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Printer ink cartridges are the key components of any printer for home or business. The printer controls the carriage that travels back and forth across a page but the cartridge itself is the 'brains' of the printer.

Printer ink cartridges contain the circuitry that precisely controls when the nozzles spray ink, where they spray it, and in what volume they distribute the ink that reproduces the image sent to the printer. Whether printer ink cartridges spray black or colored ink, the process remains the same.

How Printer Ink Cartridges Work

When printer ink cartridges receive the command to print, an electrical current is sent through the circuitry that causes a resistor to heat the ink so that it is uniformly distributed and less likely to clog. The current also governs the nozzles on the printer ink cartridge which emit tiny droplets of ink in the volume dictated by the data sent from the computer.

Common Reasons Why Printer Ink Cartridges Need to be Replaced:

1. Infrequent Use

If you seldom use your printer, it is recommended that you remove the printer ink cartridges and store them in a sealed container for future use. If you leave them in the printer for long periods of time, the nozzles on the cartridge are more likely to become clogged and this results in prints that are smudged or have horizontal lines through the text or image.

2. Overheating

The ink in printer ink cartridges acts very much like the water in most automobile engines. The ink helps to prevent the heating resistor from getting too hot. Each time that you cancel a Low Ink popup on your computer screen without topping off the cartridge with a refill kit, it greatly enhances the possibility that your ink cartridge will overheat and need to be replaced.

3. Poor Maintenance

Most printers come with a self-cleaning feature in the installation software that helps to keep the printer and printer ink cartridges operating at maximum efficiency. Because the frequency that you need to run the self-cleaning feature varies for each model of printer, it is best to check your owner's manual for specific instructions.

Also, it is recommended that you clean the print heads occasionally with a soft cleaning cloth that is slightly moistened with rubbing alcohol to help prevent dried ink from clogging the nozzles.

With proper care and a little bit of maintenance,

your can extend the life of your printer ink cartridges

so that you get quality prints page after page and save the money from frequent replacement.

7/20/2008 6:59:06 PM