Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Secrets Of The Inkjet Printer

By Courtney Taylor

Before reading any further, take a quick look to your right and left. There is a good chance while scanning the area around your computer you saw an inkjet printer. And if you are like me, your brain wonders just how the printer and the inkjet cartridges within work.

Inkjet printers have been around for about thirty years. Over this time the lucrative industry of the inkjet printer and accessories, such as ink cartridges and ink refills, have flourished.

The inkjet printer alone does not make a profit. It is the companion products, like inkjet catridge toner, refill ink and other print supplies that bring in the big bucks.

The inkjet printer uses extremely small drops of ink to create an image. The drops of ink within the cartridges are around 50 microns, tinier than the diameter of a human hair.

Printer ink cartridges come in various combinations. The most common inkjet printers use a seperate black ink cartridge and a color cartridge to product an image. Some use a separate cartridge for each ink color.

The type of inkjet printer you use will determine what kind of inkjet cartridge you will need. For the most part, the ink drops are produced by one of two inkjet technologies.

The first version relies on what is known as thermal imaging. Inkjet printers utilizing thermal technology create ink bubbles by using a heat vapor.

Once an ink bubble is created it will grow until it pops the ink out of the nozzle in the inkjet cartridge. An inkjet toner cartridge contains hundreds of these nozzles that fire the tiny ink dots.

Epson, though, patented a different kind of technology that uses piezo crystals. In piezoelectric printer ink cartridges, these crystals line the reservoirs of ink.

Vibrations within the inkjet cartridge are made with tiny electric charges. As a result of these vibrations, ink is moved out of the reservoir through the nozzle and onto the paper.

Whether it's crystal or thermal, both versions of inkjet printers remain more affordable than laser printers. Instead of using nozzles like an inkjet toner cartridge, the costly laser printer relies on heat and dry ink toner cartridge to print images.

If you refill your inkjet cartridges with a refill kit or buy refill ink cartridges from a print supplies store, inkjet printing can also save you money. The ink refill process can be messy, however, and there are many stores that can help you avoid the hassle.

Retailers such as Cartridge World offer affordable printer supplies such as inkjet toner cartridge refills. These cartridges provide the same quality of new inkjet cartridges for a fraction of the price.

Knowing you won't have to mortgage your house to buy your print supplies, your mind can rest easy and begin to create an endless array of media. Inkjet printer cartridges can produce labels, shirt decals pictures and birthday cards.

Inkjet printers provide a wonderful world of opportunities to create and have fun. Now that you know a little more about inkjet cartridges, you can enjoy the wonder and magic of ink even more. - 15634

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