Inside View On Printers

Printers have certainly come a long way since the inception of the character and and dot matrix printers.

These ancient products (ancient in technical terms being as few as 10-15 years) were what are known as impact printers, simply because they needed to make a physical connection with the paper in order to achieve the ink-on-paper result.

Dot matrix printers came equipped with a group of pins that touched a ribbon which then connected with paper to produce the finished product. Character printers, which worked on the same principle as electric typewriters, used a bar or ball whose surface was embossed with all the characters you now see on any keyboard. These characters made contact with the ribbon, which in turn made contact with the paper.

Today we use non-impact printers - those that do not make physical contact with the paper to create the papered reproduction. The most prevalent for home or small office use is the inkjet printer - an economical choice for all but the most serious graphic arts requirements.

An inkjet printer produces the images and type it delivers from computer to paper by means of miniscule drops of ink. So miniscule, in fact, that a human hair would seem big by comparison. Standard ink drops of an inkjet printer have a diameter range of 50-60 microns. Arranged very precisely, these ink drops come in various resolutions (the higher the resolution, the clearer and more life like the output.) while 800x600 dpi (dots per inch) is a typical SOHO (small office home office) resolution producing quite adequate print quality, an inkjet printer can offer resolutions as high as 1440x720 dpi. Adding color to the mix can produce images nearly as high in quality as a laser printer product.

There are five basic parts to an inkjet printer: the print head assembly, the paper feed assembly, circuitry control, power supply, and printer ports.

The print head assembly is the heart of the printer workings. It's what brings the ink to paper by means of a row of nozzles. The print head may be part of the inner workings of a printer cartridge, or they may be separate parts. Cartridges are responsible for delivering color and shading. Most inkjet printers made nowadays offer color printing. Some may require as many as three distinct cartridges, but generally at least two - one black, one color. The motor is part of the print head assembly as well. It's the part that enables the ink and cartridges to move across the paper and produce the hard copy. It also keeps the cartridge stable when not in use.

The paper feed assembly includes the paper tray, which holds the paper ready for a printing request, and the rollers, which deliver the paper to the ink when a printing job is requested.

The power supply is simple - it's what gets the electricity to your printer so that it can do its job. Printer circuitry controls take the message from your keyboard and mouse and deliver it to the printer so that the requested hard copy can be produced. Printer ports, also referred to as interface ports, much like a telephone jack, enable the peripheral (the printer) to talk to the computer. While in older models parallel ports were the norm, the newest printer models connect via USB ports, which require a special USB cord.

5 Tips To Buying Ink Cartridges For Printers

$As a general rule, black ink cartridges are more affordable than color toner. When considering which to purchase, take a moment to think about how you will be using your printer. Will your printouts require color or will they work just as well in black & white? If the answer is ‘yes,’ you will save a considerable amount of money in purchasing the black ink cartridges.

$If you are cost conscious and also have a great concern for the environment, purchasing recycled ink cartridges may be your best bet. Not only are these more affordable, but they are also better for the environment as are other recycled products. One of the best places for purchasing quality recycled ink cartridges is Viking Office Products and Staples.

$When you purchase any type of ink cartridge, make sure that it is compatible with your printer. Many people are surprised to learn that ink cartridges are designed to be used with a specific model and manufacturer of printers, which should be clearly explained on the outside packaging. If you have trouble remembering the model number on your printer, simply write it down on a piece of paper and take it to the store with you. This will be the single most important information to have on hand when selecting ink cartridges for printers because without the right printer model number, you are not likely to get the right product.

$Because ink cartridges are sometimes very expensive, it is often possible to find a real bargain on a printer/ink cartridge combo. A recent visit to a local retail store revealed a single ink cartridge for $29.97. Just beside the ink cartridge selection were several boxed printers. Among them, a new printer and color ink cartridge combo, which was priced at just $34.95. When you consider the difference of only $5.00 and the fact that you could purchase a brand new printer and ink for almost the same price as a single ink cartridge, the better deal was obvious. In this scenario, you could simply resale your former printer on eBay and replace it with the new printer. This just goes to show that a little smart shopping can go a long way in terms of getting the best value for your dollar.

$The majority of ink cartridges for printers carry a manufacturer’s warranty guaranteeing your satisfaction. The only way to receive coverage as promised is to retain the original purchase receipt, ink cartridge packaging and warranty information. If your new ink cartridge should fail to work as promised, most manufacturer’s will either replace the cartridge at no cost to you or refund the original purchase price in it’s entirety.