“Printer Ink Cartridges - How On Earth Do They Really Work?”

Ever stopped to wonder what goes on inside a printer ink cartridge? These days, we’re all so familiar with the little plastic container that slips neatly into its slot inside the printer casing. And many people hardly think about what’s happening inside the inkjet printer once it starts to do its job. But printer ink cartridges truly are a miracle of miniature technology.

Of course, however sophisticated the inkjet printer itself, you have to remember that it all comes down to putting ink onto paper - usually in the form of a series of miniscule dots. Ink is sprayed out of the printer ink cartridge through a series of nozzles on the print head to form these dots, either by means of thermal technology or by the use of a small crystal. In the first case, the ink is heated to create tiny bubbles which force out the ink droplets (hence the term bubble jet that is sometimes used). In the second technique, an electric charge is applied to the crystal to push the ink out.

Now that most inkjet printers are able to print in color as well as black and white, they rely on at least two printer ink cartridges for these separate functions. The color cartridge contains a range of inks in key colors which are combined to create the full gamut of color values in an image. And it’s now possible to buy inkjet printers which use six or more colors of ink to deliver higher quality output - for example, for professional photographic work or fine art reproduction. These machines can produce subtler gradations of color and manufacturers often employ different ink formulas to achieve greater image durability and print quality.

When searching for cheap inkjet cartridges, you’ll notice that there are some makes of printer for which it's not possible to find true ‘generic’ alternatives to OEM products, because of the printer manufacturer’s patented techniques. But don’t forget that you may still be able to find remanufactured cartridges, in which a previously used cartridge has been serviced and refilled. But if you’re looking for the highest quality and longest print life for your document, brand name printer ink cartridges may still represent the safest option.