How ink cartridges work

Posted in: blog, inkjet by Jack on 5 March 2010 | No Comments

This is a presentation I gave recently to a business networking group. The slides are a bit rudimentary but provide a basic overview of the process. In a future post I’ll try to go more in-depth about both ink and laser cartridges.

InkCartridges

HP 80 wide format ink cartridges

Posted in: blog, inkjet by Jack on 23 March 2009 | 4 Comments

Cartridge World San Diego is now able to refill and re-chip the HP 80 wide format ink cartridges.

There are three color cartridges and one black cartridge, each rated at a yield of 4,400 pages. These retail new for $154 at Staples. Buy them from Cartridge World and  save $60 on each cartridge. Our price for the HP 80 will be $93.99 per cartridge.

We use only uses premium inks developed by Cartridge World for each specific printer model. Our chips are provided by trusted vendors. Every Cartridge World refilled and remanufactured cartridge is fully guaranteed to perform to your satisfaction.

Since this is the first time we’ve been able to refill these HP 80s, we do not have a backstock of empty cartridges. If you have an HP wide format printer and need HP 80 cartridges refilled, please bring your empty cartridges with you. We don’t have any to do up ahead of time, and since this is a rarely requested cartridge, we most likely will not keep refilled cartridges on-hand.

How do injet printers work?

Posted in: blog, inkjet by Jack on 17 March 2009 | No Comments

Different types of inkjet printers form their droplets of ink in different ways. There are two main inkjet technologies currently used by printer manufacturers:

• Thermal bubble – Used by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard, this method is commonly referred to as bubble jet. In a thermal inkjet printer, tiny resistors create heat, and this heat vaporizes ink to create a bubble. As the bubble expands, some of the ink is pushed out of a nozzle onto the paper. When the bubble “pops” (collapses), a vacuum is created. This pulls more ink into the print head from the cartridge. A typical bubble jet print head has 300 or 600 tiny nozzles, and all of them can fire a droplet simultaneously.
• Piezoelectric – Patented by Epson, this technology uses piezo crystals. A crystal is located at the back of the ink reservoir of each nozzle.

  

  Image via Wikipedia

  The crystal receives a tiny electric charge that causes it to vibrate. When the crystal vibrates inward, it forces a tiny amount of ink out of the nozzle. When it vibrates out, it pulls some more ink into the reservoir to replace the ink sprayed out.(Source-HowStuffWorks)

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“Return Program” cartridges

Posted in: blog, inkjet, laser by Jack on 5 February 2009 | No Comments

Both Dell and Lexmark offer laser and inkjet printers that take cartridges marked “Return Program”. Other manufacturers may soon follow in their footsteps.

What does this mean to you? What is this “Return Program” anyway?

The cartridge return program allows you to buy standard fill cartridges at a reduced price with the provision you return the cartridges to the printer manufacturer when they’re empty. You are usually supplied a postage-free envelope to return the cartridges in.

When you purchase these cartridges, similar to buying software with its Terms of Agreement, you are entering into a legally binding agreement with the developer/manufacturer. Because of this, our lawyers have advised us not to refill “Return Program” cartridges.

There are, however, alternatives. The manufacturers offer identical non-return program cartridges, usually designated with an “A” after the cartridge number (e.g. Lexmark 15 return program & 15a non-return program), that we can legally refill. Since Lexmark is selling their new printers without ink cartridges included, be sure you’re buying the “A” version of the cartridge and not the Return Program version. Then, when the ink in those is exhausted, we’ll be able to refill them for you at a savings of up to 50%.

Choosing a new printer

Posted in: Printers, blog, inkjet, laser by Jack on 3 February 2009 | No Comments

We are frequently asked to recommend a printer by our customers. Here’s what we tell the majority who ask:

It all depends on what sort of printing you do the most. Let’s break it down this way:

Inkjet printer

Epson Stylus Pro 4800

Pro…

• Best for printing photographs
• Best for printing CD/DVD labels on disks
• Most affordable way to print color for the average home office/small office (SOHO) and home user
• Less expensive printers on the market, often free with a new computer
• Affordable multi-function printers (all-in-one printers)

Con…

• Most expensive cost-per-page printing solution
• Must be used at least every 2 weeks to prevent printhead drying
• Inkjet printers are not designed to be repaired
• Leaking ink can permanently stain many materials

Laserjet printer

Pro…

• Lower cost-per-page than inkjets
• Doesn’t have to be used frequently to avoid printhead drying (no printhead!)
• Average 2000 pages per cartridge as opposed to less than 200 for an inkjet cartridge
• Generally faster printing speed, less setup time
• Usually has drivers for Windows, Mac and Linux

Con…

Samsung ML-1710

• Higher initial cost for printer and supplies
• Color laser printers are generally still too expensive for the average SOHO user
• Personal laser printers rarely offer duplexing or other advanced features
• All-in-one laser printers are still quite expensive

Just as when you consider buying a new computer or even a new car, how you intend to use it should be your primary consideration. If you think you might someday want to print photos or holiday cards, you need an inkjet printer. If all you plan to do is print out forms or receipts, consider a laserjet. If you need an all-in-one machine (printer, copier, fax and scanner) you should buy an inkjet printer.

Cleaning the HP All-in-One

Posted in: Tips & Tricks, blog, inkjet by Jack on 26 January 2009 | No Comments

(Source-HP) For more information on different styles of printer, visit the HP website at that link.

HP 60 and 901 inkjet cartridges

Posted in: blog, inkjet by Jack on 20 November 2008 | No Comments

We now have the ability to refill the HP #54, #60 #701 and #901 series of ink catridges.Our pricing on these:

#54  Black  $16.99

#60  Low yield Black  $9.99

#60  High yield Black  $17.99

#60  Color  $16.99

#701  Black  $16.99

#901  Low yield Black  $9.99

#901  High yield Black  $18.99

#901  Low yield Color  $11.99

#901 High yield Color  $21.99

We recently heard of a new HP cartridge, the #564. According to our tech support division, the #564 cartridge requires a replacement chip which currently is not being manufactured. We are looking into the possibility of providing compatible replacements for the #564. We’ll be posting here when we can offer those.