High-resolution printing with precision ink drop control technology, Piezoelectric nozzle (Piezoelectric) drive frequency of up to 48kHz, smallest ink drop 1.5 picoll (pL), ±2 microns (μm) accuracy in positioning, Supports resolutions up to 4800×2400 dpi (115,000 ink drops per square inch). For example, Epson PrecisionCore technology can output 256 color transitions of transition on matte photograph paper by depositing 50,000 ink drops per second (300mm/s) at a 98% Adobe RGB color gamut and less than 0.05% print error rate (2023 figures Digital Printing Technology). Thermal sprinkler (e.g., HP PageWide) generates bubble pressure (max pressure >20MPa) with very rapid heating (heating rate 10⁸°C/s), 8PL ink drop volume, accuracy of ink spot spacing ±5μm, and printing speed of 100 pages/min (A4).
High-density nozzle array is the key component of the high resolution. Latest inkjet printers utilize 1200 nozzles per inch (redundant structure) and increase effective resolution to 1.8 times theoretical resolution through intelligent Staggered Array. Canon uses FINE print heads that have 5pl ink droplets and 1,280 nozzles/color settings to achieve printing of 6-color images with a drop density of 230 million drops/square inch/unit area and hence image Granularity less than 1.2μm (human eye resolution limit = 5μm). A micro-spray art example illustrates that in printing a copy of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, the level of detail reduction is 99.3% (based on 3D surface scan comparison), and the color difference ΔE<0.8 (industry standard ΔE<2).
Dynamic ink drop Regulation technology (VSDT) enhances adaptability. With the correspondence of the medium characteristics (e.g., coated paper ink absorption rate ≤0.3 SEC) to variable drop volume (3 levels: 1.5pL/4pL/8pL) and injection rate (10-50kHz), small ink droplets (1.5pL) can be used in the highlight area to enhance sharpness, while large ink droplets (8pL) can be used in the dark area to enhance color saturation. In printing National Geographic covers, the Ricoh Pro C9200 boasts a dark area density (Dmax) of 2.8 (1.8 for standard printing) and saves 37% ink (optimized by ink drop size).
Chemistry of ink determines the final result. Nano pigment inks (particle size <80nm, concentration 12-18%) have an interfiber penetration depth ≤3μm (dye inks ≥10μm), resulting in Dot Gain from 22% to 8% (ISO 12647-2 standard). Kodak ULTRASTREAM printer utilizes water-based UV ink (curing energy <10mJ/cm²), prints 1200dpi on PET film, achieves 5B adhesion (ASTM D3359 standard), and resists scratches >5,000 times (conventional ink ≤1,000 times).
Both economic benefits and environmental protection. The overall cost of high-resolution inkjet printing is 42% lower than offset printing (short printing ≤500 copies), and the equipment investment recovery cycle is shortened to 18 months (offset printing 36 months). JetPress’s 750S can produce 3,600 B1 format (720×1020mm) full-color prints per hour, with power consumption as low as 2.1kW·h (offset press ≥15kW·h) and VOCs emission <5g/m² (solvent-based ink ≥50g/m²).
The second-generation technology will have quantum dot ink injection (130% color gamut extended to Rec.2020) and AI real-time calibration (detection speed 0.01 SEC/pixel), with the hope of raising the printing resolution to 10,000dpi. Zeiss Laboratories has demonstrated the ability to print circuit patterns with a line width of 10nm (error ±0.3nm) on the wafer surface using two-photon polymeric inkjet technology, offering a cost-saving solution compared to semiconductor lithography.