Solid ink printers use solid ink sticks instead of the toner or liquid ink normally used in printers. Because the ink is instantly fused to the paper, the prints are bright with vivid colors without the need of specialty paper. You get the same results no matter what you print. Toner and liquid ink are soaked into the fibers of the paper so the outcome of the print depends on what paper is used.

The major advantage solid ink printers offer consumers is they produced less waste which is better for the environment. According to Xerox, solid ink produces about 90% less waste than a color laser printer.

• How Solid Ink Printers Work
• Buying Guide
• Advantages & Disadvantages of Solid Ink Printers
• Price Range
• Parts of a Solid Ink Printer
• Solid Ink Sticks
• Print Head
• Drum
• Ink Loader
• Paper Pre-Heater
• Maintenance Kit
• Waste Tray
• Ink Melter
• Ink Reservoirs
• Printer Driver
• Controller
• Controller
• Summary

How Solid Ink Printers Work
The maintenance kit prepares the drum before each print job. It clears off any ink left on the drum and then applies a think layer of silicone oil onto the drum.

The print head then begins spraying ink drops on to the rotating drum. All the colors are applied to the drum at the same time. Once the ink is exposed to the drum, it becomes a soft semi-solid.

To transfer the ink to paper, the printer sends it through the pre-heater and then the paper passes between the drum and the pressure roller. The ink cools and sets on contact. Because the ink returns to its solid form, there is no drying time. So each print that comes out of the printer is ready to use.

Buying Guide

Advantages

• Easy to use
• Less Waste

Disadvantages

• Slow warm-up time
• Expensive

Price Range

• $700-$3,000

Parts of an Solid Ink Printer & How they Work

• Solid Ink Sticks

Non-toxic, resin-based blocks of "crayon" like ink sticks. Each ink stick can print about 1000 to 2300 pages (depending on printer model).


• Print Head

Sprays the ink onto the drum. Similar to inkjet printers, the print head contains nozzles that can spray 30 million ink droplets per second.


• Drum

The core of the solid ink printer. The image is sprayed onto the drum and then transferred to paper.


• Ink Loader

Each ink stick (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) is designed and numbered to fit in their designated slots. Unlike inkjet and laser printers, you do not have to wait until the cartridge is empty. Each slot can hold up to 5 sticks.


• Paper Pre-Heater

Heats the paper to make it accessible to the ink on the drum


• Maintenance Kit

The maintenance kit is used to keep the right amount of oil on the drum so that the ink and paper are properly transferred.


• Waste Tray

The maintenance kit removes the residue ink left on the drum to the waste tray. The waste tray should be cleaned out regularly.


• Ink Melter

Melts the ink sticks on demand. Before the first print, it can take the printer 12-15 minutes to warm-up. The printer must constantly stay on (on stand-by) to cut that time to a few minutes.


• Ink Reservoirs

Four reservoirs (for each color) hold the melted ink. The ink then flows to the print head, where it is sprayed onto the drum.


• Printer Driver

A printer driver is software that acts as a translator so that the printer can understand data and instructions from your computer. The driver describes the text, image, etc. to be printed and translates it into the printer language.


• Controller

The controller is essentially the "command station" of the printer. The control circuitry is responsible for decoding the information sent from the computer, via the printer driver, to the printer, as well as controlling the various parts of the printer