Ink cartridge

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An ink cartridge is a replaceable component of an ink-jet printer that contains the ink (and sometimes the print-head itself) that is spread on paper during printing.

Two cartridges docked into a printer

Each ink cartridge contains one or more partitioned ink reservoirs; certain manufacturers also add electronic contacts and a chip that communicates with the printer. See: Inkjet_printer#Underlying_business_model.

1 How it works
2 Variants
3 Other information
4 See also
5 Notes

[edit] How it works

Main article: inkjet printer

Thermal Inkjets: Most consumer inkjet printers, such as Canon, HP, and Lexmark (but not Epson printers) use a thermal inkjet; inside each partition of the ink reservoir is a heating element with a tiny metal plate or resistor. In response to a signal given by the printer, a tiny current flows through the metal or resistor causing it to warm up, and the ink immediately surrounding the heated plate is vapourised into a tiny air bubble inside the nozzle. As a consequence, the total volume of the ink exceeds that of the nozzle. An ink droplet is forced out of the cartridge nozzle onto the paper. This process takes place in a matter of milliseconds.

The printing depends on the smooth flow of ink, which can be hindered if the ink begins to dry at the print head, such as can happen when an ink level becomes low; dried ink can be cleaned, from a cartridge print head, by gentle rubbing with isopropyl alcohol on a swab or folded paper towel. ^[1]

The ink also acts as a coolant to protect the metal-plate heating elements: when the ink supply is depleted, and printing is attempted, the heating elements in thermal cartridges often burn out, permanently damaging the print head. When the ink first begins to run thin, the cartridge should be refilled or replaced, to avoid the over-heating damage to the print-head; see more at: inkjet printer.

Piezoelectric Inkjets: All Epson printers and most industrial inkjet printers use a piezoelectric crystal in each nozzle instead of a heating element. When current is applied, the crystal changes shape or size, forcing a droplet of ink from the nozzle. A piezoelectric inkjet allows a wider variety of inks than thermal inkjets but is more expensive.

[edit] Variants

Typically, two separate cartridges are inserted into a printer: one containing black ink and one with each of the three primary colors. Alternatively, each primary color may have a dedicated cartridge.
Some cartridges are specifically designed for printing photographs.
All printer suppliers produce their own type of ink cartridges. Cartridges for different printers may be incompatible - either physically or electrically.
Since replacement cartridges from the original manufacturer of the printer are often very expensive, some other manufacturers produce "compatible" cartridges as cheaper alternatives.
Some cartridge have incorporated the printer's head (most HP printers use this system). Usually, they are more expensive, but the printers are cheaper. Others don't include the printer head, but they are more economic and the printers are more expensive (for example, most Epson printers)

[edit] Other information

Typically, ink cartridges are very expensive. Many people, therefore, use compatible ink cartridges (those made by a company other than the printer manufacturer) that give comparable quality, but with considerable savings. Another alternative involves modifications that allow the use of continuous ink systems that use external ink tanks. Some people choose to use inexpensive ink, knowing that, in the long term, it may damage the printer. However, the cost savings of 4 or 5 refilled cartridges may well be sufficient to pay for a new printer. If the printer lasts more than that, they have obtained the same result (economically speaking) at a lower cost than using original supplies.

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 lose money selling printers and expect to recoup their losses by selling cartridges over the life span of the printer. Since much of the printer manufacturers' profits are made up of ink and toner cartridge sales, these companies have taken various actions to limit the options of consumers in using aftermarket cartridges.

However, many consumers have opted to have their cartridges refilled or purchased remanufactured cartridges from alternative companies to save money over buying new cartridges. This is a much better use of resources, much cheaper (as you need only buy the ink and some other small raw materials), and a whole industry has grown up around this idea. The legality of this industry was brought to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case of Lexmark Int'l v. Static Control Components. The Court ruled that reverse-engineering the handshaking procedure to enable compatibility did not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

There are several qualities and types of refilling, some of them being safe and successful, while other types can ruin the printer and/or give bad quality prints. Some cartridges sold as "new and compatible" are actually used and refilled by companies that buy used cartridges. The same applies to toner cartridges.

[edit] See also

Numerous fundraisers have relied on funds generated from recycled ink cartridges. A number of websites buy recycled cartridges, along with major retailers such as Staples and Walgreens.