Ultra K / Ultra black pigment ink from Precision Colors

[mikling]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140468304507

Should make grandexp happy now.

You now have amassed more knowledge from my work.

With respect to colorlok, the name might actually be misleading. Ink at the surface is not locked it but rather more exposed. Care to comment on that?
The name sounds like it locks in color and I am not sure it does a better job of doing that. I think you should change the name to ColorExpose. Would that be closer to the truth? Hmmmm....

Would I pay more for colorlok? No, I just buy the cheapest paper it works perfectly well for me so far. YMMV.

If HP can't get us on ink they want it from paper too. Nice. We all know that HP profits from this each time the logo is printed. Didn't we?

 

[fotofreek]

Until this thread I never heard of colorlok paper. I googled it and found a reference back to 2005. Through the years of reports on google there was only one person posting a question on several forums or usergoups and wondering if anyone had used it and whether it was worth paying extra for it. He had no responses on any of the groups. I saw no independent reviews. The only reviews were from the colorlok website and paper manufacturer organizations. Most of the google hits were reports that colorlok was introduced to various countries. Is this the best kept secret in the paper/printing industry or was it primarily an ad campaign that fizzled??????

 

[slocumeddie]

Grandexp

You sure have a way with words !

I suggest you give a class on how to make friends and influence people.

Then again, maybe you should attend a class on how to make friends and influence people !

Sorry guys and gals, I just could not help myself !

 

[ghwellsjr]

Grandexp
Do I not qualify for an apology too, I being dealing with paper companies for 47 years? :|

The Hat, I am sorry I don't understand why I owe you one. There must be a misunderstanding between us.

How about when you accused him of smuggling this thread when it was about "smudging with colorlok papers"?

The Hat, hum... I did not connect misconception or misunderstanding of colorlok paper with you at all. You said you had pigment ink smudging problems with some papers and this thread is discussing smudging with colorlok papers. I suggested to you to not imply the issues of your problem to the colorlok paper smudging issues some people have. They are different matters. You had watched too much soap opera on the internet. What you have done is you smuggled the thread.

In fact this thread was about Ultra K ink until I veered it off in the direction of ColorLok papers in post #13, so I want some blame for smuggling the thread, The Hat doesn't deserve any of it.

 

[ghwellsjr]

Until this thread I never heard of colorlok paper. I googled it and found a reference back to 2005. Through the years of reports on google there was only one person posting a question on several forums or usergoups and wondering if anyone had used it and whether it was worth paying extra for it. He had no responses on any of the groups. I saw no independent reviews. The only reviews were from the colorlok website and paper manufacturer organizations. Most of the google hits were reports that colorlok was introduced to various countries. Is this the best kept secret in the paper/printing industry or was it primarily an ad campaign that fizzled??????

Actually, I discovered HP's first ColorLok paper here over four years ago:

If you print on inkjet paper, not plain paper for copiers, then you will find the dye black ink will do better. You will need to print on inkjet coated paper if you print color text. So it isn't really that the dye black ink being so bad. It is really the print head for black text has larger nozzles and if you print on plain paper the dye ink is just no match to pigmented ink. But if you print color text on coated inkjet paper you will see a different result.

Thanks, Tin Ho. I did not know there was an inkjet coated paper that was not considered a photo paper. I will look for some. I do have some matte coated inkjet paper but it says it is photo quality and it does not run the dye black ink.

But I have a question: When you print on the inkjet coated paper with a printer that has pigment black ink, do you tell the printer that you are using plain paper (which will cause the pigment black ink to be used) or do you tell the printer that you are using one of the photo papers like matte (which will cause the dye black ink to be used)?

If the latter is the case, then it sounds like you would never ever use the pigment black ink so why bother getting a printer with it?

Well, I finally found some coated inkjet paper. It's made by HP:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06c/A10-12771-215521-322564-322564-81636-91536-91537.html

It's a great paper for pigment black and dye colors. You specify plain paper. Works great in duplex mode.
If the paper gets water splashed on it, it won't run, smear or bleed, but it will warp. It's 24 lb. and you can buy it at Staples or Office Depot for less than $10 a ream.

Anyone else know of any others, especially cheaper?

Then I started using it to print booklets on which I used a highlighter and experienced the smudging. However, since I was using an ink designed for BCI-3eBk cartridges, I incorrectly assumed that it had the same problem as Canon's OEM ink. Talk about being confused. I wish we had a professional who could always set us straight whenever we jump to an incorrect conclusion like that. It really took me a long time to figure out that the paper was to blame and not the ink.

