Following
in Eco-Inkjet.com's stance of education, we invite you to learn more about
what makes your inkjet printer work. The more you understand, the more
educated you can be when making a purchase and troubleshooting your inkjet
printer cartridge in case of problems.
Not
to get too technical, but the two types of printheads currently used in
inkjet printers are thermal and piezo (piezoelectric). This is important
because there are fundamental differences between the two technologies
that influence image quality, color control, ink selection, and cost of
production.
Learn
More About Thermal Printheads
This
type of printhead is also commonly known as "bubblejet", named
after the Canon desktop printer of the same name. Thermal inkjet technology
employs heat to force ink through the small nozzles in the printhead.
When the ink is "boiled", it expands and forms a bubble, which
is ejected from the nozzle in the printhead. The ejected bubble forms
the printed dot on the paper or other printable media. The accuracy is
quite staggering when you consider that this process takes place in cycles
of several thousand per second!
Life
expectancy of thermal cartridges.
Depending on usage patterns and care, thermal cartridges can be expected
to have a working life of 1,000 ml or more. How many pages this actually
equates to is dependent on the coverage used on each page during printing.
Effects
of heat in the thermal printhead:
A primary difference between thermal and piezo technology is the presence
of heat in the thermal cartridge/printhead. The continual heat causes
the tiny nozzles to "fire closed" over the course of the printhead
lifetime. This process, called kogation, is responsible for the short
performance life of thermal printheads. An additional effect of kogation
over time is to change the characteristics of the printed dot as the printhead
ages. This can cause consistency problems in the image.
Think You Knew Piezo Printheads? Let's explore it together.
Piezoelectric printheads produce droplets using electromechanical means
rather than heat. In a piezo head, a tiny crystal fluctuates according
to electrical signals, squirting the ink droplet out of the nozzles. The
absence of heat means that the printhead has a much longer life expectancy
in the printer.
In
general, piezo printers are capable of producing smaller droplets, which
can result in better photographic rendering. Piezo inkjet printers also
have wider latitude in terms of ink compatibility so you'll find that
your options for inkjet replacement cartridges will be quite expansive.
Depending
on the brand and type, piezo heads can use solvent system and oil-based
formulations, as well as aqueous (water-based) systems. This is an important
designation because solvent system inks can be printed on "standard"
printable paper and media. They don't require top-coatings necessary on
most media used with aqueous inks. And, when you are ready to purchase…we
hope your choice will be friendly to the environment.
Well, which type should I watch out for?
When deciding which style of printhead to use, it's important to know
the effect that printhead technology can have on ink selection, longevity,
and compatibility.
Thermal
printheads are cartridge-based and therefore have more limited performance
lives than their Piezo counterparts. In general, it is easier for manufacturers
to restrict ink supplies and alternatives for thermal based inkjet printers.
Because all thermal inkjet printers use aqueous inks, they do require
special top-coated printable paper and media to release their full potential.
Unlike Piezo printheads, the selection of after-market inks, cartridges
and delivery systems is directly dependent upon the brand and model of
the printer.
In
contrast to thermal inkjet printheads, Piezo printheads are semi-permanent
and generally less likely to have restricted ink supplies and alternatives.
While aqueous piezo ink formulations will require top-coated paper and
media, solvent system inks usually won't--however, may not be the best
choice for the environment.
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