An inkjet printers main parts

An inkjet printers main parts

Inkjet printers work by spraying very small ink droplets on to the printer paper to make an image or pattern. These small droplets form tiny dots of colour which can be seen if the printed paper is viewed up close. The dots are precisely positioned up to a resolution of 1440x720 dots per inch (dpi).

Dots of different colours are positioned together or overlaid using the cyan, magenta and yellow inkjet cartridges in the printer. In this way, images with detailed colour variations can be produced. A single black cartridge can be used separately for text printing to save on ink cartridges.

The inkjet printer typically consists of:

• The Print head - this contains nozzles that are used to spray the drops of ink.
• Inkjet cartridges - ink cartridges come in a variety of combinations, eg separate black and colour cartridges, colour and black in one cartridge or sometimes a different cartridge for each ink color. The ink colours available are usually cyan, magenta and yellow but some photo printers include lighter versions of these colours and even red or blue ink.
• Print head stepper motor - this moves the print head assembly (the print head and ink cartridges) back and forth across the paper.
• Paper tray and feeder - Most inkjet printers have a tray that you load the paper into. Some printers have a paper feeder instead. The feeder sits at an angle on the back of the printer, allowing you to place paper in it.
• Rollers - The rollers pull the paper in from the tray or feeder and move the paper on through the printer when the print head assembly is ready for another pass.