Inkjet Printers ? The benefits for you.
There are several different types of printers on the market today, but the inkjet printer is the dominant force. This is largely to do with inkjet printers being the more affordable option while still being able to produce a good quality output.
It may interest you to know that printer manufacturers do not actually make any profit or sometimes very little profit on the printers they sell. At first this probably sounds crazy, but is a well used business model that can be seen in practice in many other industries. This type of business practice was first used by Gillette to sell its razor blades.
The reason the printer companies sell you the printers at a loss is that they aim to make their profits by selling you the ink for the printer. The printer companies have a huge mark up on the ink cartridges. This also explains why they are so keen to discourage consumers from buying replica ink cartridges.
How they work
The vast majority of home inkjet printers will use a thermal inkjet. Inkjet ink cartridges are pretty ingenious examples of modern technology in action.
Without getting too technical lets take a look at how they actually work. Within the ink cartridge will be a series of electrically heated chambers. Ink is dispelled from the ink cartridge as an electric current is passed through the heating elements. This process causes a droplet of ink to be forced from the ink cartridge and onto the paper, with any surplus ink being sucked back into the chamber. This process is replicated many times over at high speed in order to print your chosen documents.
The thermal inkjet method is not the only method used. There are two other designs of called piezoelectric ink jets and continuous ink jet. These designs tend to be seen in more industrial or commercial printers.
Advantages
Ink jet printers are a fantastic invention. They are able to provide consumers with high quality prints at a very reasonable price.
Do you remember the old dot matrix and daisywheel printers? If you do you will surely remember the amount of noise they used to make and the standard of print. In comparison ink jet printers are much quieter and also produce much higher quality. You can buy an inkjet printer that will produce photo quality picture prints, something that would have been impossible with a dot matrix!
Disadvantages
As we previously mentioned one drawback of the ink jet printer is the cost of printer cartridges, which can be quite expensive. The design of the ink cartridges does also mean that they are prone to clogging. As the ink used is water soluble it is also important to avoid even small amounts of water coming into contact with your finished document, as this will easily cause smudging.
Another disadvantage is the possibility of an affect called bleeding. This is when the ink is carried side ways and results in a smudged document.
Consumer Tips
Buy non-branded ink cartridges. These are often less than half the price of the printer manufacturers ink cartridges, but just as good.
Buy an ink refill kit. This is another cheap way of buying ink, although you should only refill your ink cartridges a few times.
Buy your ink over the internet as you will find some fantastic offers.
Steve Jones now writes articles for http://www.a1printerink.com
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Recycling Inkjet Cartridges
Here are a few facts about inkjet cartridges:* Over 375,000,000 Empty Inkjet Cartridges Dumped Each Year.* Statistics reveal that only 5% of all empty inkjet cartridges are currently being recycled. * E-mail has increased the amount of paper used in offices by almost 40%. * Plastics used in inkjet cartridges can take over 10 centuries (1000 years!) to decompose* 90ml of oil is used to produce each inkjet cartridge.* In the last six months alone, inkjet cartridge recycling has saved more than 50 million liters of oil. This is more oil than what was tragically spilled by the Exxon Valdez in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989.* Empty inkjet cartridges are THE most valuable post-consumer item.(http://www.empty-inkjet-cartridges.com)There are lots of companies on the internet that will buy your empty inkjet cartridges. This is an excellent opportunity for raising fund money for any organization from Boy Scouts to baseball teams or to...
Recycling Inkjet Cartridges
The Great Ink Cartridge Conspiracy!
Buying an inkjet printer these days is no big deal. A reliable printer can be acquired very easily through a store or online for as little as $50. Some suppliers are even giving away inkjet printers on promotions or as free incentives when buying other products. On the face of it, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass by - a worthwhile investment you might say. But, much like a traditional camera that uses film, an inkjet printer is only 'cheap' before you start using it.
The cost of keeping it in ink soon mounts up, especially when you're buying OEM (original equipment manufactured) inkjet cartridges as recommended by the printer manufacturer. Before you know it you'll find that you've actually spent more on the ink cartridges than you did on the purchase of the inkjet printer itself! If you're in this position - and let's face it, most of us are - what follows could be quite a revelation!Five things inkjet printer manufacturers DON'T want you to know? 1. Inkjet printer...
The Great Ink Cartridge Conspiracy!
Can I Use My Old Ink In My New Printer?
The answer is...yes and no. Whoh!That's not an answer. Well consider this. How many printer models do you think there are out there right now? 1000? 2000? Who knows. But one thing I do know is nobody, including me, is going to spend the time testing the wrong inks in the wrong cartridges all day long to see if it works."OK wise guy", you say, "can I at least get a reasonable explanation of why I can't use my old ink in my new printer?"Sure, that's an easier question to answer.
You see, everybody already assumes that they can before they even ask the question, that's why they word it that way. It's because of the people who sell those "one kit fits all" refill kits.All printer manufacturers do things a little different. Without getting technical, there are basically three different technologies for inkjet printers. Epson uses Piezoelectric, Canon uses Bubblejet and HP and Lexmark use thermal inkjet technology. An ink designed for Canon, for instance, has a much lower convection...
Can I Use My Old Ink In My New Printer?
Can My Cartridge Be Refilled?
New styles of inkjet cartridges are entering the market all the time, faster than anybody can keep up with. It takes time for the remanufacturers to collect empties and tool up to refill them. Sometimes it could take many months for remanufactured or generic cartridges to hit the market. Bulk inks need to be developed or reverse engineered. For this reason we don't always have refill kits or bulk ink or cartridges right away for new printers.
What's a person to do? You ask, "Can my new cartridge be refilled while I'm waiting for the after market to catch up?". Thankfully the answer is a resounding YES! If the manufacturer got ink inside that bugger you can bet you can too. "What about the inks?", you ask. Many new cartridges are just re-hashes of the old ones with minor variations. While you're waiting you can experiment with your old cartridges and try to refill them with the ink you already have.
There are some guidelines to follow here though because I don't condone...
Can My Cartridge Be Refilled?
The Great Ink Cartridge Conspiracy!
Buying an inkjet printer these days is no big deal. A reliable printer can be acquired very easily through a store or online for as little as $50. Some suppliers are even giving away inkjet printers on promotions or as free incentives when buying other products. On the face of it, it seems like too good an opportunity to pass by - a worthwhile investment you might say. But, much like a traditional camera that uses film, an inkjet printer is only 'cheap' before you start using it.
The cost of keeping it in ink soon mounts up, especially when you're buying OEM (original equipment manufactured) inkjet cartridges as recommended by the printer manufacturer. Before you know it you'll find that you've actually spent more on the ink cartridges than you did on the purchase of the inkjet printer itself! If you're in this position - and let's face it, most of us are - what follows could be quite a revelation!Five things inkjet printer manufacturers DON'T want you to know? 1. Inkjet printer...
The Great Ink Cartridge Conspiracy!
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