ICC stands for International color consortium. ICM stands for International Color Management and is used by printer, monitor graphics cards, gaming, and color managemernt professionals worldwide. Of the original 8 member companies that worked together to create the ICC standards only 4 still are heavily active managers. The ICC and the ICM baseline standards in terms of color management are the guiding alogarithims that DRIVE COLOR OUTPUT as it is seen and printed. Without an "ICC standard" all prints would look different from device to device. WITH AN ICC STANDARD EMBEDDED in your files you can take an image from printer to printer and from machine to machine and it will print exactly the same everywhere you take it. ICC’s and ICM’s are very important part of color management and taking a little time to understand them is the first step in understanding color management.

The printer solution for permanent display. Inks can be of many types to include pigment, photo dye, solvent, eco-solvent, dye sublimation, gel, acid, ultraviolet, textile and direct to garment. Other types exist.

See also "Printhead". Simply stated, where you install your ink cartridges is the ink bay. This can be an area directly above the printhead or separate area where the cartridges are mounted into the printer.

The delivery system of inks into the printer. See also "Ink Bay". Many different types exist. From a combined ink carridge/printhead to separate ink cartridges to multicolored/combined ink cartridges.

Most Pigment Solvent inks today are ECO SOLVENTS whereby the pigment is the same and are ground very finely and then suspended inside a NEW MORE FRIENDLY SOLVENT liquid in order to create an ink, with less smell / odors. The pigment creates a lightfast material or ink that is more resistant to fading. Pigment based inks being made today may be over one hundred years lightfast. However, the lightfastness is determined by various factors such as the paper type, the storage conditions, and the place producing the ink. Do NOT confuse eco-solvents as being harmless, they are still chemicals designed to etch their way into the media and become permanent. Care should be taken with ALL solvents. InkJetCarts has long ago replaced all solvents with Eco-solvent inks.

Dye inks are water soluable carriers of dyes. These inks generally have a greater color gamut than pigment inks but there longevity can vary greatly due to environmental effects. There are variants like acid or AUV/ anti-uv / dye sublimation and other types of dye inks. All have their pros and cons but for the most part dye inks are shorter lived than their pigment ink cousin.

Pigment inks are pigments of color that are ground vey finely and then suspended inside a liquid in order to create an ink. The pigment creates a lightfast material or ink that is more resistant to fading. Pigment based inks being made today may be over one hundred years lightfast. However, the lightfastness is determined by various factors such as the paper type, the storage conditions, and the place producing the ink.

Pigment Solvent inks are pigments of color that are ground vey finely and then suspended inside the solvent liquid in order to create an ink. The pigment creates a lightfast material or ink that is more resistant to fading. Pigment based inks being made today may be over one hundred years lightfast. However, the lightfastness is determined by various factors such as the paper type, the storage conditions, and the place producing the ink. The solvents in the inks are very good at embedding themselves into certain medias from PVC and vinyls to other media as well. Pigment Solvent images will by far out-survive ALL other forms of imprinting for true outdoor work. Anything else is a temporary print. Most solvent Media and Solvent ink manufacturers will put a limit of 3 to 5 years guarantee or warranty on the products, but we have seen outdoor signs and vehicle wraps lasting well into 10 years or more and still looking good. Yes some fading was present but the images still looked acceptably well.