Can An Ink Cartridge & The Machines That Use Them Actually Be
Cool ?
by: Andrew James
First a little history lesson.....
There was a time, long ago that printers had ribbons and used dot matrix
printing to create tiny dots that, when looked at, were readable. Sometimes they
were BARELY readable, however. Changing ribbons and printing wheels to change
type face was a chore.
Then, in 1984, the first laser printer that used toner cartridges came into
being. Quickly, no one wanted a dot matrix printer anymore. The laser printer
caused ink powder from the toner cartridge to fuse onto the paper where the
program told the printer to leave ink. The output was much clearer and much more
professional in appearance. Very soon, dot matrix printers became known as "door
stops".
By 1990, inkjet printers that used drop-in ink cartridges became readily
available and very reasonable prices. These inkjet cartridges were very easy to
change without any fuss. The cost to the user, compared to the laser toner
cartridge, was significantly reduced.
So now it starts getting pretty cool....
Today, inkjet printers using ink cartridges are so affordable that every
computer owner can afford to own their own printer that is capable of using
photo quality inkjet cartridges or for less expensive printing, ink cartridges
that are remanufactured or "generic" or non-original manufacture. These inkjet
cartridges can even be refilled in many cases to save even more money.
The price of the machines themselves has dropped by buckets and what they can
do is way cooler than ever before. Not only can you print but also scan, fax
(many do PC-Fax which I’ll get to later), copy, make your morning coffee, take
out the garbage (ok not those last 2). Combining this many tasks obviously
reduces the number of different machines in your home/office but in addition
there’s only one manual you have to completely ignore instead of many (for the
guys reading this). The PC-Fax thingy I mentioned Id actually like to discuss a
little more about because I personally find this a fantastic feature. Basically
it means that your printer/fax/everything else talks directly to your computer
allowing you to send and receive faxes without any visible signs of paper
involved. For example if anyone was crazy enough to want a copy of this article
faxed to them I could do it directly from my computer without having to actually
print anything out.
When using inkjet cartridges that are photo quality, it is sensible to use
photo quality paper for your printing. This ensures the best quality print out
resulting from your inkjet photo quality cartridge. While these inkjet
cartridges will print on regular paper, it is a waste to place the more
expensive ink cartridge into your printer and then print on plain non-glossy
paper.
For every day printing in black and white or even in color, remanufactured or
non-original inkjet cartridges work great and save money for you in the long
run. As a general rule of thumb, you need to purchase twice as many black inkjet
cartridges because there is, on average, more black printing needs for the
average person.
Nowadays manufacturers are including more and more technology into their
cartridges and trying to convince you that their ink has that extra special
something. Epson uses DURABrite ink, HP uses Vivera ink and the list goes on. If
you ever get bored and feel the need to work yourself into a frenzy just try
surfing some of the major sites to compare exactly what one manufacturers ink
does compared to the next. If you come away from this sane you’ll definitely
know a lot more techie sounds words than you need to know now or in your next
lifetime.
Many of the latest ink cartridges have cool gizmos in them like small chips
designed to monitor the ink levels and tell you when its time to reorder and
even little LEDs for those of you who want their printer to light up like a
disco. The idea of the chip sounds great but there are cases where the chip is
telling the printer to stop working too soon or even to not work at all if the
cartridges inside are not original (there’s been at least one of the major
players recently sued over exactly this). To try and counter this a ‘chip
resetter’ can be purchased which basically tells the chip to do as its told and
keep on printing regardless of how much ink it thought was left in the tank. As
far as the issue with these chips and non original cartridges is concerned its
actually illegal for a chip to stop your machine working on this basis but
apparently this hasn’t deterred a few of the big boys. Whether a chip resetter
will fix this problem is uncertain.
No one knows what will come next in the world of printing. Just as the dot
matrix printer long ago became a door stop (mostly that is), it is possible that
within the next decade a new, less expensive, more user-friendly printing method
that is even more cost effective than inkjet printers using drop-in ink
cartridges will become archaic. For today, inkjet cartridges in low-priced
printer provide the average household with all the affordable printing from
their inkjet printer they need.
Whether you want to print graphics, brochures, or just letters, there is a
printer that uses inkjet cartridges for you. Choose inkjet cartridges that meet
your printing needs at affordable prices.
Bottom line is yep your ink cartridges are getting more high tech and cooler
(heck in the old days theres no way your cartridge would actually light up with
pretty colours for you and tell you when its about to run dry). The future is
certainly going to be interesting seeing what comes next.....
About The Author
Andrew James runs an online business based in Melbourne, Australia with
clients nationwide. As well as running a successful internet business
selling printing consumables and general office supplies Andrew spends much
of his time writing articles about different aspects of the industry to help
educate his clients and others.
The Cartridge Specialists
www.cartridgespecialists.com.au
info@cartridgespecialists.com.au |
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