In this digital world, printed documents are very useful in our life. Inkjet printer is the most common and popular printing device available today. This printer is mainly used by the people who need small amounts of printed documents and colored photos from home to office work.
If you want to know about InkJet printer in detail, this article might help you. What an inkjet printer is, how it works, what it is used for and whether an inkjet printer is right for you? In this article, we’ll try to inform you about these things.
What is an inkjet printer?
An inkjet printer is a computer gadget that prints text and images on paper by spraying tiny ink droplets. This printer is very popular because it’s affordability. The efficiency, ease of use and print quality of this printer have improved over time.
Here are some common features of Inkjet printers:
Print Speed: Inkjet printer printing speed is normally 4-8 peg per minute (ppm) for color print 8-12 peg per minute (ppm) for black and white print.
Print resolution: The resolution of this printer is normally 600 x 600 but depending on the model the resolution of this printer can go from 600 to 4800 dpi.
Connectivity Options: Back in the day, inkjet printers only came with USB cables but now this printer comes with various connectivity features like wifi and bluetooth. So you can now easily connect with all devices like phone, tablet, laptop and computer without any hassle.
Components of an Inkjet Printer
To understand how inkjet printers work we first need to know about the components of inkjet printers:
Print Head: This part contains nozzles, from there ink is sprayed onto the paper.
Ink Cartridges: Ink cartridges holds the ink. Some inkjet printers use separate cartridges for each color.
Paper Feed: This part that pulls the paper into the printer and helps the paper to moves at correct speed.
Carriage: It moves the print head across the paper.
Control Panel: From here the printer is controlled and it provides a user interface where you can check the ink levels, print status and more.
How Does an Inkjet Printer Work?
An inkjet printer prints by spraying tiny droplets of ink into the paper. Inside the printer, the printhead has small nozzles which moves back and forth across the paper.
Based on the file to be printed, these nozzles release ink in a very precise pattern. The ink comes from cartridges filled with CMYK colors and the printer mixes them to create different colors.
The printhead moves as the paper advances allowing the printer to produce images and text line by line. This process happens quickly and this is how an Inkjet printer works.
Types of Inkjet Printers
There are various types of printers available today. Each printer is good for a specific purpose.
All-in-One Inkjet Printers
This printer is also known as a multifunctional printer. All-in-one printers can perform every task related to print like print, scan, copy and fax.
Single-Function Inkjet Printers
You can only print with this printer. This printer does not have features like scanning and faxing, which make them cost-effective and best choice for users who only need basic printing.
Photo Inkjet Printers
This printer is designed to print images only. These printers use more colors than normal inkjet printers to improve image quality and their resolution is slightly higher than normal printers. Because of the additional colors this printer can produce more detailed images than normal inkjet printers.
Pros & Cons of Inkjet Printers
Like any other electronic product, InkJet printers also have some pros and cons.
Pros:
Low Price: This printer is cost effective compared to other printers.
Multiple Printing Options: Inkjet printers can print a variety of things such as photos, documents and labels.
Compact and Lightweight: Inkjet printers are generally small and lightweight, so it can be used easily on small spaces.
Cons:
Expensive Ink Costs: Inkjet printers have low initial cost but long-term costs are high because the ink used in InkJet printer is expensive.
Slower Print Speed: The printing speed of InkJet printers are slower compared to laser and InkTank printers.
Ink Drying: Inkjet printer’s biggest problem is that its ink dries up if not used frequently. So you need to print something at least once in a week.
Not Ideal for High-Volume Printing: Due to expensive ink and slow speed, this printer is not suitable for high volume printing.
Maintenance and Care for Inkjet Printers
To keep your Inkjet printer in good working condition and to extend its lifespan, proper maintenance is very important. Here are some tips:
Use the Printer Regularly: Regular use prevents the printer ink from drying out and print head clogging.
Avoid overload the paper tray: Overloading the printer’s paper tray will cause problems like paper jams.
Keep the Printer Clean: Dust can cause problems and mechanical issues with your printer, so clean the printer regularly and cover it when not in use.
Update printer drivers: Update printer drivers regularly to fix bugs and improve performance.
Conclusion: Is InkJet printer right for you?
If you need to print colored documents or photos an Inkjet might be right for you. This is a good option for those who don’t print too much.
If you need a large amount of color prints, then an InkTank printer would be a better choice. Because inkjet printer ink is too expensive and InkTank printers use refillable ink tanks instead of cartridges, due to which the cost of high-volume printing is much lower.