 

[nche11]

Until this thread I never heard of colorlok paper. I googled it and found a reference back to 2005. Through the years of reports on google there was only one person posting a question on several forums or usergoups and wondering if anyone had used it and whether it was worth paying extra for it. He had no responses on any of the groups. I saw no independent reviews. The only reviews were from the colorlok website and paper manufacturer organizations. Most of the google hits were reports that colorlok was introduced to various countries. Is this the best kept secret in the paper/printing industry or was it primarily an ad campaign that fizzled??????

When you go to Costco next time just look for Xerox plain paper there. The paper is in 800 sheet realm. It has the Colorlok logo on the top. If you have not used Colorlok paper this is probably the cheapest you can get. If I remember it correctly Costco sells it around $8 for the realm. It has 800 sheets. When I last checked out plain paper at Staples almost everything 24 lbs and up cost more than $10 per realm of 500 sheets. Some are over $20 per realm.

I don't know why Mikling feels it thinner. If you don't know it is a Colorlok paper you will not notice any difference between it and regular plain paper. It is a little whiter at 96 Brightness. This Xerox paper is 24 lbs and is thicker than cheap copy machine/laser plain paper that is 20 lbs. I use it all the time. I like it for many reasons. It is a better plain paper for black text or color. For text the text is bolder and darker. It is sharper and crispier. You will have to use a magnifier to compare and see the difference. Colors are slightly more vibrant. Not a big difference but you can see and feel the vibrancy visiually. There is no question in my view that if you use it you will agree that it is a better paper. Since everyone has different needs for paper I won't say it is perfect for everyone. For $8 per 800 sheet realm it is a good bargain for me. Believe me. Just buy a realm and give it a try. You most likely will see the same things as I see. I use it for printing resumes and documents for conference material.

There is one problem that don't say I did not tell you. The Colorlok treatment on this paper is only on one side. The other side is just a regular plain paper surfce. Both sides look and feel identically to me. I have not been able to tell which side is which after using it for many years. I always have to test a sheet to determine the correct side with Colorlok.

Based on my limited experience with this Xerox Colorlok paper I agree with Grandexp that Mikling has a complete misunderstanding of Colorlok paper. Mikling said the pigment ink will smear on Colorlok paper. That is a misunderstanding. It is the opposite. You can give it a try yourself and see if you agree with my own experience with the paper.

If Mikling's ultra K ink smears on Colorlok paper there is something that makes no sense. Any good quality black pigment ink should yield better black text.

 

[nche11]

I seldom use highlighter so I really have no complaint about the Xerox Colorlok paper. Have you compare your Colorlok paper with regular plain paper to see if Colorlok paper is more problematic in smudging? I agree with you that it is not an ink problem (maybe slightly). It is mainly the paper that determines how much it will smudge.

By the way, Mikling has a lot of fans on this forum. But you guys need to be a little open minded. I had a few encounters with Mikling in the past and believe me I am glad this time it is someone else not me. I must say this time Mikling had shot his own foot. Pardon me for the language. People make mistakes. No big deal. Just smile and forget about it. Well, Mikling appeared still not believe in COlorlok. It's his personal opinion of course. And I do not agree with that.

Oh yeah, when I printed on the wrong side of the Xerox paper I can see the difference right away. It is an easy proof to convince.

 

[Stumped2]

I do work for a non-profit organization and send out & receive documents. Problem is when I get them returned it appears the letters were folded when the ink was still wet. So I started spreading them out on the floor & letting them dry for at least an hour before folding to fit an envelope. But it made no difference. I think it does not look professional for people to receive documents looking like that. I tried Georgia Pacific and HP papers and both were ColorLok.

In another thread, ghwellsjr suggested it may be a ColorLok problem. I recently tried some non-ColorLok paper from Georgia Pacific and there is noticeably less dry ink transfer, but not perfect. While ColorLok may not be creating all of the problem it certainly is contributing to it.

There is a color logo on the documents I print & I took a very wet finger (wet it under running water) and smeared both the color & the pigment black. The pigment black smeared a lot more than the color, even if I let the ink dry overnight. And the ColorLok was worse than the non-ColorLok, at least as far as the black pigment was concerned. My next step is try a different ink.

But I have switched to cheaper non-ColorLok paper because the results look more professional.

 

[ghwellsjr]

My next step is try a different ink.

You have always used OEM cartridges and never refilled, have you? Let us know which ink you plan to switch to before you buy any.

 

[ghwellsjr]

When you go to Costco next time just look for Xerox plain paper there.
...
There is one problem that don't say I did not tell you. The Colorlok treatment on this paper is only on one side. The other side is just a regular plain paper surfce. Both sides look and feel identically to me. I have not been able to tell which side is which after using it for many years. I always have to test a sheet to determine the correct side with Colorlok.

Does the packaging for the Xerox paper say that it is only treated on one side? And does the packaging let you know which side to print on? How do you test it to see which side is treated?

My HP Bright White Inkjet Paper is coated on both sides as a highlighter smears the black pigment ink on both sides.