пятница, 7 ноября 2008 г.

Ink cartridges: How do they work ?

By Andrew James

Ink cartridges are replaceable components found in inkjet printers, containing the ink used for printing. Sometimes, the ink cartridges can contain the printer's print head. An ink cartridge contains one or more partitioned ink reservoirs and, additionally, electronic contacts and a chip to communicate with the printer (only some producers insert these in the cartridge).

Before printing anything, the ink level must be checked. If it is too low, ink may dry on the print head and lead to low quality prints. The ink must have a smooth flow in order to produce high quality prints. To clean the dried ink from the print head, it is strongly advised to gently rub the head with isopropyl alcohol on a swab or paper towel.

Often, ink cartridges are extremely expensive, so many people started to use compatible ink cartridges produced by a company other than the printer manufacturer. Depending on the company, compatible ink cartridges can sometimes be of the same quality as original cartridges and save you some money. Some people have made some modifications to the printer to allow the use of continuous ink systems. In these cases, the ink comes from external ink tanks. Another alternative is to use aftermarket inks to refill your own cartridge or take it to a local refiller.

Consumers are often surprised at the price of replacing their printer cartridges, especially when compared with that of purchasing a brand new printer. The major printer manufacturers, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Dell, Canon, Epson and Brother often break even or loose money selling printers, and expect to recoup their losses by selling expensive cartridges over the life span of the printer. Since much of the printer manufacturer's profits are made up of ink and toner cartridge sales, some of these companies have taken various actions against aftermarket cartridges. Sometimes, even legal action was taken.

Recently, many printer owners prefer to refill their used cartridges or even buy remanufactured cartridges from third parties rather than buying expensive new cartridges. Since they only need to buy the ink and a few other small raw materials, it is much cheaper and quality is almost the same. Customers can find different qualities and types of refilling. However, some of them can damage the printer and lead to low quality prints. People take their empty cartridges to refillers or remanufacturers, or simply buy store branded ink.

The cheapest way to get a filled cartridge is to refill it yourself. Almost all cartridges have instructions on how to use and refill them available on the Internet. The Internet can also provide a list of bulk ink sellers that offer pints, quarts, and even gallons of ink. A pint (473 ml) can fill up to 17 large ink cartridges of 27 ml capacity.

Generally speaking, Brother, Canon, Dell, HP, and Lexmark cartridges are not difficult to refill (sometimes a syringe and ink are enough), while Epson cartridges usually require the additional purchase of a chip resetter to reset the counter chip inherent in the Epson cartridges. However, since it involves handling ink, the refill process can be inherently messy until some experience has been acquired.

Laser/toner cartridges found as "compatible" are, in most of the cases, refilled cartridges. However, you can find many third-party newly manufactured cartridges. On the other hand, inkjet cartridges sold as "compatible" are newly produced. "Remanufactured" inkjet cartridges have been used by consumers and then refilled by a third party. Be very careful what you buy. Used cartridges may not work as newly manufactured ones.

About the Author:

Комментариев нет: