Finding the right printer for you: Inkjets

Need help deciding on what type of printer fits your needs? PrinterComparison.com has a new series, “Finding the right printer for you.” Building on our handy guide of the same title, PrinterComparison.com will feature a different style of printer each week for the rest of November.

This week we will be taking a closer look at inkjet printers.

All about Inkjet Printers

All inkjet printers focus on creating prints the same way; by
spraying various sized liquid ink droplets through print head nozzles
onto the print medium.

What can be confusing is the method used to produce the ink
droplets. There are three sub-styles of inkjets out on the market these
days: thermal, piezoelectric and continuous.

The thermal inkjet is commonly referred to as a bubble jet, a name
made famous by Canon. The basic idea is the printer heats the ink
almost to the point of vaporization creating a “bubble” of ink. As the
bubble expands – and subsequently pops – the ink is pushed into the
printhead and onto the print medium.

The piezoelectric inkjet uses piezo crystals/piezoelectric material
to force the ink into the printhead. While similar to a thermal
inkjet, the crystals/material gives the ink a surge of electricity to
move it into the printhead.

The third, more industrial inkjet printer is the continuous inkjet
which is often used in large machines for printing packaging. The
simple explanation here is the high pressure pump which pushed the ink
into what essentially is the printhead.

The two more common inkjet printers – thermal and piezoelectric –
have their advantages and disadvantages. Thermal printers need to
stick to certain kind of water-based inks to help in the vaporization
and creation of the bubble of ink. But thermal printers often have
cheaper, disposable printheads, bringing down the initial cost of the
printer and perhaps extending the life of the printer but at some cost
to the consumer.

Piezoelectric printers can be used with a larger variety of inks but
the printheads are more expensive to manufacture and often can’t be
replaced without replacing the entire printer. On the plus side, you
won’t have to pay for replacing the printhead every other time you pay
for new ink cartridges.

No matter which inkjet printer you choose, these machines have a
relatively low initial cost depending on the features you want/need in
a printer. Where the manufacturer’s make their money is on the ink.
Ink cartridges are expensive to replace and on older, cheaper model’s
they will need to be replaced more often because of dual ink
cartridges. What I mean by dual is one black cartridge and one color
cartridge that usually need to be replaced within a short time span of
each other if you want the printer to keep operating correctly.

On newer inkjets, manufacturers have separated all the ink
cartridges so you can have up to five or six different colors
(including black) on mainstream models. On higher end graphic arts
models, there can be up to seven or nine individual ink cartridges.
The machines are smarter too; most are outfitted with optical sensors
telling the printer exactly which ink needs to be changed and how many
pages/prints the user has until the change needs to be made.

A final cost cutting idea for inkjet printers is refilling the ink
cartridges instead of replacing them with brand new cartridges. I
would suggest always taking your ink cartridges into a store that
offers a refill program for your specific brand of printer. Otherwise,
you can damage the printer and/or printhead.

Major Brands

Several major manufacturers sell inkjet printers on their websites
and through authorized retailers and vendors. Prices vary on specs
and brands.

• Canon – is
a leading manufacturer in inkjets although other brands are starting to
come on strong; their consumer inkjet line starts at $49.99
• Dell
– has several inkjet options in their “Home” section starting at $69 as
well as a recent partnership with Kodak on their new inkjet photo
printer
• Epson – another major manufacturer in inkjets; their line starts at $69.99.
• HP – features single function deskjet printers for as low as $39.99 as well as several other popular inkjet lines
• Kodak – a photo printer manufacturer that focuses on inkjets; their line starts at $99.99
• Lexmark – a sort of do-it-all manufacturer starts their inkjet line at $29.99
• Ricoh – specializes in laser printers but has a new inkjet/laser combo called the GelSprinter

Inkjet
printers produce vivid colors and can be purchased for a low initial
cost. These machines are usually space savers; perfect for personal
use and home offices.

While they can be great for office environments where users need to
print professional color prints, the high cost for ink and special
paper can be a burden for high traffic office environments.