Glossary of Photographic Processes © ARCP / Mairie de Paris, 2023