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Behind the Scenes at Zink: Where Color Magic Happens

The research floor of Zink Imaging, in Bedford, Mass., has the traditional trappings of a chemistry laboratory mixed with art and electronics

IEEE Spectrum
30 Oct 2009
Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
THE COLORMAKERS: Brian Busch, Stephen Herchen, and J.C. Van Dijk [from left] and dozens of other engineers and scientists took ink-free color technology under development at Polaroid Corp. and made it a reality at Zink Imaging.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
CLOSE-UP: Zink technologists continue to perfect the chemistry and the electronics that make Zink printing possible. The microscopy lab analyzes chemicals and coatings; the electron microscope images are an art form in themselves.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
COOKING UP COLORS: The first part of the process is making the unique molecules that, when melted, go from colorless to cyan, magenta, and yellow, the basic building blocks of all printed colors.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
LINING UP THE CANDIDATES: The resulting molecules are produced in small batches.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
TESTING, TESTING… Researchers then analyze the chemicals’ different properties. It’s not only their color that’s important but also their heat and light stability, melting point, efficiency in creating color, cost, and ease of manufacturing.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
…AND MORE TESTING: High-pressure liquid chromatography machines determine the chemical composition of a solution, providing a check on the purity of the components that go into Zink paper.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
MELTING POINTS: Researchers use this machine to analyze the melting points of various chemicals.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
ON THE SURFACE: Then the researchers must apply the different molecules as coatings onto what will become the final product—Zink paper. Controlling the coating equipment and precisely applying the layers of chemicals requires a bank of pumps and pressure sensors.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
PAPER CHASE: Test-coating equipment spits out rolls of Zink paper.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
ONE MORE CHECK: Test prints let researchers understand exactly how the paper performs.
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Photo: Joshua Dalsimer
GETTING THE PICTURE: Finally, Zink technology is put to the test, doing what it was truly meant to do—produce photographic prints. These 8- by 10-inch test images are the result.
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