For outdoor stickers, water-based ecosolvent or pigment

Discussion in 'Small Format Inkjet Printers' started by SweetExistence, Aug 8, 2022.

  1. SweetExistence

    SweetExistence New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 2022
    Messages:
    1
    Location:
    California
    Hey, there!

    I'm new to printing and sticker-making. I want to produce 8.5 x 11 inch pages of stickers on
    waterproof vinyl sticker paper, for use outdoors, from my small rented room. Keeping costs manageable is very important to me, but producing quality stickers that last a long time (ideally, several years) outside is paramount.

    I've been looking at printers and printing technology. I've seen that water-based dye ink is terrible for outdoor use, but water-based pigment ink lasts considerably longer. The pigment printer I am looking at is the ET-5150. This is a supertank printer, which would reduce costs for ink supply.

    I'm also looking at "water-based ecosolvent" ink, for use in a base model supertank printer like the ET-2800. This type of ink seems to be very new, and I couldn't find much information about it online. I've seen it used for printing onto heat transfer vinyl, which is then pressed onto shirts. This seems to last a while, enduring at least a handful of washes without losing its brilliance. I'm interested in how the printers hold up when using this ink, and how durable and enduring this ink is on vinyl sticker paper.

    Does anyone have any experience with using pigment ink outdoors, especially in the sun? More importantly, does anyone have any experience with the water-based ecosolvent ink? It seems, at first glance, that with either route the ink will be relatively cheap, which I value, so the durability on vinyl sticker paper seems to me to be the most significant factor. Please, if I've missed any other options feel free to school me.

    Thanks!