You use them every day, but you probably don’t think about them until they inconveniently run out in the middle of a large print job. Yes, we’re talking about ink and toner. Whether you’re printing straight black-and-white text or high-color photos, it’s important to know that all inks are not created equal.
inkjet ink
To understand why some inks work better with your printer than others, it’s necessary to understand a little bit about how ink is made. Traditional inks - like those used in your nice ballpoint pen - are oil-based and use dyes made of minuscule suspended particles for colorants. Using oil-based inks in a printer, however, can lead to trying maintenance problems, so instead most inkjet printers use water-based inks. Unfortunately, in earlier inkjet printers, water-based inks would often bleed, smear, and run, particularly if the printed page was not allowed to dry properly or if it were to got wet.
In recent years, the chemistry of inks has improved considerably as manufacturers have developed ways to improve the vibrancy, clarity, and longevity of the printed product. Ink additives are used in varying amounts to control things like saturation, drying time, and resistance to fading.
But the improvements do not lie entirely in the ink. Pre-conditioned papers can help improve inkjet printing because they are primed with an agent that helps bind the ink to the paper, reducing smearing and bleeding. When a manufacturer recommends using only their ink and paper in your printer, it’s not because they want to hold a monopoly on your purchases. It is because the three components - printer, ink, and paper - have been designed to work together to reach the most satisfactory results possible.
laser printer toner
Unlike inkjet printers, laser printers use toner, a dry, powdery substance that is adhered to the paper using an electronic charge. It is specially designed to melt very quickly, and a component of wax makes the toner more amenable to the process that fuses the toner to the paper. Monochrome printers use a single cartridge of black toner. Color models use four cartridges, one each of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
Like ink for inkjet printers, it is always best to use the toner recommended by the manufacturer, because the inner workings of the machine are designed to work with toner of a particular consistency and particle size. Using a different, lower-grade toner can result in smeared print outs(if the drum inside the printer isn’t cleaned properly) or lead to jams and other internal problems.
ink and toner refills
The temptation to purchase third-party cartridges or generic refills for your inkjet or laser printer can be strong, especially when the budget is tight. But in the end, the little bit you save in money will be lost in the quality of your end result. By following manufacturer recommendations, you can be sure you’re getting the best out of your printer.