Ink jet printers are the most common type of computer printer; and industry and commerce also use them extensively for special-purpose applications. For example, many ATMs, stock control systems, and cash registers use an inkjet printer. A computer printer is a computer peripheral device that produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics, usually on paper) from data stored in a computer connected to it. ... Outdoor ATMs may be free-standing, like this kiosk, or built into the side of banks or other buildings An automatic teller machine (ATM) is an electronic device which allows a banks customers to make cash withdrawals and check their account balances at any time without the need for... A cash register is a mechanical or electronic device for calculating and recording sales transactions, and an attached cash drawer for storing currency. ...

An Epson inkjet printer

In general

In the personal and small business computer market, inkjet printers currently predominate. Inkjets are usually inexpensive, quiet, reasonably fast, and many models can produce high quality output. A small business may be defined as a business with a small number of employees. ...

Like most modern technologies, the present-day inkjet has built on the progress made by many earlier versions. Among many contributors, Hewlett-Packard and Canon can claim a substantial share of credit for the development of the modern inkjet. In the worldwide consumer market, four manufacturers account for the majority of inkjet printer sales: Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epson, and Lexmark. The Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), commonly known as HP, is a very large, global company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States. ... Categories: Stub | Companies of Japan | Photography companies | Companies traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ... A four colour Epson Stylus C45 inkjet printer Epson is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of inkjet, dot-matrix and laser printers, scanners, desktop computers, business, multimedia and home theatre projectors, point of sale docket printers and cash registers, laptops, integrated circuits, LCD components and other associated electronic... Lexmark is an American computer printer corporation founded in 1991 that was a spin-off of IBMs printer division. ...

Technology

Most current inkjets (Epson being a notable exception) work by having a print cartridge with a series of tiny electrically-heated chambers constructed by photolithography. To produce an image, the printer runs a pulse of current through the heating elements. A steam explosion in the chamber forms a bubble, which propels a droplet of ink onto the paper (hence Canon's tradename for its inkjets, bubblejet). When the bubble condenses, surplus ink is sucked back up from the printing surface. The ink's surface tension pumps another charge of ink into the chamber through a narrow channel attached to an ink reservoir. Epson's Micro Piezo technology uses a piezo crystal in each nozzle instead of a heating element. When current is applied, the crystal bends, forcing a droplet of ink from the nozzle.

Older ink jet printers directed ink streams electrostatically or piezoelectrically; ultrasound was used to induce waves in the ink, which then broke into little droplets that would fall on the right place on the page. Piezoelectricity is the ability of certain crystals to produce a voltage when subjected to mechanical stress. ... Ultrasound is sound with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing, approximately 20 kilohertz. ...

Inkjet Inks

The basic problem with inkjet inks is the conflicting requirement for a colorizing agent that will stay on the surface and rapid dispersement of the carrier.

Inkjet head design

Two main design philosophies operate in inkjet head design. Each has strengths and weaknesses.

The fixed-head philosophy provides an inbuilt print head that is designed to last for the whole life of the printer. The idea is that because the head need not be replaced every time the ink runs out, consumable costs are typically lower and the head itself can be more precise than a cheap disposable one. On the other hand, if the head is damaged, it is usually necessary to replace the entire printer. Epson have traditionally used fixed print heads. In fact, disposable heads have proven to be equally good. A four colour Epson Stylus C45 inkjet printer Epson is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of inkjet, dot-matrix and laser printers, scanners, desktop computers, business, multimedia and home theatre projectors, point of sale docket printers and cash registers, laptops, integrated circuits, LCD components and other associated electronic...

The disposable head philosophy uses a print head which is part of the replaceable ink cartridge. Every time the printer runs out of ink, the entire cartridge is replaced with a new one. This adds to the cost of consumables and makes it more difficult to manufacture a high-precision head within reasonable cost limits, but also means that a damaged print head is only a minor problem: the user can simply buy a new cartridge. Hewlett-Packard has traditionally favoured the disposable print head, as did Canon in its early models.

A few printers (including certain Olivetti and Fujitsu models) have used an intermediate method: a disposable ink tank mounted on a disposable head, which is replaced infrequently (perhaps every sixth ink tank or so). These did not achieve great market success. Olivetti is an Italian manufacturer of computers, printers and other business machines. ... For the district in Saga, Japan, see Fujitsu, Saga. ...

Canon now uses (in most models) replaceable print heads which are designed to last the life of the printer, but can be replaced by the user if they should become clogged. The ink tanks are separate for each ink color.

