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ColorQube™ 8700: Cartridge-free ink that creates less printing waste than laser technology.
Xerox® solid ink is on the newer side of printing technology, but it certainly isn’t brand new. It’s been in the works since the late ‘80s, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the first letter-sized solid ink multifunction printer, the WorkCentre C2424, entered the marketplace.
Yet it remains true that most people don’t really know what it is, let alone how it works and why it makes sense for managed print efficiency.
So what’s the story on solid ink technology?
The Drop-On-Demand Deal
Solid ink falls under the umbrella category of drop-on-demand inkjet printing, which means that ink droplets are ejected through the nozzle only when needed. This is in contrast to continuous flow inkjet printing, in which a continuous stream of ink droplets is projected through a nozzle under constant pressure.
Continuous flow inkjet printing technology is used primarily in high-speed printing applications for production markets. The two other popular types of drop-on-demand printing are thermal inkjet and piezoelectric inkjet, both used mainly in consumer printing products. Xerox’s solid ink technology, on the other hand, is used exclusively in workgroup color printing products.
What makes solid ink technology so great for print management?
The Efficiency Of Simplicity
Xerox’s solid ink technology offers excellent color print quality, it’s incredibly reliable and it supports a variety of media substrates. These are all qualities that make it very attractive for office-printing applications.
But what really separates solid ink-based printing from laser imaging is the simplicity of the marking system. The marking technology used in laser printers is called Xerographic imaging. Although it’s improved significantly over the years — especially with regard to cost reduction — the Xerographic writing process remains fairly complicated and requires precise control over electric charge and light photons, multiple moving parts, heat and pressure.
The inkjet imaging process, in contrast is much simpler and more direct.
How does solid ink printing work?
The Helpful Hybrid And The Crayola Comparison
It’s helpful to think of solid ink as a hybrid of liquid ink and toner-based technologies. It’s also helpful to compare solid ink sticks to crayons.
- Instead of liquid ink, solid ink printers use crayon-like ink sticks.
- During the imaging process, the sticks are melted into liquid form.
- The liquefied ink is jetted onto the transfer drum.
- The drum then presses against the media to transfer the image.
- Immediately upon contact with the paper, the ink undergoes a cold fusing process. This is what solidifies the ink, bonds it to the media and prevents smudging and smearing.
What’s the conclusion?
The “Less Is More” Lesson: Put Less In, Get More Out
In comparison to other marking technologies, solid ink printing allows for decreased hardware and lower operating costs. This is simply because ink is relatively inexpensive compared with toner supplies and there are fewer moving parts in the marking process, which translates to fewer maintenance needs and consumable components. Solid ink helps put printer services on autopilot.
For a more detailed analysis of the solid ink advantage, download this free report. Read about the lower energy demand, lower environmental impact and lower cost of solid ink printing, as well as Xerox’s systematically executed life cycle assessment (LCA) of this innovative technology.
To delve even deeper into the best innovations and efficiencies for your print management solutions, contact a DocuSense DocuMentor™ today!
