Almost everyone knows what a printer is, how to use it, and how to install the ink cartridges. No one really pays much attention to the ink cartridges themselves however. Here’s some basic information regarding ink cartridges!
Ink cartridges are effectively a hollow plastic shell used as an ink delivery system for the printer. They typically house only one color for compartment. Most household printers can accept either smaller, individually color coded cartridges, or one large fused cartridge that holds the colors separately. The most modern printers use a simple color lay out. Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, and Black are the standard colors you’ll see when shopping for ink cartridges. Between these colors, every color of the rainbow will be formulated between the computer and printer, and then laid out on the page.
Internally, there isn’t too much to a printer cartridge, but it is still pretty interesting the first couple of times it’s viewed. Normally it’s a fairly simple set up. There is an ink well, normally consisting of the largest compartment in the cartridge, which houses a sponge. This sponge in turn holds the ink steadily in place. Then their is the print head. The blocky tip that sticks off one side, and typically plugs directly into the computer, that’s the print head. Many cartridges have a small hole to add more ink, and all of them will have some way to interface with the printer itself, usually a brass or copper strip. And those are the basics to a printer cartridge!