Inkjet printers are relatively inexpensive compared to laser printers. Inkjet printers are relatively quiet and can provide high resolution output prints in black and white or color. However, ink maintence can be costly since the ink cartridges can be proprietary and expensive. The ink also tends to fade over time. Printer ink also tends to clog very easily.
Ink cartridge, print head, roller, feeder, duplexing assembly, carriage, and belt
An ink cartridge places drops of ink onto a paper. The ink is pulled form a set of colored cartridges. Color inkjet printers usually have 4 color cartridges: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK). The printer combines the colors to make colors other than cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
Some consumer printers integrate the print head into the ink cartridge. When you change the ink cartridge you’re also replacing the print head. On larger commercial inkjet printers, they will separate the ink cartridge for the print head so that you can change them out individually. The printer talks directly to the print head connectors and then the ink is dispersed out of the small openings on the print head.
Feed rollers are used to pick up and feed paper through the printer. To operate properly, the rollers should remain clean and not worn down.
Duplexing allows you to automatically print on both sides of the paper. If your printer allows for duplexing then there will be hardware in your computer that flips the paper over so that the printer can print on the backside of the page. Not all printers include a duplexing feature.
The ink cartridges are placed in a moving carriage. During printing, the carriage moves back and forth over the paper while releasing ink. The carriage may include its own print head. There is a belt that is pulling the cartridge back and forth. Thus the carriage and belt are two moving parts that may require maintenance and troubleshooting.
Calibrate
Misalignments between the different ink cartridges and colors may occur. You may notice that lines are no longer printer crisp or hat the colors have become misaligned. In that case, you can perform calibration to align the nozzles to the paper. The calibration process will print test images to help you determine if all the colors are aligned properly. The printer usually provides a calibration option accessible via the printer menu, which will also allow you to make minor adjustments to realign.
Maintenance: Clean heads, replace cartridges, calibrate, clear jams
Inkjet printers work by placing small droplets of ink through small holes in a print head and onto the paper. The ink tends to clog very easily. Therefore, many printers automatically clean the print heads every day. If your printed output has streaks or sections of missing color, this may be indicative of a clogged head. The cleaning process for clogged heads can also be initiated manually via the printer menu. This process may take a few minutes. Some print heads/cartridges can be removed and manually cleaned. But the print heads are delicate so you’ll want to be careful if cleaning the print heads manually.
Replacing inkjet cartridges are a very common maintenance procedure. Pull out one ink cartridge and replace it with a new one. Ink cartridges are often separated by color: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. However, your printer may combine the cyan, magenta, and yellow into one cartridge. Dispose of the ink cartridge though a recycling process. Manufacturers may have a recommended recycling process.
After replacing an ink cartridge you may want to perform a test print and perform calibration if necessary. Make sure all of the colors are printing properly and are aligned. If there misalignments or color bleeds, you can perform a calibration. The printer will provide an option to perform a calibration, and while guide you through making minor adjustments as needed.
Paper may get jammed in a printer as it goes through its many twists and turns of being printed on. You’ll need to clear a paper jam before you’re able to resume printing. The first thing to do when clearing a paper jam is to remove the paper tray. Remove any loose paper that may have gotten caught. Then remove any paper that’s in the path of the printer. Use firm pressure to ensure the paper doesn’t rip while you’re removing it. Open the cover of the printer and check to see if there are any scraps of paper that need to be removed. Then send another print job to see if the paper jam has cleared and is now able to print.