How does printer ink work

Here in this post, we will discuss how printer ink in inkjet printers works. Let us begin with the basics. Printer ink has various ingredients such as pigments, resins, varnish, solvents, waxes, lubricants, etc.

The black ink is generally made using carbon black pigments. Titanium dioxide, on the other hand, is often used as a white pigment. Printer manufacturing companies or third-party manufactures of compatible ink cartridges do not share information about the exact composition of printer inks they sell.

The two main varieties of printer ink are:. The qualitative difference in the output produced by dye and pigment-based inks is hard to spot for inexperienced eyes. Regardless of the type of ink an inkjet uses, there are ways to make printer ink last longer.

The printer ink is held in a cartridge, identified by a unique cartridge number. Different inkjet printer models work with different ink cartridges. High-yield Epson or Canon printer ink cartridges, for instance, can print more as they hold more ink.

Consumers who print frequently often buy high-yield ink cartridges to reduce printing costs. A typical inkjet printer for professional use utilizes a black plus three-color ink system. The three primary colors include cyan, magenta, and yellow. The primary colors produce all other printable colors through blending.

Photographers, graphic designers, and others who require high-quality prints, use inkjets that have four, five or more color-inks. Most inkjet printers have a separate black ink cartridge. An inkjet printer may use a single cartridge that houses all colors or it may have separate ink cartridges for all colors.

Inkjet cartridges also have microchips and other small, electronic components that help control the ink spray and measure the amount of ink left.

An inkjet printer cartridge may or may not have an integrated print head. The print head is intended to last the life of the printing device but users have the option to replace it if necessary. Print quality can vary widely with inkjet printers, as most users are aware. Several factors can influence print quality, beginning with the resolution. The higher the resolution, the higher the image quality, because the resolution refers to how many dots per inch DPI the printer can produce.

Images which look grainy or ragged are produced on low DPI printers. The paper used can also affect quality, because low grade paper tends to allow ink to disperse on the paper, blurring the edges of the dots. High quality printer paper does not permit this, meaning that each dot remains crisp and distinct. Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a EasyTechJunkie researcher and writer.

Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors. Because of the expense of inkjet cartridges, a huge business has grown around the idea of refilling them. For most people, refilling makes good sense, but there are a few things to be aware of:. Check out this site for some good links and information about inkjet refills. Sign up for our Newsletter!

Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Computer Peripherals. How Inkjet Printers Work. By: Jeff Tyson. Inside an Inkjet Printer Image Gallery Inkjet printers shoot miniscule droplets of ink onto paper to create a seemingly fluid stroke. See more inkjet printer pictures.

The dots are extremely small usually between 50 and 60 microns in diameter , so small that they are tinier than the diameter of a human hair 70 microns! The dots are positioned very precisely, with resolutions of up to x dots per inch dpi. The dots can have different colors combined together to create photo-quality images. Contents Impact vs. Non-impact Inside an Inkjet Printer Heat vs. Impact vs. Non-impact " ". Dot matrix printers use a series of small pins to strike a ribbon coated with ink, causing the ink to transfer to the paper at the point of impact.

Character printers are basically computerized typewriters. They have a ball or series of bars with actual characters letters and numbers embossed on the surface.

The appropriate character is struck against the ink ribbon, transferring the character's image to the paper. Character printers are fast and sharp for basic text, but very limited for other use. Inkjet printers, which are described in this article, use a series of nozzles to spray drops of ink directly on the paper. Laser printers, covered in-depth in How Laser Printers Work , use dry ink toner , static electricity, and heat to place and bond the ink onto the paper.

Solid ink printers contain sticks of wax-like ink that are melted and applied to the paper. The ink then hardens in place. Dye-sublimation printers have a long roll of transparent film that resembles sheets of red-, blue-, yellow- and gray-colored cellophane stuck together end to end.

Embedded in this film are solid dyes corresponding to the four basic colors used in printing: cyan, magenta, yellow and black CMYK. The print head uses a heating element that varies in temperature, depending on the amount of a particular color that needs to be applied.

The dyes vaporize and permeate the glossy surface of the paper before they return to solid form. The printer does a complete pass over the paper for each of the basic colors, gradually building the image. Thermal wax printers are something of a hybrid of dye-sublimation and solid ink technologies. They use a ribbon with alternating CMYK color bands. The ribbon passes in front of a print head that has a series of tiny heated pins.

The pins cause the wax to melt and adhere to the paper, where it hardens in place. Thermal autochrome printers have the color in the paper instead of in the printer. There are three layers cyan, magenta and yellow in the paper, and each layer is activated by the application of a specific amount of heat. The print head has a heating element that can vary in temperature. The print head passes over the paper three times, providing the appropriate temperature for each color layer as needed.

Inside an Inkjet Printer " ". Print head - The core of an inkjet printer, the print head contains a series of nozzles that are used to spray drops of ink. Ink cartridges - Depending on the manufacturer and model of the printer, ink cartridges come in various combinations, such as separate black and color cartridges, color and black in a single cartridge or even a cartridge for each ink color. The cartridges of some inkjet printers include the print head itself. Print head stepper motor - A stepper motor moves the print head assembly print head and ink cartridges back and forth across the paper.

Some printers have another stepper motor to park the print head assembly when the printer is not in use. Parking means that the print head assembly is restricted from accidentally moving, like a parking brake on a car. Belt - A belt is used to attach the print head assembly to the stepper motor. Stabilizer bar - The print head assembly uses a stabilizer bar to ensure that movement is precise and controlled.

Some printers dispense with the standard tray for a feeder instead. The feeder typically snaps open at an angle on the back of the printer, allowing you to place paper in it.

Feeders generally do not hold as much paper as a traditional paper tray. Rollers - A set of rollers pull the paper in from the tray or feeder and advance the paper when the print head assembly is ready for another pass. Paper feed stepper motor - This stepper motor powers the rollers to move the paper in the exact increment needed to ensure a continuous image is printed. Power supply - While earlier printers often had an external transformer , most printers sold today use a standard power supply that is incorporated into the printer itself.

Control circuitry - A small but sophisticated amount of circuitry is built into the printer to control all the mechanical aspects of operation, as well as decode the information sent to the printer from the computer. Interface port s - The parallel port is still used by many printers, but most newer printers use the USB port.