Inkjet technology - what are the differences?

Inkjet offers multiple advantages compared to toner but is not preferable in every situation. It depends on the person, application, and medium. On this page, we try to present the differences as accurately and fairly as possible.

The advantages of inkjet are convincing, and therefore we use this new technology for almost all orders.

The advantages of inkjet:

• Matte appearance on uncoated material

• A wider range of colors

• Solid areas are smoother and more tranquil

• Consistency of colors is perfect

• Improved color approximation (especially with light pastel tones)

• Grayscale tones are truly gray

• Better for the environment

Matte appearance on uncoated material

The most noticeable difference in print is seen on uncoated material, where inkjet produces a matte appearance. There is hardly any difference observed on coated material. Why is this? With the toner technique, the colors sit on the paper and, through fusion (bonding with the paper), acquire a slight gloss. Our printers operate with inkjet technology, and these droplets penetrate deeper into the paper fibers. If you prefer a glossy print, there are two options:

1. Choose coated material (glossy - 170 grams or card 350 grams).

2. Choose the "coating" option (these prints are produced on a toner printer, so you do not have the previously mentioned advantages).

New printers (both inkjet and toner)

We currently have 4 printers: 2 Canon's and 2 Ricoh's. The Canon printers are inkjet printers, and the Ricoh's are toner printers. That's why they both have their own qualities! The orders are divided between these printers. For example, it is checked whether a coating has been chosen or not and what the finish of the products is.

Color Range

The color range of inkjet is larger than that of toner printers. For example, grass green and aqua blue appear darker with toner. Thanks to a broader color range, you experience vivid, fresh colors. We are quite overwhelmed by this new quality. The colors also align better with your screen, but the high contrast of a screen will never be entirely achievable.

Perfect Color Consistency

The color we print now will be the same color in 3 months—how great is that! An (unfortunately) common complaint with toner printers is color variation. The complex technology is the issue, depending on maintenance, temperature, humidity, and calibration. Too many parameters made it too unpredictable. An important moment was also the installation of 2 new toner printers, which has already significantly improved consistency.

Improved Color Matching (especially with light/pastel colors)

Thanks to the larger color range and the technology itself, color matching is much better, and we can now provide a color guarantee. Especially with soft (pastel) colors, the toner technique is sensitive to deviations, and there could be a significant difference between the color of the document and the final prints. Of course, it depends on the document whether these colors occur frequently, but we can now proudly print these soft colors beautifully! We know that our customers greatly value accurate color matching, and we can finally provide this color guarantee (except for certain media, coating, and finishing, the order form will display a notification).

Grayscale tones are truly gray

Gray is (depending on the file) composed of the 4 colors CMYK, as long as these colors are placed on the paper in the correct ratio, you will see a gray tone. However, a small deviation quickly resulted in a blue or pink hue. That problem is a thing of the past with our inkjet printers; grayscale tones are beautifully printed.

More environmentally friendly

The new printer uses water-based ink and has an excellent de-inking score, meaning that the color pigments can be easily removed from the paper. This makes paper recycling much more efficient. Additionally, the new inkjet printer does not emit ozone.