Archive for the ‘Ink Cartridge Tips’ Category

In inkjet printing, a nozzle technology is used to dispense miniscule droplets of liquid ink over every inch of paper.  The smaller the drops are, the more accurate and vivid the final print will be.  Much like pixels of a digital camera, the higher the number, the better the color quality will be.  For printing with ink, the resolution of prints is measured by DPI, or dots per inch.  The size of the dots is measured in picoliters, which is a measurement so small it is unseen to most human beings.  This microscopic dot of ink is typically written pL, but pl is also widely accepted.

A picoliter is a subdivision of a standard liter.  It is estimate to be approximately one trillionth the size of a liter.  A liter is one cubic decimeter and a kiloliter is the same size of a cubic meter.  So, a picoliter is equal to 1,000 cubic micrometers, which are each one millionth of a meter.  Just one cubic micrometer has is equivalent to a single femtoliter, which is one quadrillionth of a standard liter.  To put this in a perspective that may be easier to understand, an average raindrop would be equal to hundreds of thousands of picoliters. 

There are two nozzle technologies that are used in inkjet printers.  One relies on heat, while the other uses vibrations.  The thermal method heats ink drops until they become vapor.  Once the vapor bubble pops, the vacuum effect pulls more ink into the print head, which is then distributed through the tip of the nozzle.  Piezoelectric technology uses crystals that can receive electric charges, causing them to vibrate and force small drops of ink out.  Even though there are two different methods used, both rely on the picoliter size dots to create a quality that is worthy of personal pictures and professional documents.

Inkjet printers are the most popular printing devices in the world and are typically found in homes but can also be used for offices.  Some of these machines are designed to handle mid-volume demands while others are intended to be personal printers that can only deliver a limited number of prints per month and per ink cartridge.  Opposed to laser printers that are built to print rapidly and increase efficiency in an office environment, the inkjet printers are more about quality and precision than speed.

Nozzle technology is a standard in inkjet printers, regardless if the method of printing is continuous, thermal or piezoelectric.  The drop-on-demand technology ensures that each inch of paper will be covered with small droplets of ink, measured in picoliters.  Depending on the speed of operation and the amount of nozzles, different amounts of dots per inch are delivered, creating the DPI resolutions that print quality is based on.

Different numbers and types of printhead reside in various machines, and each has a certain number of nozzles attached to it.  There is a chamber that sits behind the nozzles, typically that creates a heating element which causes the ink to bubble.  This bubble provides the pressure to push these droplets of ink out of the nozzles.  The piezoelectric method does not use a the heat-fueled technique, rather the chamber contains piezoelectric materials, which ultimately just means a form of electricity is used to create the pressure needed to push ink through.

Brother and Epson printers are the only ones that will use the piezo systems.  Most manufacturers prefer the standard drop-on-demand technology as it is more reliable and more affordable.  The piezoelectric method may be able to reach higher resolutions, but not enough to make a significant different.  Either printing method will produce professional-quality text documents and lab-quality photos, as it is the nozzles the deliver the precision.

If printing photos at home is something that is appealing, be sure to find the very best products to create the very best results.  This is not completely contingent upon the printer itself, it also is influenced by the type of ink being used.  Many modern inkjet printers that are designed for professional photo printing have a special photo ink.  Depending on the machine, the photo ink is required or optional, but certainly a must for the highest quality possible.

The photo ink cartridge will look just like a standard inkjet cartridge.  It will be simple to install and remove, though it may not be as readily available from every vendor as regular ink cartridges.  Photo ink also runs a bit more expensive, but undoubtedly is worth the extra cost.  Not only will this ink help create pictures that are vivid and precise, but it allows a printer to duplicate the colors from the original scene more accurately than with standard printer ink.

Photo ink is designed to last longer than other inkjet ink, and promises not to smudge or fade.  It adheres to the paper in a way that prevents any running post-production.  It is, however, imperative to print on specialized paper if desiring the best pictures possible.  Special photo ink dispersed on glossy or matte paper will blend a bright and crisp image that mirrors the results from an actual film processor.  Be sure to set the printer settings so it emits the appropriate amount of ink onto whichever canvas that is being used.

Even without photo ink, inkjet printers deliver impressive photos.  The standard ink photos will appease the needs of most, but for users in search of the best, photo ink is the only way to go.  This high-grade liquid ink will provide pictures that will look like they came straight from the dark room.

Piezo Technology, also referred to as piezoelectric inkjet technology, is commonly found in inkjet printers that are used for commercial or industrial purposes.  Epson also uses this technology for its consumer printers.  It is one of three types of printheads.  Discovered in 1880 by Jacques and Pierre Currie, this pressure-based system of printing has been developed to create some of the most vivid and long-lasting prints possible.  Interestingly enough, this discovery was made while studying crystals and how electrical charges can be generated by pressure.

