How Inkjet Cartridges Work

by Contributing Writer

Inkjet Cartridges

All inkjet cartridges come equipped with print head and circuitry that perform most of the operations. The print head and circuitry determine the compatibility of the cartridge and the brand of printer that is to be used with that particular cartridge. Most printer brands, such as Lexmark or Canon, also sell cartridges. But certain styles of printers under that brand will use specific cartridges. This is because the circuitry, or bar codes, which allow the printer to read the printheads and perform the operations, must be compatible with the printer type. Depending on the capacity rate, most cartridges generally have 48 nozzles or "jets" that are located on the bottom of the printheads. The nozzle or "jet" located on the print head is a fragile piece of equipment that is smaller than a strand of hair but performs a tremendous amount of work in such a small amount of time.

Operation

A heating and cooling process occurs when the inkjet printer is in operation. This causes the ink to spread onto the page. This is done through a heater or resistor that is located behind the jet. The heater heats the ink during the printing operation. The heat expands the ink, forming a bubble. When the ink is cooled, the bubble of ink pops and is squirted through the 48 nozzles or inkjets. Here, the most important part of the operation begins. After the ink is squirted through the jets, it is then spread across the page into dots. The dots become the characters that form the letters and other characters on the printed page.
Performance Features

This entire process is done through high rates of speed. Depending on the capacity of the printer being used, this can range up to 6000 drops per second. As the ink is heated and cooled, then burst into the 48 inkjet nozzles, the printer head will move left to right. Characters are printed one after the other across a vertical line, forming line breaks at the end of each margin. The paper is rolled from top to bottom until entire page is printed with characters. This process takes at least half a second to print across the entire page.

Inkjet Cartridges