Large format printers have more colors because they primarily use durable pigment inks, which have a narrower color gamut than dye inks. The additional color cartridges compensate for this limitation and expand the available color spectrum, resulting in more accurate and vibrant reproductions.
How more colors improve quality
Adding more colors expands the overall color gamut of the printer and enhances output in several ways.
- Wider color reproduction: Adding colors like orange, green, and violet allows the printer to more accurately reproduce brand-specific “spot colors” and other hues that standard CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) ink sets cannot. Some high-end printers can reproduce over 98% of Pantone-certified colors.
- Smoother gradients and tones: Instead of using small dots of black, a large format printer may use several shades of gray and black inks (e.g., light black and light light black). This allows for smoother, less grainy black-and-white images with exceptional tonal transitions.
- Reduced noise in light colors: Light cyan and light magenta inks are often added to improve the appearance of skin tones and other light-colored areas that can look grainy when reproduced with only the primary colors.
- Enhanced image quality: Extended gamut inks produce finer color gradations, which contribute to sharper, more detailed prints with greater depth and dimension.
For large format applications like fine art, signage, or billboards, the longevity and archival quality of pigment inks are critical. The compromise on color vibrancy and range is offset by adding more ink channels to achieve the best of both durability and color accuracy.