Solid Ink
What Is Solid Ink ?
The new innovation technology in the ever-changing world of printer consumables presents a new cleaner, smaller, more compact, easier to use, environmentally friendly method of printing !
Tektronix invented solid ink technology in 1986, and the launch followed in 1991, followed by a flow of prestigious awards, it was very expensive to start with, but changes were made, to make the price more acceptable to the general public.In the mid 1990's the president of Tektronix declared that there were no toxins in this new ink and to prove his point continued to eat part of the stick of ink…!
Xerox purchased the Tektronix Colour Printing and Imaging Division in 2000 and are 100% commited to this exciting new concept.
Description Of Solid Ink :
Solid inks are resin-based solid ink sticks, they do not contain any solvent substances and are significantly smaller than ink cartridges. They are less messy to handle and do not require shaking.
“What Are The Benefits Of Solid Ink ?”
• The quality of the colours has been improved, producing more vibrant and exciting printouts.
• Very easy to use
• Different shapes to avoid inserting in wrong place
• Able to print on all types and thickness of paper
• Fast first print time (faster than inkjet or laserjet )
• Environmentally friendly
• Non toxic ink, safe to handle
• Reduced waste output
• Less energy used in production
• Easy to store
“What are the disadvantages of solid ink ?”
• Solid inks take 15 minutes to warm up
• Ink needs to reach melting point before using
• Before moving the printer great care needs to be taken and a special cool-down cycle has to be completed
• Uses high power, not to be connected to UPS
• Solid ink gives off a burning odour
• Printouts are left with a wax finish this proves difficult to write on or highlight.
• Notoriously difficult for feeding through the automatic feeder of a copier
• After time the gears in the drum may shift and the ball bearings can become misaligned
• With solid ink the printheads are fixed, after a while clogging can occur, which can leave unsightly streaks.
• Cleaning wastes a considerable amount of ink
• If power is disconnected a large amount of ink will be unloaded into the waste tray.
Summary
Solid ink is an exciting and new concept, a much cleaner easier-to-use method of printing with the assurance of approx. 100% ink to paper transfer with your average days printing, this proves to be an obvious asset to any busy workplace. The combined omission of toxins and waste reduction is beneficial to the environment and is a massive leap forward in this industry. There are some disadvantages, but solid Ink is here to stay, and has much to celebrate.
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