This document summarizes the ZINK printing technology, which allows for printing color images without ink cartridges. It discusses how ZINK paper contains cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals that are activated by heat from a ZINK printer to form color images. The paper has multiple layers, with different dye crystals activated at different temperatures and time periods to produce the full color spectrum. Key benefits of ZINK printers are that they do not require ink cartridges or external power, produce vibrant colors, and produce images that are resistant to light, heat, and water. However, image quality is not as high as inkjet printers and pages are not recyclable. Overall, ZINK printing represents an innovative printing method with potential for
2. Contents
What is ZINK?
Magic paper
Inside magic paper
How ZINK works..
Key Features of the ZINK Printer
Drawbacks
Its potential in future
3. What is ZINK?
ZINK stands for Zero Ink - an amazing new
way to print in full colour without the need
for ink cartridges or ribbons. The ZINK
Technology encompasses both the ZINK
Paper and the intelligence embedded in
every ZINK-enabled device. The technology
enables a new category of colour printing
devices and paper that work as a system to
print in a whole new way.
5. Magic Paper
ZINK Paper is the heart of ZINK Zero
Ink Technology. ZINK Paper is an advanced
composite material with cyan, yellow, and
magenta dye crystals embedded inside and a
protective polymer overcoat layer outside.
When heat is applied in just the right way,
full color images appear like magic on the
paper - hence the term "magic paper".
6. INSIDE MAGIC PAPER
It contains dye crystals in three colours cyan,
yellow and magenta that are clear at room
temperature.
8. Dye crystal present inside the sheet are
made of thermosetting polymers.
It contains a protective layer on both
the sides to protect the print from the
outer environment.
10. Base layer: This first layer provides the paper template on
which to place layers of crystals.
Cyan imaging layer: an image-forming layer that releases a
cyan-colored dye when activated at a lower temperature for a
long time.
Magenta imaging layer: the layer that releases magenta dye
when activated at a medium temperature for a medium
amount of time.
Yellow imaging layer: This layer releases yellow dye when
activated at a high temperature for a short amount of time.
Overcoat layer: Last, but not least, is this protective layer of
clear polymer that seals the paper, which allows it to resist
damage from light, heat and water. This layer lends the photo
a traditional glossy feel
11. How ZINK works
At the heart of the ZINK Technology is the
patented ZINK Paper, an advanced composite
material with cyan, yellow, and magenta dye
crystals embedded inside, and a protective
polymer overcoat layer outside. The crystals
are colourless before printing, so ZINK Paper
looks like regular white photo paper. Heat
from a ZINK-enabled device activates the
crystals, forming all the colors of the rainbow.
The printing process is now radically simple.
Just add ZINK Paper.
12. The Zink paper contains yellow on top,
magenta in the middle, and cyan on the
bottom--is a crucial element in the printing
process. When these layers pass through the
thermal print head, they are heated by 300
tiny heaters per square inch. And in order to
bring out the appropriate color at each pixel,
the temperature and amount of time each
heater is on is precisely controlled.
13. The crystals in the yellow top layer require
the highest temperature to show their color
but the shortest amount of time. To turn on
the cyan bottom layer, the heaters operate
at their lowest temperature for the longest
amount of time. Bringing color out of the
magenta middle layer requires heating times
and temperatures somewhere in between.
14. The printer is doing combinations of these
pulses for every single pixel.
To produce a green pixel, for instance, the
heating element would turn on some yellow
layers with a quick, high-temperature pulse,
cool back down, and then turn on cyan with a
longer, low-temperature pulse. It takes only
tens of microseconds to deliver these pulses. In
a typical two-by-three-inch picture, which takes
less than a minute to print, there are
approximately two hundred million heat pulses.
15. Key features of the ZINK
printer :
The most exciting feature is that you dont need to have
any specialized drivers. It just saves your data in its
storage device just like a pen drive. Then it analyses the
data and gives the print out.
Its second most exciting feature is that you dont need
any external power source for the printer, it takes power
through usb port
Zero ink required. No need for ink cartridges or
ribbons. All you need for full colour photos is right in the
ZINK Paper. Just add ZINK Paper.
19. As it does not require cartridge, it reduces the size considerably
which adds up to its portability.
Capable of reproducing millions of vivid colors.
Earth Friendly. Less waste - No cartridges, no extra packaging to
throw away.
Protected by a polymer overcoat, providing water resistance and
image durability.
Affordable for everyday use.
Not sensitive to light.
Long lasting and designed to resist fading from exposure to light,
heat and humidity.
After printing, it can retain its color up to 100 degree Celsius.
It is available in pocket size also.
20. Drawbacks
The output quality unfortunately, was a bit worse than
you will get from the most of todays inkjets.
Low resolution photos.
The lifetime against fading is only 10 years.
Costlier than a normal inkjet printer.
Pages are not recyclable.
Single side printable.
21. Its potential in future
:- Due to its portable size and simple & quick access with other gadgets, it can
be attached with them without any major their compact size. It has a very vast
use in the future.
:- They are future ready.
:- Their hardware and software are upgradable.