If you want to buy a color printer, there are three choices: color inkjet printer, color laser printer or solid ink printer. Both color inkjet and color laser printers have been around for a long time while solid ink printers are relatively new to most people. So what are the differences among solid ink vs color inkjet vs color laser printers?

Color inkjet printers require a low initial investment but the liquid ink runs out quickly and the replacement ink cartridges are expensive. Color inkjet printers print slowly but there is no warm up time. The ink may smear on some papers and the printout is not resistant to light and water. In general, color inkjet printer can produce good quality text and excellent images on special paper.

Color laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers. The replacement toner cartridges are also costly although they can usually last for a long time. Color laser printers have a high print speed but they do require warm up time. Because of the complex design, laser printers are bulky and take up a lot of space. Color laser printers can produce excellent text quality but unless you buy the high end color laser printers, they are less capable of producing high quality images. Unlike inkjet cartridges, it is less common to refill the toner cartridges. The empty cartridges produce lot of waste and take a long time to decompose in landfill.

Solid ink printers use ink sticks instead of cartridges. The ink sticks are in solid form at room temperature. When they are heated to a specific temperature, they are melted and applied through the print head. Once printed on the media, they return to solid form immediately. The way solid ink works give them some distinct advantages over color inkjet and color laser printers.

1) The wax based ink produces good quality text, vivid colors and bright images on a wide range of media.

2) The ink sticks can be used up entirely for printing, there is no empty cartridge left.

3) Solid ink printers have simple design, so they are more compact and affordable than color laser printers.

4) Unlike color inkjet printers, solid ink printers can print at a high speed and are good at high volume printing.

5) Replacement solid ink sticks are more affordable than color inkjet or color laser cartridges.

6) Solid ink sticks are easy to use and handle, there is no leaking and spillage.

However, solid ink printers also have some disadvantages, such as longer warm up time, higher power consumption as the ink has to be heated even at standby mode. The wax based ink is difficult to write on and is not resistant to sunlight.

In summary, if you want to buy a color printer for occasional color printing at home, a color inkjet printer will be a good choice for you. However, if you are shopping for a color printer for office use, you should do some research on the solid ink printers. The relatively low investment cost, affordable consumables, compact design and good print quality for both text and image make the solid ink printers an attractive choice for small businesses.



Thanks to Kwan Lo for contributing this article to our Inkjets blog:

Inkjet Ink Cartridge Refill

Can you answer Contributer :D’s question about Inkjets?:

I have an HP Officejet J5740 All-In-One.
Is this an inkjet?

Best Cheap Inkjet Printer

Inkjet cartridges came into light in about 1980, to print images on blank paper. These cartridges can be slightly more expensive when compared to other types of ink cartridges, because they have the capability to be refilled.

Inkjet cartridges are used to visualize images or any print transaction, and other activities related to printers. These inkjet cartridges work along with inkjet printers. By using these cartridges, the inkjet printer places small droplets onto blank paper via nozzles to develop any image or text. The amount of the droplet depends on the printer driver software that is systematized to place the droplets. The cartridge has various colors as in liquid form to develop a colorful/black and white image on printable paper.

Inkjet printers are capable of printing stickers, labels, posters, and documents, etc by using inkjet cartridges. Nowadays, these printers are also being used to develop attractive images on shoes, T-shirts, etc.

The drops of ink that come out from the inkjet cartridge to create images are generally between 50 to 60 microns. These cartridges come in different varieties, in various brands along with different options. The cost of these cartridges depends on their qualities and brands.

Since there are so many works which can be performed by inkjet printers, it is necessary to have complete information before purchasing the right inkjet cartridges.

The inkjet cartridge should be made by appropriate materials that not only increase the productivity level, but also offer better and quality prints. Therefore, never purchase local or average inkjet cartridges, because such cartridges may create problems for the nozzles of the printer. A well-suited and branded inkjet cartridge, especially ISO standard, can be more efficient and better than other cartridges that are available in the market.

Mostly, inkjet cartridges come in their individual sizes, which are designed to fit with a particular printer only. Any typical size of cartridge may cause damage to the printer’s nozzles. Always purchase an inkjet cartridge with its warranty (minimum one year). Most printers come with a warranty period, but in some cases the warranty can be canceled if the cartridges that are used in it are made by a different manufacturer. So, for the continuity of the warranty, it is essential that both the printer and the cartridges are designed by the same manufacturer.

Although online shopping is the easiest way to buy any product without going to the shops, always be careful when you are buying inkjet cartridges online. If you choose to buy online, be sure about the credibility of the site that you are buying from, so that you don’t purchase low quality cartridges.

It is best to compare the prices of various inkjet cartridges at different shops, as there may be a high difference between the prices of the same product in two different stores.

The importance of printers cannot be denied, but this does not mean that you should compromise on the quality. You may take a little bit more time in comparing and then purchasing an inkjet cartridge, but make sure that you are opting for the best one in the market.



Thanks to Stefan Rockhaus for contributing this article to our Inkjets blog:

Inkjet Glossy Photo Paper