Zink (stylised as ZINK), a portmanteau of "zero ink," is a full-color printing technology for digital devices that does not require ink cartridges and prints in a single pass. The printing technology and its thermal paper are developed by Zink Holdings LLC, a US company, with offices in Edison, NJ and Billerica, MA and a manufacturing facility in Whitsett, NC. Zink Holdings makes all the paper; makes a printer for printing labels and other designs on rolls of Zink zRoll; and licenses its technology to other companies that make compact photo printers, and combined camera / compact photo printers that print photographs onto mostly 2×3" (about 5×8 cm) sheets of Zink Paper. Key licensees include HP, Lifeprint, Prynt and Polaroid.
The Zink technology started as a project inside Polaroid Corporation in the 1990s, which spun out Zink as a fully independent company in 2005.
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Zink Holdings LLC
Zink Holdings LCC is a technology company headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts (formerly Bedford, Massachusetts), founded in 2005. It develops what it calls "ZINK Zero Ink technology" and "ZINK Paper". Zink's Research and development labs and headquarters are in Billerica, with a paper manufacturing plant in Whitsett, North Carolina (using staff and facilities previously used by Konica Minolta).
Zink started as one of two major new technologies being developed inside Polaroid Corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the 1990s, with 100 researchers working on it. Polaroid Corporation spun out Zink as a fully independent company in 2005, with 50 of its staff moving to it. Zink first unveiled its technology in January 2007, at IDG's DEMO 07 conference.
Zink makes all the paper; makes a printer for printing labels and other designs on rolls of Zink zRoll; and licenses its technology to other companies that make compact photo printers, and combined camera / compact photo printers.
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The technology
The paper has several layers: a backing layer with optional pressure sensitive adhesive, heat-sensitive layers with cyan, magenta and yellow dyes in colorless form, and overcoat.
The color addressing is achieved by controlling the heat pulse length and intensity.
The color-forming layers contain colorless crystals of amorphochromic dyes. These dyes form microcrystals of their colorless tautomers, which convert to the colored form by melting and retain color after resolidification.
The yellow layer is the topmost one, sensitive to short heat pulses of high temperature. The magenta layer is in the middle, sensitive to longer pulses of moderate temperature. The cyan layer is at the bottom, sensitive to long pulses of lower temperature. The layers are separated by thin interlayers, acting as heat insulation, moderating the heat throughput.
Zink Paper printers
Zink Paper printers print photographs onto mostly 2×3" (about 5×8 cm) sheets of Zink Paper, though some print onto 3×4" (about 10×15 cm) paper.
- Dell Wasabi (PZ310)
- HP Sprocket
- LG Pocket Photo (PD233)
- Lifeprint
- Polaroid Grey Label GL10 (PLDGL10PRINTR) - produces 3×4" prints. Discontinued.
- Polaroid PoGo
- CZA-10011B
- CZU-10011B
- CZA-20011B
- Polaroid Zip Instant Photoprinter (POLMP01)
- Prynt Case (later called Prynt Classic)
- Prynt Pocket
Combined digital cameras and Zink printers
- Polaroid PoGo (CZA-05300) - a 5 MP digital camera that produces 2×3" prints
- Polaroid PIC-1000 - a 12 MP digital camera that produces 3×4" prints
- Polaroid Z340 - a 14 MP digital camera that produces 3×4" prints
- Polaroid Z2300 Digital Instant Print Camera (POLZ2300) - a 10 MP digital camera that produces 2×3" prints
- Tomy Xiao (TIP-521) - a 5 MP digital camera that produces 2×3" prints
- Polaroid Socialmatic - a 14 MP digital camera with 4.5" LCD screen, produces 2x3" prints
- Polaroid Snap Instant Digital Camera (POLSP01) - a 10 MP digital camera that produces 2×3" prints
- Polaroid Snap Plus - a 13MP digital camera with 3.5" LCD screen, produces 2x3" prints.
- Polaroid Pop (announced at CES 2017) - 3x4" format
Zink zRoll printers
Stylised as ZINK hAppy. Marketed as a "smart app printer". Launched in 2013.
- Zink Happy from Zink Imaging
- Zink Happy+ from Zink Imaging
Paper formats
- Zink Paper
- Zink Photo Paper (POLZPPxxx) - 2×3" (about 5×8 cm) sheets
- Zink Photo Paper (POLZ3X4xx) - 3×4" (about 10×15 cm) sheets
- Premium Zink Photo Paper (POLZ2X3xx) - 2×3" sheets
- Premium Zink Rainbow Photo Paper (POLZ2X3xxRB) - 2×3" sheets
- Zink zRoll - available in a variety of widths
The 'x' in the model represents the number of sheets of paper in the pack.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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