Perfect for temporary or semi-permanent use, aqueous printing is environmentally friendly because the ink is water (or aqua soluble. Inkjet aqueous printers typically use either dye or UV pigment inks. Offset printing may offer a clear aqueous coating option that saves money over traditional ultra-violet (UV) protective coatings and varnishes.
Because of their translucency, dye inks offer extremely wide color gamut, allowing the brightness of the paper to enhance color. These are the inks popular in non-professional home-use printers. Unfortunately, dye inks are unstable when exposed to UV light for prolonged periods. They are best used for temporary graphics such as week-long indoor trade shows. Lamination improves durability, especially when the laminate includes UV blocking properties.
As the name implies, pigment inks are more opaque and include UV blocking properties. Therefore, pigment inks can last for months in direct sunlight and years under proper lighting.
In recent years hybrid inks have become available, offering the vibrance of dye and the UV protection of pigment. Combining this with inksets of 10 or more pigments, smaller dot sizes and higher resolution, has resulted in true photographic quality reproduction on various media.
Just because aqueous inks are water soluble doesn't mean printed materials are ruined when exposed to moisture. After drying, high quality inks dry water resistant. But ink is only half of the equation. Papers used for aqueous printing include an inkjet-receptive coating. Combining this with a water-proof substrate like polypropylene, polyester or vinyl results in a finished print that can be used outdoors with or without an overlaminate! Longevity depends on local environmental factors but, with no overlaminate, our PSA Outdoor Vinyl is guaranteed against fading, peeling, cracking, bleeding and running for one year outdoors.
For large format printing, Reactive Imaging uses either pigment or hybrid inks for maximum durability. While banner stands may be used occasionally at special events, other types of signs are displayed continuously indoors. In either situation, images may last years without appreciable degradation. Signs that feature sales promotions are expected to be temporary. If a poster exposed to high amounts of UV light does begin to fade, use the opportunity to refresh the graphics and attract new customers.