Specifications

Color Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers use a fairly simple technology that is easy to adapt to color use and initially is the most
inexpensive. In fact, every inkjet printer on the market today is capable of printing in color. The most
typical arrangement is for the printer to use two cartridges: one containing black ink only and one
containing the other three colors (cyan, yellow, and magenta). The advantage of this arrangement is
that you have fewer individual ink containers to replace, but the disadvantage is that when any one
of the color reservoirs is empty, you have to replace the entire three-color cartridge, thus driving up
the cost. Some printers (such as a few of the HP DeskJet and Canon BubbleJet models) also accept a
second three-color cartridge in place of the black one or allow six separate ink cartridges, providing a
six-color printing solution that achieves better results in photographic printing. Some mid-range and
high-end color inkjet printers use a separate tank for each color, which enables more economy in
color use, especially for people who use a single color frequently.
Inkjet printers can have problems with various types of papers. The ink must dry quickly on the paper
to keep from smearing. Standard inexpensive copy paper is relatively porous, which enables quick
drying, but it also causes the ink to be wicked along the paper fibers. This expands dot size, making
the image less sharp and dulling the colors. Inkjets have just the opposite problem when printing
transparencies or even coated papers. Because of their hard and smooth surfaces, the image can easily
smudge before it has a chance to dry. Normally for the best results, you need special paper for an
inkjet printer.
Inkjet printers can be sensitive to environmental conditions. For example, if conditions are very dry
and usage is low, some ink can dry in the print nozzles, clogging them and resulting in missing colors
and terrible-looking print jobs. On the other hand, humid conditions can slow ink drying, which can
lead to smudging, dot blooming, and feathering. Also, if the paper curls due to high or low humidity,
it can make contact with the print head, smudging the print. I recommend that you clean the heads
using the inkjet printer’s own cleaning feature before you start a print job on high-quality media,
especially if you haven’t printed for several days with that printer.
Another problem with inkjet printers relates to the ink levels. When the ink runs low, it causes sput-
tering, resulting in fuzzy text and images. Compounding this, the ink level can be difficult to accu-
rately gauge in an ink cartridge. On some inkjet printers, pages will continue to print even though
one or more inks have been exhausted. This can cause a significant amount of waste when it occurs
in the middle of a large print job. Many newer models have improved their ink-level sensors, but it
still pays to keep an eye on a long, multipage print job if you haven’t replaced the ink cartridges for
awhile.
Inkjet printers vary widely in their capabilities and their prices. Very low-end models typically operate
at 600dpi–720dpi, support only letter-sized paper, and print at only 3ppm–4ppm. Some of the newest
models in the under-$100 category have only a USB port, which can prevent you from using the
printer if you still use Windows 95. Some late releases of Windows 95 have USB support, but most
vendors require Windows 98 or later. As you move up the price scale, resolutions and speeds increase;
parallel, USB, IEEE-1394, and network interface options are added to some models, and printers might
be capable of using larger page sizes. One specialized breed of printer that often uses inkjet technol-
ogy is designed to print poster-sized images on paper up to 36 inches wide.
Some of the latest inkjet printers have added features, such as
■ Duplex printing
■ Flash memory slots for instant printing of digital camera photos
■ Print heads that can be interchanged with scanning heads
■ Archival ink for extended printout life when special papers are used