Advantages

Compared to earlier consumer-oriented printers, ink jets have a number of advantages. Compared to dot matrix or daisywheel printers, they run much more quietly. Many can produce high resolutions, and color printing of excellent quality is widely available. A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer normally refers to a type of computer printer with a print-head that runs back and forth on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like a typewriter. ... A daisy wheel printer is a type of computer printer that produces high-quality type, and is often referred to as a letter quality printer (this in contrast to high-quality dot-matrix printers, capable of near-letter-quality, or NLQ, output). ...

In comparison to higher-end printers like thermal wax, dye sublimations, and laser printers, ink jets have the advantage of practically no warm-up time and low cost per page. Thermal wax transfer printers function by adhering a wax-based ink onto paper. ... A dye-sublimation printer is a computer printer which employs a printing process that uses heat to transfer dye to a medium such as a plastic card, printer paper or poster paper. ... A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that produces good quality printing, and is able to produce text and graphics. ...

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of inkjets include flimsy print heads (prone to clogging) and expensive ink cartridges (sometimes costing US$30 – $40 or more). This typically leads value-minded consumers to consider laser printers for medium-to-high volume printer applications.

Other disadvantages include ink bleeding, where ink is carried sideways away from the desired location by the capillary effect; the result is a muddy appearance on some types of paper. Most ink jet printer manufacturers also sell special clay-treated paper designed to reduce bleeding, but such paper is expensive and sometimes has a peculiar texture. Capillary action or capillarity is the ability of a narrow tube to draw a liquid upwards against the force of gravity. ... Clay is a generic term for an aggregate of hydrous silicate particles less than 4 μm (micrometres) in diameter. ...

Because the ink used in most inkjets is water-soluble, care must be taken with inkjet-printed documents to avoid even the smallest drop of water, which can cause severe "blurring" or "running." Also, highlighter markers cannot be used with such documents. A Stabilo Boss highlighter A highlighter is a form of marker pen which is used to highlight sections of documents in a vivid colour, but not intended to obscure the content beneath the marking. ...

Underlying business model

A common business model for ink jet printers involves selling the actual printer at or even below production cost, while dramatically marking up the price of the (proprietary) ink cartridges. Hewlett-Packard, for example were recently able to cover the entire 12-month losses accumulated by their other division with the profits made by their consumables division, and have a little left over. The razor and blades business model (also called the bait and hook model or the tied products model) works by selling a master product at a subsidised price, and making the profit on high margin consumables that are essential to the use of the master product. ...

Alternatives for consumers are cheaper copies of cartridges, produced by other companies, and refilling cartridges themselves, for which special refill sets are for sale. As a result of the large differences in pricing due to OEM markups, there are many companies specializing in these types of alternative off-brand ink cartridges.

Some inkjet printers use microchips in the cartridges to prevent the use of third-party or refilled ink cartridges. The E.U. ruled this practice illegal: it will disappear in newer models. An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip consisting of at least two interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. ... Wikiquote has quotations relating to: European Union The European Union On-Line Official EU website, europa. ...

Professional inkjet printers

Besides the well known small inkjet printers for home and office, there is a whole market for professional inkjet printers; most of them being for wide format printing. "Wide format" means that there are printers ranging in print width from 24" inch up to 5 meter. The application of most of these printers is for printing advertising graphics; a minor application is printing of designs like by architects or engineers.

In terms of units, the major supplier is Hewlett-Packard. They own over 90% of the market for printers for printing technical drawings. The major products in their Designjet series are the Designjet 500/800, the Designjet 1050 and the new Designjet 4000. Besides this they also have the Designjet 5500, a 6 color printer that is used especially for printing graphics.

A few other suppliers of low volume wide format printers are Epson, Kodak and Canon.

Unusual uses

3D Printing Three dimensional printing (more commonly referred to the abbreviation 3DP) is a type of rapid prototyping system developed by MIT in the late 1980s. ...

High-end inkjet printers can be used to produce fine-art prints called giclées. Giclée (French for spray) is an inkjet process for making art prints, or an art print made using this method (first done in the early 1990s). ...

The U.S. patent no. 6,319,530 teaches a "Method of photocopying an image onto an edible web for decorating iced baked goods". In plain English, this invention enables one to inkjet print a food-grade color photograph on a birthday cake's surface. Wikiquote has quotations relating to: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites White House - Official site of the US President Senate. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor or applicant for a limited amount of time (normally maximum 20 years from the filing date, depending on extension). ... In music, an invention is a short composition with two or three part counterpoint. ... A photograph (often just called a photo) is an image (or a representation of that on e. ... Categories: Stub ...

Inkjet printers and similar technologies are to be used in the production of many microscopic items. See MEMS. Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is the technology of the very small, yet not within the realm of Molecular nanotechnology. ...