How Inkjet Printers Work

to the forums! All consumer inkjet printers use the same basic technology - they heat the ink which causes it to boil off the print head onto the paper.

The main difference in printers is how the print head and ink tanks are constructed:

- In some designs a print cartridge contains both the print heads and the ink. This tends to make the cartridges expensive.

- In other designs the print heads and the ink tanks are seperate. Because the print heads can be made to last much longer then the ink, it's theoretically cheaper to just buy the ink tanks. You might have to replace the actual print head every three years or so (depending on how much you print).

Another thing to look for is seperate ink tanks. It's silly to have to replace an ink cartridge with seven colours of ink just because one of them ran out.

If you're printing a lot you could also consider a laser printer. While they are more expensive to pruchase, the cost per page of actual printer is lower. Plus, in my experience, they last a lot longer.

The best manufacturer and printer model for you depends on a whole bunch of factors, including what you print (text or photos), and if you plan to refill your ink tanks.

In my experience Canon printers work really well, but you can't refill the cartridges (well you can, but the printer constantly complains). HP printers, on the other hand, seem to be easily refilled but I'd rate the quality as lower.

Inkjets spray tiny drops of ink onto a paper which is why they come out "wet" and tend to smear. Which is also why when you look at etxt under a magnifying glass, you can see hte bleed into the paper.

The method mentioned above is for Canon Bubble Jet printers, which are VERY slow, have expensive ink, but produce exellent photos

Epson inkjet printers, are much more reasonable than Canons on inkprices (at least they used to be) Canons cost less per cartridge, but hold less than half the ink of most brands. Epson aslo has high print quality, and the multifunctions tend to have the best scanners of any machines.

Lexmark is the worst on ink prices, and genrally speakingthe worst all around. Fine for the occasional user that just wants a free printer though.




Lasers use a laser to put an electric charge on a drum this drum is rolled thorugh a negatively charged dry ink called toner, which then transfers to paper. A coronoa wire then heats the ink onto the paper creating a permanent bond.

Lasers are DEFINTLY a much better investment, and it appears have really improved in printing photos. (You can always take your photos to a walmart for really low cost).

I purchased a laser printer in 04. Brother HL-1440. It came with a 3,000 page toner cartridge. I picked up a 6,000 page high capacity toner cartridge as well for under $50. (inkjets have between 200 and 500 page capacity by comparison). I have yet to install the high capacity cartridge!

I am thinking about getting a color laser sometime this year, and probaly sell my B&W laser to my aunt for her business.