The Ins and Outs of an Ink Jet Printer

Anyone who has used an ink jet printer before is likely to have plenty to say in regards to their experiences, usage, and their opinion on whether or not one should buy an ink jet printer. Most of the time, the reviews are positive, and that is why the they are so popular and used by so many people all over the world. This article is a review of how ink jet printers work, their advantages and disadvantages, and a guide to purchasing one so that you can decide if it is the right printer for you and your needs.

How Does an Ink Jet Printer Work?

An ink jet printer is a complex machine with fairly simple explanations as to how it works. It seems complicated, but the process is easy to understand with the right instruction. Most of the ink jet printers use thermal ink jets to power their printing process. This works by the ink jet chamber housing a series of electrically heated chambers that cause the ink to be dispelled when the electrical current runs through the chambers.

This heating process causes an ink droplet to be dripped onto the paper, and the additional ink is sucked up back into the chamber. This process is repeated quickly several times, unseen to the naked eye, and the dots eventually create an image that we see as a whole. Although the ink jet printers with the heated chambers are the most common, there are two other main types; piezoelectric ink jet printers and continuous ink jet printers that are primarily used for industrial and commercial printers.

Advantages of an Ink Jet Printer

Although the list of advantages for ink jet printers is not extremely long, the advantages are clear and make the ink jet printer a very popular choice for many buyers. These printers are known for their high quality and fairly inexpensive cost. While they are still expensive compared to the old-fashioned tradition of drawing by hand, these printers come at a cheaper price in comparison to laser jet printers or other printers that are used for quality pictures.

Ink jet printers can be used for many things such as photo printing, scrap booking, printing images on cloth, and many other uses. These printers are notorious for their quiet nature; a great difference in comparison to older models that are noisy and obnoxious.

Disadvantages of an Ink Jet Printer

While ink jet printers are popular and get rave reviews, these quiet machines are notorious for their expensive replacement cartridges. People are often fooled by their inexpensive purchase price, but the ink cartridges often come as a surprise when they need to be replaced. The ink cartridges are prone to clogging and they smudge easily when they come into contact with water, and produce a situation called bleeding when the ink is pushed sideways. Weighing the benefits and the disadvantages of an ink jet printer is not the best way to make a decision, it really matters what the buyer needs and is willing to compromise in their situation.