Inkjet printers are typically inexpensive, small, and print both high-quality images and text documents.
What Is an Inkjet Printer?
An inkjet printer is aperipheralthat attaches wirelessly or by cable to a computer.
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Inkjet printers perform best on nonporous paper, so a slightly heavier weightbond paperthat is typical in offices24 lb.
vs. 20 lb.is desirable.
Paper explicitly designated for inkjet printers has a hard surface that prevents the colors from bleeding.
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Inkjet printers described as all-in-one printers come equipped withscanningand photocopying capabilities, in addition to printing.
Characteristics of an Inkjet Printer
Most home inkjet printers are inexpensive, relatively small, and lightweight.
Commercial-quality inkjet printers are larger, more expensive, and print on a broader range of materials.
Commercial inkjet printers are faster than the smaller home counterparts and more expensive.
Most home inkjet printers handle standard letter and legal-size paper.
A subcategory of inkjet printersdedicated photo printersis smaller and designed for photos only, not documents.
Inkjetink cartridges are relatively expensive.
If you’re shopping for a new inkjet printer,estimate the printer’s cost per pagebefore buying it.
The print head moves back and forth as the paper feeds through a set of rollers.
The complete image is built from many minuscule dots, like the pixels on a TV or phone screen.
Most laser printers have a resolution of 1200 dpi or 2400 dpi.
Some low-end printers have a resolution of 300 dpi or 600 dpi.
The lower range is acceptable for documents that consist primarily of text and everyday graphics.
However, for high-quality photos, the higher resolutions are preferable.
Used together, these can reproduce most colors.
Inkjet cartridges have tiny computer chips that monitor the cartridge’s ink level.
When the ink gets low, you are prompted to replace the cartridge.
Inkjet Technologies
Most consumer printers use the thermal drop-on-demand (DOD) method to dispense the ink.
In this process, ink is pumped from the cartridge to a tiny reservoir sitting directly behind a nozzle.
A small electric heating element is located in the reservoir.
The bubble of vapor then condenses, contracts, and draws more ink into the reservoir.
Large commercial printers use a piezoelectric material instead of a heater.
The print head contains the nozzle, reservoir, and heater or piezoelectric.
Expensive printers use a fixed head.
Other technologies appear in large-scale commercial inkjet printers, but not in home printers.
This results in more durable and waterproof prints than can be achieved with consumer printers.
Other Uses for Inkjet Printing
An inkjet printer is a low-cost printer that prints photos and documents.
However, commercial inkjet printing has an extensive range of uses.
FAQ
To reduce streaking,clean the inkjet printheads.
To clean printheads on a Mac, go toApplicationsand selectUtility.
Many believe laser printers are faster and produce better quality, but that’s not always the case.
To make decals on an inkjet printer, you need waterslide decal transfer paper.
If you’re looking for a good printer on a budget, you should research the HP OfficeJet 3830.
