Marketing Ink for Inkjet Printers

Whereas gasoline is sold at large volume and low cost per pound, the ink for inkjet printers is sold in small volume at high cost per pound. It is a relatively new product that is riding on the crest of the information revolution, with great potential for growth and profit. Let us consider the marketing information needed in preparation for the introduction of a new product. 

The ink for inkjet printers is essentially colored water, and the current formulation of ink is about 75% water, plus dye and glue (Kang 1991, Le 1998, Pond 1999). The ink should flow readily from ihe inkwell to the nozzle, and then to the paper, without dripping or clogging. The viscosity of current inkjet ink is from 2 to 8 cP. The droplets formed should be very uniform in size, and should be as small as possible to increase the resolution. When the droplet hits the paper, the droplet should penetrate the fibers without splatter, which would increase the diameter of the dot on the printed text or picture. The surface tension of current ink is around 45 to 50 dynes/cm, which is much lower than water at 70 dynes/cm. It is believed that if the surface tension is raised from 45 to 65 dynes/cm, the spread (or ratio of diameter of spot on paper/diameter of droplet) would decrease from 3.3 to 1.1. Much higher resolutions 

The major brands are marketed by Hewlett Packard, Cannon, Epson, and others. There are also house brands that sell for less. The spent ink cartridges are removed from the printers and discarded, and new ones inserted into the printers. The spent cartridges contain much valuable plastics and metals, but are too small in quantity to warrant a recycle effort. There are also manufacturers who sell the ink separately, to be injected by hypodermic needles into the spent cartridges. The major manufacturers always warn the consumers not to use these low cost alternatives, as they may be inferior in quality and give poor performance due to lack of compatibility. 

Guthrie, V. B., ed. 1960. Petroleum Products Handbook. New York McGraw-Hill. 

Water based ink-jet ink. Journal of Image Science (May-June) 179-188, 189-194, 195-201. 

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