The Basics of Printer Ink Cartridges

To many people, printer ink cartridges are all the same. One printer ink cartridge is no different from another printer ink cartridge in their eyes. Most of the time, lack of knowledge in that area does not have a significant impact in their everyday lives.

However there comes a time when knowledge of printer ink cartridges comes handy. When you find yourself buying a printer, it is advisable for you to know more about printer ink cartridges so you will know what kind of printer is right for you.

Here are the common types of printer ink cartridges for your easy reference:

Inkjet printer ink cartridge — These printer ink cartridges contain liquid ink, usually in black, and shades of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Black is on its own; colors are sometimes combined in one printer ink cartridge or in separate printer ink cartridges. The printer ink cartridges would have a microchip to communicate its level of remaining ink to the printer and computer.

Laser toner printer ink cartridge – They contain dry ink, and they print by electrically charging these particles into the paper. Usually these printer ink cartridges come in black but color toners are now available for color laser printers. All colors are combined in one toner cartridge. The lifetime of these printer ink cartridges is dependent on the number of pages it regularly prints. Each cartridge contains the dry ink, photoreceptor, waste toner bottle, and blades.

Aside from the most common listed above, there are other printer ink cartridges in the market, and they are:

Solid ink toners — They are usually used for photocopying machines.

Dye sublimation cartridge —They are usually used for textile printing. The cartridge is similar to a film and color is printed into the paper by heat. One color is printed at a time until all colors are layered and the final image is printed.

Then there are the obsolete printer ink cartridges. They are no longer in the market but knowing about them is interesting:

Daisy wheel cartridges — They were used for old school typewriters. A ribbon of ink is spun on two opposite wheels, and while the hammer of a typewriter's key is struck, it moves along to ensure fresh ink is imprinted on the paper.

Dot matrix cartridges – Their mechanism is similar to a daisy wheel cartridge, but the ribbon is now run along the length of the cartridge. The ribbon is placed between the print head and the paper, and the print head will hammer the ink into the paper with tiny pins to create the text and/or image.

Wasn’t that fun? Now you know the basics of printer ink cartridges. Although far from being an expert, you can now say that you have knowledge on the subject. You can now buy with confidence, knowing that you can point out exactly what you need. No salesman can fool you into buying cartridges that you do not need. Look out for those who will try to sell you daisy wheel cartridges!