latex ink from HP, reviews of new latex ink to replace eco-solvent, mild-solvent, lite-solvent, and solvent ink, claimed as water-based ink.

HP latex ink samples are all over my desk. Latex ink documentation is atop them. It's late at night and lots of news of HP's new latex ink that will replace solvent, and frankly may replace eco-solvent, mild-solvent, and lite-solvent inks too.

What is HP latex ink? Is it water-based?

So far, anyone who has been brave enough to ask questions has asked to what degree latex ink can be classified as water-based. To me this is sort of a rhetorical question. I would rather know how it functions, how clients like the results, and how printshop owners and managers like the latex ink system. The ink formula is, to me, not the immediate problem. The fact that it does not stick like full solvent ink and has less VOCs is a positive beginning.

But when you speak with industry analysts, off the record, the first comment they make is whether or not it is acceptable to classify the ink in the world of water-based inks. However I would prefer to inspect the results in a beta-test site and not get bogged down in chemical nit picking.

Latex ink vs solvent ink printers

The good intentions for HP latex ink are nice, but there is a lot of industry politics at play. HP attempted to enter the mild-solvent lite-solvent ink market by rebranding Seiko ColorPainter 64s printers. But HP bought Seiko solvent printers by the ton after the popularity of this model had already peaked under Seiko. So, not surprisingly, sales of the HP Designjet 9000s and 10000s did not go as well as expected. So finally, by January 2009, HP and Seiko both admitted what analysts knew for over a year, that the relationship had unfortunately failed and would be phased out.

Ironic, as a result, sales of Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland, and now Seiko's newer solvent printers has increased in January 2009 after HP announced it was pulling out of solvent ink.

Don't forget that HP was the water-based inkjet king for many years, after trouncing Encad (who had been market leader before). FLAAR evaluated HP Designjet printers for six years, especially the HP 5000 and 5500. But this epoch-making water-based evaluation program was phased out by 2006 and then FLAAR switched to evaluating UV-cured printers. HP had none (until they bought NUR and ColorSpan). The former ColorSpan fizzled though NUR sales increased under the HP Scitex mantle. But sign makers still wanted solvent printers (especially in a recession).

So now, with no entry level solvent, and with a decreased market share in UV at entry level, HP is putting considerable energy into pushing latex ink. Downside is there is no entry-level version: it's $100,000 and media is a bit pricey too. Plus at the same time Mutoh, Mimaki, and Roland all came out with really low cost solvent printers to protect their market share from cheap Chinese solvent printers.

HP wide-scan thermal printheads

But there are good features to the HP latex ink system besides the ik chemistry. The first time I had time to appreciate the details of the HP wide scan thermal printheads was at the pre-DRUPA 2008 event in Israel, March 10 th. Since the wide scan thermal printheads are associated with delivering the new latex ink, I will be updating this page as soon as there is time. So much is going on because both DRUPA and FESPA Digital are being held this same year.

HP latex ink is totally different than any current ink, though I did find an after-market latex ink already last year (2008).

The composition of the HP latex ink has been likened to jetting liquid cement, which is probably one reason the printheads are at 12 picoliter and not less.

Other innovative inks, including non-solvent signage inks that require heating.

HP latex ink samples

What I am curious about is to what degree it will be possible to learn the full pros and cons of this ink, and to compare HP latex ink with other unusual water-based inks, namely Lumocolor from Staedtler and “ Magic Ink” from Eastech (Japan, Taiwan, Thailand).

The Lumocolor ink requires heating for some materials but the Magic Ink from Eastech does not. FLAAR has been taking notes on Magic Ink at the Thai factory of Eastech last summer. But Sepiax, Lumocolor, and Magic Ink are different than HP latex ink: HP latex ink is primarily for traditional signage. Magic ink is primarily for interior decoration.

The only other water-based ink that required IR heating was the unique DuPont ink used by the Encad VinylJet. Several hundred of these Encad VinylJet printers were sold, but they had so many issues that Kodak had to absorb millions of dollars in losses and jettison this line of printers quickly and with as little fanfare as possible.

