Understanding Your Inkjet Cartridge

Inkjet printer cartridges work on the principle of rapidly heating ink in a series of extremely fine capillary holes known as jets or nozzles that have their own individual microscopic heating elements.

As the print head moves across the page and the print paper moves forward the data sent from the computer is converted in the printer electronics to electronically fire the appropriate jet element at the right time. This forms a bubble of ink, which is deposited onto the paper to form part of a character, whether it is a letter, numeral or graphic. Hence the term, bubble jet printer.

A typical cartridge may have between 48 and 416 jets and associated heating elements, depending on the type and manufacturer, with a capability to print 300 to over 4800 dpi.

The ink flowing through the rapidly heating jets is also used to cool them. This gets the heating jets ready again for the next data pulse to cause them to fire again. Through this process the correct operating temperature of each individual jet is maintained.

Special Note: As the ink runs out and the cartridge empties, or if the cartridge has not been used for a long time and a blockage has occurred, jet elements can burn out if printing is continued for any length of time. This renders the cartridge useless for refilling. This condition is known as electrically dead. This can be compared to an old style electric kettle boiling dry, as the element simply burns out.

Indications of ink running out or jets becoming blocked are: parts of printed characters will have lines of missing print area appearing through them or in extreme cases there will be almost no sign of print on the page. When printing color photographs a sudden change of color may occur.

As soon as you observe any print defects occurring immediately cease printing and carry out the print head cleaning procedure for one or two cycles. Carry out a nozzle or print test and repeat the clean cycle and print test if the first attempt is unsatisfactory.

Refer to your printer operation manual for full details on how to carry out these functions.

Should you still not obtain satisfactory results, the cartridge is probably empty. Note with a color cartridge one color usually runs out before the others. Do not continue printing with the remaining colors as the jets of the one that has run out will probably burn out.

Getting the Most from Your Inkjet Cartridges

Follow these tips to save money and keep your printer in top condition:

Never let a cartridge run out of ink completely. Your inkjet will burn out if it continues to fire while the supply of ink is cut off. Always have a replacement cartridge on hand. If the cartridge is showing empty. Have it refilled or replaced immediately.

Don't shake your cartridge! This can damage your cartridge, making it impossible to refill.

When lines and/or missing dots form on your text or graphics it's time to clean the print head. Do not touch the copper plate on the print head with your fingers. Use the printers cleaning cycle (refer to your printer manual). If this fails to clear the problem, call us for the best solution.

Don't leave the cartridge in a hot car. This causes the ink to expand and leak.

Keep color cartridges upright. The colors will cross contaminate if left on its side.

After installing a new or refilled cartridge, print at least 2 test pages to settle the new cartridge.

Recycle Printer Cartridges with RecycleAID