Ink Jet Cartridges
July 19, 2007
Ink cartridges have an ink reservoir, a print head, containing one or more nozzles, and a method of propulsion, which forces the ink out of the head onto the paper and draws new ink into the chamber. Thermal printers apply heat to the ink causing it to expand and be forced out of the nozzle. Piezoelectric printers have a material that expands when a voltage is applied to it. This causes a pressure pulse in the ink chamber which propels the ink from the chamber. The physical properties of the ink vacating the chamber draws new ink from the reservoir. Piezoelectric ink cartridges are found in higher end and specialized printers, specifically photo printers, because they allow for more colours.
Colour Cartridges
Colour ink jet printing is done using primarily three colours other than black:
cyan, magenta and yellow, known as CMYK. K is for key which refers to black, and not an extra colour.
Some cartridge systems have 4, 5 and 6 colour systems. These are generally in photoprinters.
Combined or Dedicated
Combined cartridges will have all of the colours in one cartridge. Sometimes this includes black. Usually black will have a separate cartridge. The whole cartridge must be replaced when one colour runs out. This is a major disadvantage.
Dedicated cartridges have individual containers for each ink colour, which can be replaced when needed. This saves money by avoiding discarding colours that have ink left in the cartridge.
Inkjet Print Heads
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- Fixed (Permanent)
- Disposable
Fixed print heads are located in the printer and not the cartridge. They are permanent. This lowers the costs of cartridges, because the head is not manufactured into the ink container. However, when the head wears out or becomes damaged, the printer must be replaced.
Disposable print heads come either as a part of the ink cartridge itself or as a separate disposable print head. Print heads that come as part of the cartridge are replaced each time the cartridge is replaced. The cost of manufacturing these is higher due to extra parts.
Separate disposable print heads come unattached to the disposable ink tank. In this case, you purchase and replace the ink tank, but approximately every ten ink tanks you will need to replace the print head.
Refills
Refills will come in four basic types: manufacturer approved, known as OEM’s, compatible, refill kits and continuous ink systems. You can also get remanufactured cartridges, which may or may not be vended by OEM’s.
OEM’s are cartridges made by or approved by the printer makers. They are individual to each printer and cannot be interchanged. An advantage to OEM cartridges is that the ink formulation is specifically designed for the delicate physics of the printer. Ink clogs in the nozzles can be affected by ink composition, viscosity and so on, thus affecting quality or potentially damaging the printer. OEM’s are often designed to prevent consumers from using non-company cartridges. Warranties can also be voided by damaged caused to the printer from other cartridges.
Compatible cartridges are those not manufactured or sanctioned by the printer makers. Ink blends are proprietary, so they are not exact copies or OEM cartridges, but usually are satisfactory. The point to compatible cartridges are to save money, since they are significantly cheaper than OEM’s.
Remanufactured/Refurbished/Recycled
Remanufactured or recycled cartridges are cartridges that have been cleaned, refilled and tested. They are OEM’s but may or may not be sold under OEM approval. Be sure to find a reputable retailer with a generous refund policy, especially if they make claims that all of their wares are tested prior to sale. These are environmentally positive, in that they keep cartridges from loading up land fills.
Refill Kits
Refill kits allow you to refill an original manufacturer cartridge, saving money while protecting the environment. They will usually involve a needle of some sort, though this will generally depend on printer model. The needle will either be attached to the ink bottle, or will be separate and require you to do the ink draw. Some cartridges will simply open up to receive new ink. Most cartridges will not, and some will require special, usually economical, tools to create a fill hole for the new ink. This is most advantageous for combined cartridges, in which you might otherwise throw out perfectly good cyan or magenta ink because you have used all of the yellow.
Continuous Ink Systems
Continuous ink systems are cartridges outside of the printer that are hooked to the print heads. They hold more ink than a typical cartridge. These allow for refill, cost control, volume monitoring, less frequent replacement, and control of the types and colours of ink. Manufacturers try to make printers incompatible with these systems, however, work arounds can be had.
Intellichips
Intellichips, or smart chips, are a measure applied to ink cartridges to prevent the cartridge from being refilled or reused. They will also tell you when the cartridge is empty, but will sometimes do so erroneously. These chips can be reversed engineered (reprogrammed) or replaced if one desires to use a non-OEM cartridge.
