Low-Cost Printed Flexible Antenna by Using an Office Printer for Conformal Applications

Table 1

Comparison between the office inkjet printer and commercially Dimatix 2800 series.

Properties	Dimatix printer 2800 series	Office inkjet printer with AgNP ink.
Cost of the printer	Very expensive > 30,000$	Very cheap < 600$
Cost of the ink	Expensive > 1000$	Cheap < 400$
Postprocessing	Annealing processes for 4 hrs in an expensive industrial oven	Instantly cured ink
Preheating	Heating vacuumed platen up to 60°C	Not required
Conductivity	1.6 × 10^6 S/m (single layers, at 200°C)	1.11 × 10^7 S/m (single layer, at room temperature)
Annealing temperature	Up to 120°C for 10 hours	Instantly cured
Low-cost glossy paper and PET substrate	Not possible	Possible
Layer thickness	450 nm	300 nm
Sheet resistance of a single layer	9 Ω/sq at 100°C after 1 hour	0.3 Ω/sq at room temperature after 10 min