The word Piezo comes from the Greek word ‘piezein’, which means to push or to squeeze.  Inside the printer is a printhead with a series of nozzles attached to it.  The nozzles hold the ink.  Behind the printhead is a pocket full of piezo-ceramic material.  A voltage is sent through the machine when something needs to be printed, which changed the size and shape of that material.  When those changes occur, pressure is generated and ultimately forces droplets of ink out of the nozzle and onto the paper.  Resolution of a print is based on the amount of droplets per inch of paper.

This method of application is actually very similar to the most commonly used method which is thermal printing.  Thermal technology uses a thermal printhead.  When in use, the coated paper passes over the heated printhead and turns black in the designated area, creating an image.  The main difference is that no heat is used in Piezo technology, thus a wider variety of ink can be used.  However, ink developed for piezoelectric technology is more expensive than regular inkjet ink.

Overall, depending on your printing needs, an inkjet printer that uses Piezo technology may be a better choice than the standard inkjet printer.  For instance, the ‘use-before’ dates found on products is done with the piezoelectric printing method.

When consumers are looking for replacement ink for their inkjet printers, they will often come across two separate options: pigment-based ink and dye-based ink.  This can be confusing to those who do not know the difference, which is most like the majority of people.  The only thing that will be obvious to everyone is the fact that pigment-based ink is more expensive than dye-based ink.  This is a list of reasons these inks are different, and which the right choice is for you.

• Dye-based ink spreads out more thinly on the paper, thus is more subject to light and will fade.
• Pigment-based ink spreads in large drops, so it will not fade as easily and will last longer.
• Dye dissolves in water, similar to sugar, so if a piece of paper gets wet once it has been printed on, the dye-based ink will smear.
• Pigment-based dye does not dissolve and can withstand light water and will not smear because it is embedded into the fibers of the paper.
• Pigment-based black ink is considerably lighter than dye-based black ink
•  Dye-based black ink is usually found in monochrome printers
• Pigment-based is usually found in color-capable printers even though the dye-based ink can produce more vivid colors.  The reason is because the pigment-based color inks will not run together
• In some printers, an addition dye-based ink will be available for photo printing because the color spectrum is wider and this kind of ink runs less on glossy or photo paper.
• Pigment-based ink is more expensive to make, thus more expensive to purchase

Overall, both types of ink have perks and downfalls. If a consumer is in need of a printer for simple, standard text documents, a unit using dye-based ink will be the best match.  On the other hand, if the user needs to print color documents or documents that will last for years to come, a machine with a pigment-based ink system would be better.

Recently, eReaders have become popular among the masses. While they don’t have the same beauty or durability that a real life book has, they also don’t have the same weight either. One of the most inconvenient things about books is the fact that you have to lug them and their poundage around. If you’re in school, you know how annoying it is to have a backpack full of books. If you are a part of the thousands who have purchased Kindles, you know how great they can be. What some don’t know, though, is that it is actually possible to print from your Kindle.

First, turn your Kindle on and open the article, book or page you want to print out. Highlight whatever text you want printed. Move your cursor to the beginning of the desire text and press on your select wheel. On your Kindle menu, click on the “Add Highlight” option. Scroll down until you get to the end of the passage of text you are printing, and then click on the wheel again. Your passage should be highlighted. When you do this, your passage should automatically be copied and saved to your “My Clippings” file.

Using a USB cable, connect your computer and Kindle to one another. Open up your Kindle files. A folder should appear on your screen after you’ve connected the two. Open the file up. You now want to copy and paste this file from your Kindle to your desktop on your computer. Depending on how much you need to print out, repeat the process a couple of times.

Next open up the PDF file you have created. Once it is up, simply click “Print” on the toolbar on the top of the PDF viewer. You should be able to easily print out anything from a Kindle using these steps.

Generally updating firmware on your printer is a good thing. Firmware is software on your printer that controls the basic hardware functions. The firmware is essentially the layer between your printer’s hardware and the print driver, controlling the basic hardware functions. Firmware updates generally fix hardware bugs, improve printer/scanner performance, add new features and fix support issues. However, nowadays, we are seeing more and more that these firmware updates do one more thing—they take away some inkjet printers’ ability to read remanufactured ink cartridges. This means that you must use the genuine OEM cartridges directly from the manufacturer. If you used to be able to use remanufactured cartridges, but no longer can, this is probably the reason.

Why is this a problem? Well if you like to save money, this is a major problem. In some cases remanufactured cartridges can cost only a fourth of fifth of the OEM price. Over a year, that can save a good amount of money. Over the course of the printer’s lifetime, it’s amazing how much money you can save. Essentially these products make it impossible for printers to read anything but the OEM cartridges.

