Printer Ink Explained: Your Complete Guide to Purchasing Printer Ink

Laser toner consists of a non-toxic combination of granulated plastics and other polymers forming a powdered chemical solution that is applied via a laser. These printers are an efficient, long-term option using small amounts of toner to project or fuse the ink onto paper using heat.
Inkjet Printers
Buying Printer Ink – Points to Ponder
While storing up ink in bulk can be a smart move, it’s important to ensure you’re purchasing both suitable and quality replacement cartridges prior to placing mass orders.
- Is it Black and White or Colour I’m running low on? – With colour ink cartridges generally more expensive, pinpointing which individual colour (Cyan, Magenta or Yellow) requires replacing could save you big dollars.
- Familiarize yourself with specifications – Purchasing any old laser toner or ink cartridges and assuming they’ll ‘fit’ could see you significantly out of pocket. Brush up on labels, manuals and model requirements to match a supported, high-quality ink option with your printer.
- Special conditions and warranty – Should your cartridges turn out to be defective, purchasing warranties can make bulk-bought returns a breeze!
- Ribbon Ink – Dot matrix printers produce print-outs using impact by pressing its ‘ink ribbon’ onto paper. Although an economical printing option, ribbon ink machines are fairly uncommon, however those still utilizing them are likely paying significantly less for their ink replacements.
- UV Ink – This quick-drying ink type is designed to be cured onto a page using UV lighting. Often considered more vibrant, robust and eco-friendly, UV Ink is widely used where a sharper, more refined print is required.
- Solid Ink – Boasting a wax-like consistency, solid ink is applied with heat for a cost-effective print solution where high-quality graphics are frequently printed. This ink is jetted from the ‘drum’ for enhanced consistency and overall clarity.
- 3D Ink – 3D printing requires raw resin or plastic-based materials such as ABS or PLA. While it’s not technically ink, this remarkably advanced method is beginning to take the printing world by storm among a range of industries worldwide.
As you’ve likely learned, ink’s not cheap. Fortunately, a few remedies exist to help squeeze every last squirt of dye out of those ink cartridges. Some of these top tips include:
- Opting for an ink-saving printer setup
- Play with your settings – Switch up print preferences to draft mode when ultra-high quality is unnecessary
- Fiddle with fonts – Heavier fonts can wreak havoc on liquid ink conservation especially when printing large page volumes.
By now you should be acquainted with the types of printer ink available, how different machines produce your print-out and what to consider when selecting fresh toner cartridges or ink cartridges.
Get in touch with a Supplies Connect printer ink expert to discuss all of your laser toner and ink cartridge requirements or for any other office supplies questions or enquiries you may have! For more information, please check out our website! www.suppliesconnect.com.