Part of my upcoming research will be to learn all the features of the new HP latex ink that distinguish it from all these other inks. Since I was a professor of inkjet printing in earlier years, I have an intrinsic and deeply rooted interest in learning all this, and then helping our readers (printshop owners, printshop managers, printer operators and students) learn so they can make an educated decision of which ink chemistry, which printhead technology, and which printer platform to purchase this year and next year.

Another ink that is raising interest is the even newer water-based ink from Sepiax Ink Technology. The Sepiax ink prints on a wide range of materials and seems to have several advantages over Lumocolor ink from Staedtler, such as brighter colors. In the last several months I have found two other new inks that I am studying further.

HP latex ink printing samples.

HP Optical Media Advance Sensor

This sensor is something not available for any Roland or Mimaki printer. Mutoh has Intelligent Interweaving but nothing like this optical recognition system of the media advance sensor. I will try to obtain some graphics to help explain the optical media advance sensor in future updates. But the result is less banding.

Roland has now copied the Mutoh interweaving, and now Seiko is adding their version of interweaving to their new 104-inch solvent printer, the Seiko ColorPainter H104S.

Irrespective of whether HP latex ink is the direction you are thinking of moving into, it is impressive how much effort and technology they devote to their products. I have had several helpful discussions with HP's Dr Ross Allen, both in Israel and elsewhere that I have seen him, most recently in South Africa.

Latex ink, HP wide-scan thermal printheads, solvent ink

Dr Ross Allen, senior HP scientist, shows the HP wide-scan thermal printheads that are used with the latex ink. These photos are from the three-day HP launch event at HP Scitex in Israel, attended by Professor Nicholas Hellmuth and a other industry analysts and over a hundred trade magazine editors from around the world.

HP introduced their HP Designjet L65500 to handle latex inks at DRUPA 2008.

I cover the HP Designjet L65500 latex ink printer on a separate page. This is presently the only printer in the world that can handle the HP latex ink. I did find, however, another kind of latex ink in summer 2008, when I was inspecting several wide-format inkjet printers in a large screen printing company. One of these printers turned out to be a beta test machine for a third-party after-market latex-like ink.

What counts, though, is what new printer technologies and what new inks will be introduced at FESPA Digital in Amsterdam in May 2009. I estimate there will be more there (in Europe) then at the earlier ISA '09 in Las Vegas. Since there was no follow-up from HP on their latex inks (I was told there would be a beta test site in the US to visit, but that never happened), and since I am very interested in learning about new inks so I can provide information to the over 340,000 people who read this web site, I have begun to work with other companies who have innovative inks that may surpass the benefits of latex ink, with fewer of the downsides (massive heaters are required for latex ink printers with resulting electricity costs).

The other question is which substrates can handle the extreme heat needed to handle the latex in chemistry. This is a question (raised by others), not a complaint by me. The only way I will know is by visiting a beta test site for a site-visit case study. I do not trust “Success Stories” since they are often a sham review or a pseudo review.

But if more access is available to latex ink beta test sites, or actual end-users, I will consider returning to expand FLAAR coverage of latex ink. After all, we get more hits on our HP latex ink page than any other web page in the world. So naturally we would like to update this, but in the meantime, our primary update is that after-market third-party latex ink already exists since last year. And there are now two significant inks in Europe that have most of the benefits of HP latex ink, plus, plus they can print on thick rigid materials, both signage materials and also materials for interior decoration. You can't print on thick or flat material with the HP latex ink.

The sad part of HP latex ink is that there is no independent outside discussion of this latex ink. 99% of what is on the Internet is either a directly paid HP publicity release, or a secondary PR blitz started by HP. Of course in the long run this will be recognized and people will ask why there is no true outside evaluation or review.

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Most recently updated February 20, 2009.

First posted March 10, 2008. Updated March 18, 2008, Jan. 29, 2009, Feb. 2, 2009.