Working And Use Of An Ink Jet Printer Cartridge

Ink jet printers are a type of computer printers that work by propelling tiny ink droplets onto the printing paper. Today, these are the most common computer printers in use among consumers due to their low cost, good result in output, and ease of use. Most of the consumer ink jet printers use a print cartridge with a series of tiny electrically heated chambers constructed by photolithography.

Working Principle Of An Ink Jet Printer Cartridge

The Ink jet printer runs a pulse of current through the heating elements resulting in a steam explosion in the chamber. The explosion forms a bubble that propels a droplet of ink onto the paper. The surface tension developed in the remaining ink pulls another charge of ink into the chamber through a narrow channel that is attached to an ink resrvior. Epson printers, however, use a piezoelectric crystal in each nozzle instaed of a heating element.

As the print head moves across the printing page, the data sent from the computer is converted in the printer to electronically ‘fire’ the right jet element at the right time. The bubble of ink thus deposited onto the paper forms aprt of a character i.e. a letter or a numerical or graphic character.

A typical Ink jet printer cartridge usually carries between 48 to 128 jets along with the associated heating elements and usually is capable of printing 300 to 1400 plus dots per inch, depending on the type and manufacturer.

The ink that flows through the rapidly heating jets is used to cool them and make them ready for the next data pulse for another ‘firing’. The correct operating temperature of each jet is thus maintained through this process.

Dead Ink Jet Printer Cartridge

When the cartridge runs out of ink, or when the cartridge remains unused for a long time and a blockage occurs, the jet elements can burn out if printing is continued. The cartrdige then becomes useless for refilling and is called electrically dead just like an old-style electrical kettel burns out its element and is useless for further boiling.

Defects In Ink Jet Printer Cartridges

In some cases, missing print area is seen in parts of printed characters. In extreme cases, the page appears without any sign of print. In taking prints of color photos or images, a sudden change of color is seen. Any or all of these are indicators of ink running out or jets becoming blocked. It is required to stop printing and carry out cleaning procedure for the print head for one or two cycles. And remember, it is time to refill your Ink jet printer cartridge as soon as possible.