Solvents are now being produced in many guises from full solvent to 'green' solvent, some with a water base. These inks are designed to 'burn' into un-coated media like vinyl's so that once the solvent has evaporated off the media the colour is a nearer permanent part of the media itself. These inks can be highly durable and are generally for outdoor use with over five year durability. Almost all solvents used in inks that dry by evaporation are volatile substances and flammable to some degree. Water-based inks are the exception, but they also take the longest.

UV-Curable, pigmented inks available in cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan and light magenta are designed for reliable jetting, low maintenance, long printhead life, low cost of operation and long term outdoor display life — 2 to 7 years depending on application. SolaChrome-UV inks print directly on just about any substrate. Priced lower than ‘eco-solvent’ inks, ink costs typically range between £0.30 to £1.50 per square meter.

Dyes, which are also occasionally used in screen-printing inks, dissolve in the carrier (usually water based) and the ink cannot usually be separated out from its carrier. The aqueous inks have a wide colour gamut and can look 'photo-realist' but until very recently did not have good fading characteristics Now however Kodak and others are offering long term warranties when used with the appropriate media.