InkCloners.com
Blog Links >>

There are at least 10 major ingredients in inkjet ink. Some of which are:

1.)    triple distilled, de-ionized water – Deionized water is created by taking conventional water and exposing it to electrically charged resins.  This process removes mineral ions by attracting and binding sodium, calcium, iron, copper, chloride, and bromide to the resins thereby removing them from the water.  Deionized water is mostly pure, but it does still contain numerous bacteria and viruses, which have no charge and therefore are not attracted to the electrified resins.

2.)    biocides and fungicides  – for the removal of bacteria and viruses left over after deionization

3.)     dye or pigment color of particle size – the chemical agent to produce the specific colors; black, red, blue, yellow

4.)     humectants such as glycol – moisture retaining chemicals to minimize evaporation and head clogging

5.)     surfactants – wetting agents to balance the surface tension and spreading of the ink and as a cleaning agent

6.)    resins – the adhesive chemical that binds the ink to the paper

7.)    buffering agents – for the correct pH and to enhance the effectiveness of other additives.

The correct amounts and quality of each of the above translate to compatible ink cartridges.

Below you will find some common problems and their possible causes :

1.)    Prints garbage- Check that you have installed the correct drivers for your printer.

2.)    No response from printer; computer gives error message-  Check that cables are properly connected and look for an Online or Select button to press on the printer. Many PC printers require an IEEE 1284 cable, which is different from the standard bidirectional parallel cable. Likewise, printers for older Macintoshes require either a serial cable or a LocalTalk cable. Consult your manual to find out what cabling you need.

3.)    Print head does not travel in its cradle-  Open the cover and make sure there is nothing obstructing the movement of the print head. Obstructions can result if there is a paper jam or some of the packaging material has not been removed. If this is a new printer, remember that you must remove the safety tape, which is put there to prevent the print head from slamming back and forth during shipping, all styrofoam material, and tape holding any loose parts

4.)    Acts like it is printing but no ink gets printed on the page-  There is no ink cartridge installed. In many cases, this is a separate item from the print head assembly, which is already installed in the printer from the factory.

5.)    Parts of characters missing, or characters not correct color-  The ink cartridge is either clogged or running out of ink. Run the software cleaning utility in order to fix a clog. Replace the ink cartridge if the clog cannot be fixed or if the cartridge is almost empty.

6.)    Text is faded-  In a 3 color ink cartridge, one or more of the ink tanks in the print cartridge is almost empty. Unless your printer’s ink cartridge can have individual colors replenished, this usually means you need to replace the whole cartridge.  You could also try to refill it yourself, but it’s a bit messy.

7.)    Paper jams -  The feeder bin or tray may be overloaded; remove some paper. Excess humidity is causing pages to stick together, remove all sheets and use only as much as needed. The paper may have already been through the printer and the feeding process tends to warp and thicken areas of the page.

8.)    My printer doesn’t recognize the cartridge-  The small rectangular chip on the end of the cartridge may be faulty, dirty, or not touching the printer circuitry.  Try not to touch this circuit with your fingers as the oils in your hand may damage it.  Clean with a q-tip.  Try to lodge a folded piece of paper  in back of the ink cartridges to push it forward so the circuits touch.

If you need further help, contact us at 1-866-274-2821 M-F 9am-5pm EST.  You may also email us at help@inkcloners.com.

Lexmark announced in early November that it has been named an International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for its Platinum all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printer.  And rightly so.

There are some unique features on this model printer which makes the  customers’ workflow more simple.  It also combines it with the lowest black printing cost in the industry, delivering a value proposition in the AIO category that is unmatched in the small-to-medium business market.

The Platinum offers four-in-one capabilities (print, scan, copy and fax) with Lexmark’s Web-connect touch screen that provides a superior user interface.  From the touch screen customers can access and print content directly from the Web.  In addition, its software enables consumers to access easy-to-use applications like the Business card scan, Apple’s MobileMe Gallery or accessing photos from Photobucket..

Also equipped on the Platinum is an Eco-Mode button.  This feature helps users save money and the environment with one touch, by entering an energy saving “sleep mode” and duplex printing, skipping over-complicated configuration steps.

You can buy Lexmark’s new Platinum inkjet printer online or at select Office Depot, Office Max, or Staples stores.