Inkjet And Laser Toner Purchasing

This guide will help to understand the differences in inkjet and toner cartridges offerings.

Introduction.

The supply industry for inkjet and laser printers consists of different choices for the consumer. The printer manufacturer offers their version of the cartridge which is called the Original Equipment Manufacturer, or O.E.M. In addition, there are companies that offer new compatibles which involves copying the product without violating any patents that exist.

At times,there are patents which do not allow for any type of copying. In this case, the cartridge can be remanufactured. This process opens the door for many differnt kinds of products and diffrent quality. A good remanufacturer will use only a core which has been tested. You must check the circuts and make sure pins fire and/or drums are not scratched.

At the end of each remanufacturing process, a good company can at times replace inside parts and make them as good as new. In addtion to performance, there is also a sustainable side to remanufacturing. Tons of plastic are saved from landfills as these componets are collectted and remanufacted and put back into the marketplace.

Inkjet

Inkjet printers work by firing ink onto the paper out of tiny pins. There are two basic differences in inkjet printers. One is where the chip to drive the printer is on the inkjet cartridge, and the other, the chip is built into the printer.

The rule of thumb is when the chip to drive the printer is on the inkjet cartidge, then it must be remanufactured. If the chip to run the printer is in the machine, then a compatible tank is usually available.

Compatible ink tanks are very reliable and perform well. They typically are engineered to avoid any patents that exist and emulate the original print cartridge. The savings to the consumer is significant and quality issues are rare.

A remanufactured inkjet cartrige is one where patents exist and a copy cannot be made. There is usually a chip on the inkjet cartidge which runs the printer. When choosing a remanfactured inkjet, quality can be a concern. A true remanufacturer is one that removes the foam and top and totally recycles the inkjet cartridge. Unfortunately, not all remanfacturers do this. When you pick a company, look for one that takes the extra time and steps to give you a quality product.

Drilling and filling with the use of Inkjet Refill kits can be trying. There is usually a great deal of mess and the proper testing to ensure pin firing cannot happen. Although this is the most economical way to go, it is not always the best way to go.

Laser Toner

Laser printers use a technology which transfers the image you wish to print onto an organic photo conductor drum, where the toner adhers to the charges on the drum and prints to the paper. These machines are fast and more expensive to use and operate.

Laser toner cartidges are remanfactured two different ways. One is when the empty cartidge is collected and checked for damaged parts. After cleaning the cartridge, it is refilled with new toner and sealed.

In addtion, there are times when the cartdige is collected and completely refurbished. All parts are replaced inside the plastic core and it is as good as a new cartridge. In this case, they are referred to as new compatible laser toner cartridges.

Laser printers are avaible in the black - monochrome and color in newer models. The expense increases with color laser printing significantly. Each color toner cartidge is sold separately, and you require 4 toner cartidges for each machine. You will typically find these in an office environment versus a home environment.

Fax Thermal Roll

Fax thermal rolls are for fax machine ink which use a thermal technology. Heat senses the print and puts the print to paper. Each time a fax is received the fax roll spends thru the paper length.

New fax machines use both inkjet and laser toner technology. The most economical printer is the thermal.

Color Sticks

A cross between and inkjet cartridges and laser toner, is a solid ink technology using color sticks. This application produces high quality print. The printer heats the color sticks to melt the color to print to paper. These machines are often expensive and used in an office environment.

Printer Ribbons

Printer ribbons are plastic casetts with inked nylon fabric which uses a pin technology to press the pins into the nylon and put the print to paper. A typical dot matrix printer uses 24 pins to form the characters on the page. The nylon advances as each print is made and continues in a circle until there is no more ink on the nylon.

Printer ribbons apply impact needed for multi-part forms and that is the major application. In addtion, most point of sale machines need printer ribbons.

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