Tip #4296 - Zink
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Q:
The other day, I saw something about a new product called Zink. It
sounded pretty cool, but I wasn't able to find much on it. Do you
know anything about it? If so, please share!
A:
You've come to the right place! Fortunately,
I have heard of Zink and I do happen to know a few things about it.
I actually saw something on WorldStart's message board about this
awhile back (thanks to user "sky") and at the time, I thought
it looked interesting, but I didn't have enough time to really check
it out. So, when I received today's question in my e-mail last week,
I knew it was time to look into it a little bit more. And boy, am
I glad I did! Zink is probably one of the most interesting concepts
I have heard of in a long time. Alright, I know you're all probably
dying to know what the deal is behind this, so let's give it a look
see. Here we go!
First
of all, Zink actually stands for Zero Ink
and it is presenting the idea of being able to print your digital
photos without any ink cartridges or ribbons. Now, I know that may
seem impossible, but keep reading, because I think they really have
something going here! The Zink Technology, as they like to call it,
works with a specialized Zink printing device and the company's own
Zink Paper. Zink has gone through a lot trying to get this technology
out to the public, including 100 patents, but I think they have finally
made a breakthrough.
So, how does
all of this work? Well, the key to the Zink Technology is the Zink
Paper I mentioned before. I can't think of a better way to explain
it, so this is what Zink has to say about their paper: "It is
an advanced composite material made with cyan, yellow and magenta
dye crystals embedded inside and a protective polymer overcoat layer
outside." The crystals are actually called Amorphochromic crystals
and they were finely tuned to be able to handle the color palette
and image quality that full-color digital photos require. Now, before
you print a photo, the crystals are colorless, so the Zink Paper will
look like regular white paper. Once the printing starts though, the
Zink device uses heat to colorize the crystals and print out beautiful
digital prints. Here's a diagram that may help you understand this
process a little better:
Now, I know you're
probably wondering why you would even want to consider using the Zink
way of printing. Well, allow me to give you a few reasons. First of
all, the Zink Technology comes with a lot of versatility. For starters,
without the need for ink cartridges and ribbons, the Zink printers
are very small and because of that, you can take them anywhere with
you. You can also use a Zink printer along with other electronic devices,
including digital cameras, cell phones, etc. That way, you can transfer
your photos from any device to the Zink printer and they'll instantly
turn into actual digital prints for you.
Along with that,
Zink promises you durable prints. The Zink Paper is made very strong
and it will protect your prints for a very long time. It is also very
dry, so you don't have to worry about your prints being ruined by
sunlight, etc., unlike some of the film we use today. The Zink Technology
is also very fast. When you're printing your photos, they're printed
with one single pass at a very consistent speed, regardless of the
size photos you're printing. Also, the Zink Technology comes with
no hidden costs, because the only thing you need is the paper.
As you can see,
the Zink company has a lot of great ideas for the future of digital
printing. They promise to continue creating new and even easier ways
to do your printing, but until then, you can check out the Zink Technology
for yourself. If you'd like to learn more about it, you can check
out their Web site here. Just click
on the links on the left side of the page to learn about every aspect
of Zink. Or, if you'd like to watch a video that explains exactly
how Zink works (I definitely suggest watching it), you can do that
right here
as well. The video starts as soon as you get to the site, so be ready
to listen!
The Zink Technology
is not yet out on the market, but if you're interested, you can fill
out a form on their Web site and they will notify you when the final
product is released. You can do that here
by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the "Where
to buy" link. I don't have an official release date
for you, but I know the Zink company is working really hard on their
new technology and it should be available soon. Until then, you can
learn all about it and you'll then be ready for it when it hits the
shelves. Zink is a really neat concept and I really do think it will
be the star of the next generation when it comes to digital printing.
It probably won't ever completely take over printing with ink, but
it surely is a good start. Check it out today!
~ Erin
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