Study on the Light Resistance of Waterborne Inkjet Ink on Coated and Uncoated Paper

Inkjet printing technology has a commercial history of over 10 years. With the emergence of desktop printing technology, various coatings and additives have been applied to paper to improve the light resistance of document colors. Multiple completed studies have shown that additives and pigment inks have a good protective effect on image quality under different exposure conditions. The ANSI IT9.3 Color Image Stability Subcommittee is developing testing standards for indoor light stability and outdoor durability. In addition, the subcommittee is developing standards for moisture fastness, ozone fading, and thermal degradation/dark stability.

Nowadays, general commercial reports, bills, and data centers have begun to adopt full-color inkjet printing technology. These documents must be on low-cost paper to reduce operating costs. In addition, due to the high speed of high-speed digital printing equipment, azo dyes must be used to meet its requirements. Overall, compared to the full-color photo quality images printed by desktop inkjet devices, transactional documents and bills have lower requirements for long-term light resistance. However, certain types of files must have long-term archivability.

For the new technology of inkjet printing, some fundamental research must be conducted to determine the relative light resistance between uncoated paper or offset paper and low-cost coated paper. In this study, we presented the light resistance of uncoated and coated paper printed using Scitex Digital Printing's VersaMarkTM full-color digital printing system. We compared the gradual fading rate using a xenon lamp light source and also compared it with Florida sunlight exposure tests and indoor sunlight tests through window glass. These results were also compared with those obtained using cold white light sources and pure fluorescent office lighting environments.