Printer custom ink sets

Question

Is it possible to create a custom ink set for an ink jet printer. So you can change for example the order of the ink channels from cymk to kcmy.

On linux you can change the printers color model from cmyk to kcmy, but my printer printed the same as before.

I know that it is possible for some printers with an RIP-Software, but these are very expensive.

I want to replace a pigment black ink cartridge with white ink, so I can print white on black paper. To print color the printer first have to do one white pass and then another one with color. The ink supply would be use an CISS, where I fill the one channel with white ink and the other ones with cmyk.

I tried using Ghostscript and changing the outputcolors, but my printer didnt even start printing. It just gave me an file with the name of my printer. Would it even be possible to directly print with Ghostsript to the printer.

I know that most printers use PostScript to print, but i dont know how to send it to my printer, because its connected with usb.

Answer 1

Thanks for expanding the description, this makes a little more sense. Some thoughts:

1. Can you even buy white ink? This would likely need to be pigment-based ink to be opaque. You generally can't use pigment-based ink with a printhead designed for dye-based ink, and dye-based white would have a hard time covering black paper to create a white background.
2. Is the idea to lay down a block of white or to pre-print white only where the color will go, which would be invisible after the color is printed? If the latter, is the printer registration precise enough to exactly match on multiple passes?

3. It isn't clear why you would need to change what the printer thinks is in each tank. Replace one color (say pigment black) with white ink and pre-print "black". Printers generally don't try to mix pigment and dye inks in the same place (at least for photo printing) because they reflect light differently and the mix looks weird.

   If this is the case with your printer, it will simplify dealing with the "wrong" ink color in the printer; if it replaces pigment black and the rest are dye-based colors, it will only use that color when it is asked to print black text. Also, realize that unless the printer has multiple printheads for pigment ink, you would need to use dye-based black for text, which won't be quite as intense as pigment black.

4. Is this going to be a permanent setup? You would need to purge and clean the printhead and the plumbing between the ink tank and the printhead between colors (in both directions), which can get pretty messy. It isn't the kind of thing you will want to switch back and forth.
5. If this will be for a limited one-time purpose, consider a different approach. Create a cut-out template and use it to apply something like White-Out to the paper in the print areas (you might need to experiment with different white substances to find one that leaves a surface that does well with inkjet ink; flat white paint or primer might be something to try). Then print normally. This eliminates the need to modify the printer.