Remanufactured cartridges are just as good as the OEM product. They last the same amount of time, hold the same amount of ink and exert the same amount of quality. Buyers who are economical know that remanufactured cartridges are the only way to go! No wonder manufacturers are trying to get money from customers by making it impossible to use remanufactured products.

So far, Lexmark and Dell are the only manufacturers that are known to have put these blockers on their products; however, there is always a chance these problems could arise with other manufacturers.

How do you protect yourself? For now, try not to make any firmware updated to your inkjet printer. In doing so you will ensure that you can keep on saving money and resources.

One thing people always want to know is how much ink is left in their cartridges. Although some units make it very obvious when they are running low, some don’t. HP has created a multitude of inkjet printers, and although some are very easy to figure out there are some that you may have to do a little more work on. Below is a general explanation of how to check the amount of ink in your cartridges. Though this won’t work for every HP inkjet printer, it will work for most.

Check and make sure that your computer and printer are connected together via USB, ethernet or parallel port.

Click on the “Start” menu button at the bottom left corner of your computer screen. When that pops up, click on the “Settings” option. A list of different functions should pop up on the left side of the settings button. Click on the option called “Control Panel”.

Now, you will need to double click on the “printer/fax” icon on your window. Now you will need to click on the right icon for your specific printer, followed by the “Preferences” tab.

Once you have made it to this step, choose “Service this device”. You should find a button on the menu just activated.

There will be an “Estimated ink level” tab and a graphic that comes up telling you exactly how much ink or toner you have left in your cartridge.

If you are using a Deskjet in particular, you will need to follow the same instructions, but instead of hitting “Control Panel” on the third step you will need to choose “Print Settings” then “Printer Toolbox”.  You will here have the same chance to choose “Estimated Ink Level”.

Though not all HP inkjet printers can be tested this way, most can. If following these instructions does not give you the correct ink levels, you may need to consult your user’s manual for more instructions.

The Lexmark P915 is a popular unit among Lexmark users. It offers photo printing at an affordable price and with high quality. Like most machines out there, though, you don’t get to simply take the printer home and begin using it. There is an installation process and software you must download to get the machine up and running.

When you buy the P915, an installation CD comes standard. In order to download that, close any open applications on your computer and insert the software CD for your printer. An icon should appear on your desktop that reads “P915 Series Installer”. Click on the icon. When the series installer starts up, you should see a “Help” icon and an “Install” icon. Double click on the “Install” option.

There should be an authentication notice that appears next, click “Ok”. Now an introduction window will open. From here, click “Continue”. The computer will guide you through both “Readme” files and a license agreement. A pop-up will appear, and here you much choose a language you want your printer to operate in, and then choose “Continue”, followed by “Agree”. Next, you need to choose the operating system that you are running and click “Continue” again. After that just simply click “Install”.

Once the installation is completed, you should print a test page to verifty that your installation is complete and working correctly. You may also want to register your printer on the internet or check the Lexmark website for fun offers or updates.  Once you’ve completed the additional options, click “Finished”, followed by “Ok”. To close the dialog box, choose “Close”. This should create a Lexmark P915 folder on your desktop. Once this is created, you are ready to print.

If you have misplaced or lost your installation CD, don’t worry. Lexmark does provide its drivers and downloads, as well as many updates online for Lexmark customers.

A common problem that users of Dell printers experience is having the “Low Ink” warning come on when ink, such as Dell M4646 ink, is actually not low. Dell printers for some reason will display ink levels incorrectly quite often. Though it might seem like an annoyance, it is an easy thing to fix if you follow these few simple rules if you are using Windows operating systems.

First, chose “Start” on your menu. Once you do this, you want to open the “Control Panel”, and then choose the “Printers and Faxes” folder. For some versions of Windows, you can choose the “Printers and Faxes” instantly without going through “Control Panel”.  You will not have this issue with other brands of printer, such as those which use Canon CLI-8BK ink.

Inside the “Printers and Faxes” folder, find your printer’s icon, and click on it. If your printer does not appear in the window, make sure your printer is turned on and try these steps again.

Next, chose the folder marked “File” at the top until a drop down menu appears. From that, choose “Printing Preferences”.

Under “Printing Preferences,” you will find a lot of options and tabs for you to choose. The tab that says “Advanced Options” is the one you want to choose. Next you need to choose the “More Options” box. This is how you can make adjustments to your printer.

When  you reach the “More Options” box, you will be given two choices—to either display a minimized print status in the task bar or to not display the print status at all. Make the decision you think will be best for your home or office environment. If you choose to never show the task bar, you will not have to worry about ever seeing the message about low Dell T0529 ink.

Once you have chosen, press the “Exit” option to get out of the box. You will have to press “Ok” to get out of the next box, and then you are done. Just close out of any remaining tabs, and your problem should be fixed.