Why are pigment inks so important?
Most consumer ink-jet photo printers use dye-based inks. These are great for glossy paper but are susceptible to atmospheric fading agents and UV fading. Pigment inks are much more resistant to both. However, pigment inks don’t print well on glossy papers, which are popular with consumers. 8 ink cartridges, inc. red & blue, and a gloss optimiser On the R800 there is space for no less than 8 separate ink cartridges, one of which contains a gloss optimiser. This sounds rather reminiscent of a Canon idea from a few years back, used in the BJC-7000 and BJC-7100 models, where a clear base was applied to the paper in order to receive the ink and keep the droplets well-defined. With the R800, however, it appears that the gloss optimiser is used as the final finish, fixing the problem characteristic of pigment inks that tend to dry without a shine. 1.5pl ink droplets and CD printing support Ink droplets produced by the R800 can be as small as 1.5 picolitres, beating the previous smallest dropl
