All about printer cartridges

Depending on the printing technology, printer cartridges can be laser and inkjet. Let's get acquainted in more detail with the features of these devices, with their advantages, disadvantages, rules for selection and operation.

A printer is a device for outputting information to print media, that is, paper. These days people find it difficult to do without them - printers are in homes, offices, educational institutions and other organizations. They can be matrix, inkjet and laser.

The parts containing ink or toner are called cartridges. They look like roomy bays, without which the printer does not work. How the cartridge works differs depending on the type of printer.

In laser models, due to the action of the laser, the electrostatic image of the future text or image goes to the photo roll, and toner is attracted to it through a special hole. As the drum rotates, the toner is applied to the paper as it was drawn.

In an inkjet printer, drum cartridges are installed, micro-droplets of ink come out through the nozzles of the print head. They put text or images on the paper in separate dots.

Both types of printers are in demand among users.

The earliest cartridges had only one compartment. Accordingly, paint of the same color was poured into it - black. Similar devices are used today, they produce simple black and white printing.

As the technology developed, the compartments became more and more, they were filled with various dyes. However, their number is limited, and not all colors are represented in them. Most modern models of color printers mix inks from separate cartridges in order to obtain the desired shade on the paper. Such cartridges are used in photo printers.

Nowadays, the most common are combined cartridges for different shades. They are used to work with small print volumes. The main advantage of such models is ease of maintenance. The ink compartment and the imaging unit are here integrated into a single unit, so all the ink is housed in one compartment and bonded to each other. This model is in demand among owners of inkjet printers.

In separate cartridges, the toner container and control module are separate from each other and are essentially two different devices. The advantage of such models is the ease of refueling. In combined products, when even one container with dye is empty, it becomes necessary to replace the entire cartridge.

When choosing a printer, remember that not every cartridge can be easily refilled. This can lead to high costs in the future. Printer manufacturers very quickly realized that the main cost item for users is not the purchase of the printer itself, but its operation. That is why the price of the device is much lower in comparison with the prices of consumables. Accordingly, it is beneficial for users to refill refillable cartridges rather than buying new disposable ones.

That's why manufacturers prefer to produce models that are difficult to refuel. This primarily applies to inkjet products. The price for an inkjet printer of the middle category is an order of magnitude lower than the cost of the cheapest laser equipment. However, this difference is fully compensated by problems with refueling - their consumables are expensive.

In an attempt to refill a cartridge with your own hands, various problems arise:

• if you do the job incorrectly, then the newly purchased ink in the cartridge will simply dry up and the printer will stop printing;

• refueling an inkjet is a rather dirty process, ink oozes literally from everywhere and stains all nearby objects;

• inkjet ink has a limited shelf life, if you do not have time to spend it, you just have to throw it away.

It also takes a lot of time to find the right toner for your inkjet model. You can do this work yourself, but it is better to entrust it to an experienced foreman or, if we are talking about a company, a system administrator.

Depending on the type of cartridge, printers can be original, refilled and remanufactured. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Original cartridges are sold in a set with the printer. They are the ones recommended by the manufacturer. Such devices are not cheap - it is not uncommon for a cartridge to cost even more than the entire printer. In addition, they may not be of the highest quality. Professionals choose HP LaserJet cartridges from Hewlett-Packard.

Refilled - These cartridges have been previously used. After they ran out of ink, the bottle was refilled. This process is quite complicated, such work is carried out in special workshops.

Remanufactured - These cartridges are cheaper than original cartridges. They were previously used and found to be defective. They have been tested, according to the results, a conclusion is given on the possibility of repairing the equipment. If it is found to be unrepairable, the cartridge is disposed of. If it can still work, then it is cleaned, damaged components are replaced, refueled and sold.

Remove the old cartridge before installing a new cartridge inside the printer. This is not difficult to do, especially for people who have some skills in working with office equipment. But if this work is new to you, it makes sense to use step-by-step instructions.

First you need to carefully open the printer cover and find the cartridge. Note that some parts become very hot during printing, so be careful when touching parts.

Pull out the cartridge carefully. Usually it is held on special clamps, with sudden movements they can be broken.

After removing the clamps, pull on the notches or handles on the cartridge. If it gets stuck, it is better to contact the service department, since any strong movements will most often lead to damage to the equipment.

Remains of paint inside the element can severely stain both the skin and the surrounding objects. In order to maintain cleanliness, use the recommendations of specialists.

1. Prepare your workplace in advance. Remove all unnecessary items from the table, cover the surface with sheets of paper or film.

2. Roll up your sleeves, remove all jewelry from your hands, put on gloves (you can use plastic, rubber or unnecessary knitted).

3. Put on an old apron, or cover your body with an unnecessary towel.

4. Stock up on wipes to quickly remove paint on skin or clothing.

5. Prepare solvent. It will help rinse your hands if the ink dries.

6. And most importantly, do not flip and shake the cartridge to check the amount of ink remaining. This leads to paint leakage.

It is best to entrust the refilling of the cartridge to specialists. But if you are determined to do this work yourself, then you need a step-by-step plan.

Prepare the dye and syringe to inject into the cartridge.

Fill the syringe to the upper mark using the plunger. It is not necessary to fill it to the limit, otherwise the paint will begin to pour out.

Look for a hole in the outer casing of the cartridge. Insert a needle from a syringe into it, and pour ink into the container with gentle smooth movements.

Polymer powder for a laser printer is toxic, so you need to prepare personal protective equipment before starting work.

Take the cartridge out of the printer, carefully inspect its surface. There is a filling hole on the top cover. If it is not there, then you can gently burn a small hole with a needle.

Use a funnel to pour toner into the camera, then cover the hole with adhesive tape.

A number of models provide for the application of a special chip on the cartridge.

And in conclusion, let's dwell in more detail on the main problems that printer owners often face.

If you notice that the printer is writing with spaces, then most likely the ink cartridge is out of ink. Such equipment must be refueled.

Do the same when white stripes appear. Their width and number may vary depending on the amount of ink remaining in the cartridge.

In some cases, defects occur, in which refilling with ink does not help, but only aggravates the situation. If a dark streak appears on the right edge of the printed text, most likely the photo roller installed in the cartridge is worn out. This happens as a result of the frequent passing of the edges of the sheet along its surface and grinding off the light-sensitive varnish.

If you refill this cartridge, the strip will be even more visible. In addition, this will greatly increase the consumption of ink, and increase the wear of the working elements of the printer due to the dye flowing inside. In this case, before refueling, you must completely clean the device, reset and flash again. This procedure is called cartridge recovery.

If the restoration is not performed, and the cartridge is used further, then the wear reaches the limit. In addition to a huge waste of toner, this leads to dirtying of the printer and its permanent failure. Please note that if the cartridge has been previously remanufactured, it must be recycled.

If repetitive marks and black dots appear on the printout at a distance of about 76 mm from each other, then a foreign body has fallen on the photosensitive drum of the cartridge. It damaged the surface of the varnish and resulted in chips. Such a technique can only be restored, even if it was completely new. This breakdown is easier to prevent. To do this, you must use high-quality paper, do not allow sheets of paper with staples to run into the printer. And also do not keep plants near office equipment, since the earth from the pots can get into the device and lead to problems.

We examined what cartridges for a printer are, and told us what their principle of operation is. We found out what is the difference between laser and inkjet devices, dwelled on the peculiarities of using cartridges, refilling and repairing them.Experienced craftsmen advise buying equipment from reliable manufacturers with markings and a high resource - this will help you work with the printer without breakdowns and problems.