What are Ink Cartridges?

Inkjet printers are perhaps the most common printer that is found in households and business establishments. It uses a replaceable ink cartridge for printing out text documents and images. Inkjet printers use two ink cartridges. One is considered to be the black ink cartridge. As the term implies, this cartridge only contains black ink. The other kind is the color cartridge. These contain the colored ink stored in individual containers called ink tanks. The number of colored ink tanks in colored ink cartridges depends on the kind of printer model. Standard inkjet printers generally hold three colors: cyan, magenta and yellow. Photo inkjet printers may have more colored ink tanks to allow you to print high quality colored images.

Ink Cartridges and Print Heads

The manner on how ink cartridges are developed by printer manufactures based on the print heads that are installed on the printer model. The print head holds the nozzle that allows the ink to be dispersed onto the paper surface during the printing process. Some of the newer printer models have included print heads onto their ink cartridges which prevents possibility of clogging brought about by long term use.

There are three kinds of print heads that are found in inkjet printer models regardless of the printer manufacturer:

• Inbuilt print heads. As the term implies, this kind of print head is incorporated on the printer itself.
• Disposable print heads. Unlike inbuilt print heads, disposable print heads are incorporated in the design of the ink cartridge themselves.
• Hybrid print heads. These print heads are a cross between an inbuilt print head and a disposable print heads. The print heads are built into the printer model. Unlike printer units that use inbuilt print heads, the entire printer unit does not need to be replaced when it becomes clogged or faulty. This could be disassembled and replaced with a new print head.

Hybrid Print Head Printer Manufacturers

Some of the printer manufacturing companies that have begun to sell printers with a hybrid print head are:

• Hewlett-Packard
• Canon
• Epson

Advantages of Hybrid Print Heads

The development brought about by hybrid print heads was brought about by the disadvantages of inbuilt and disposable print heads. Among the many advantages that hybrid print head printer models offer, the most advantageous for printer users is its cost-effectiveness. Inbuilt print heads have known to be durable. Once it is clogged or faulty, it could not be replaced. This leaves the user no other option but to replace the entire printer unit. On the other hand, disposable print heads can be too costly since every time that an printer ink cartridge is replaced, the print head is replaced regardless whether it is faulty or not. Hybrid print heads provide users the same durability provided by inbuilt print heads while allowing the option for users to dispose and replace just the print head when it becomes faulty just like a disposable print head, making it more affordable.

Tags: black ink, colored ink, ink cartridge, ink cartridges, ink tanks, inkjet printers, nozzle, paper surface, printer manufacturer, printer manufacturers, printer model, Printer Models, Reviews & Comparison, printing process, Reviews & Comparison, three colors | Category: Inks, Toners, Ribbons, Refill Kits | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL