What is Inside Ink Cartridges?
Ink is defined as a semi-liquid fluid used for writing, drawing, and printing. Similar to paint, it is usually made from an organic or inorganic pigment that is dissolved in a chemical solvent. The main difference being that ink used in ink cartridges for inkjet printers is usually far less viscous than paint. The very first inks were made from substances as diverse as berries, blood, clay, squid ink, and tree bark.
The Chinese invented the first true printing ink around 500 BC. It was made of soot, coloured earth, and vegetable substances to provide pigment. Tree gums and animal-derived glues were used as binders. When the printing press, with settable type, was invented in 1440, ink was made with a soot base and either varnish or linseed oil. Coloured ink, using various pigments, made its appearance in 1772, but it was not until the 19th century that it was perfected with the introduction of effective drying agents.
Modern printing inks are divided into ones for writing and drawing, ones for printing press technologies, and those for inkjet printers. Ink can be used on surfaces as varied as paper, plastic, and soft drink cans. Today’s cartridges are filled with ink made of carbon black, a pigment similar to the soot that was used in ancient times.
The composition includes a solvent, a binder, and an array of additives, such as chelating and drying agents. Pigments, other than carbon black, are used to create colour. Recipes vary slightly from company to company, with propriety formulations being made for the surface that the image will be printed onto and the printing method to be used. Base pigments are mixed with a host of other chemicals, including opacifiers, extenders, dispersants, and resins. Biocides, humectants, defoamers, wetting agents, pH modifiers, and bacteriostats may also form part of the mix.
Are Cartridges too Expensive?
High-quality printing is the product of the deployment of sophisticated technology that has evolved over the last four to five decades. The evolution of the technology has delivered today’s products which are, both in terms of print quality and print speed, incredibly sophisticated. Millions of dollars have been invested by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in research and development to advance the technology to its current level.
On the one hand, the complex chemical cocktail found in today’s cartridges represents a massive financial commitment in research and development by companies, such as HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother among others. On the other hand, the high prices on consumables stems from a strategy of the OEMs to build the largest installed base of printers that, in turn, consume large volumes of high-priced ink cartridges. To achieve this objective, printers are priced at or below the cost of manufacture. The sale of cartridges then subsidizes the purchase of the printer hardware after the fact.
This practice is so entrenched that OEMs are trapped in their own business model. There is so much competition for printer hardware sales that OEMs cannot set a fair market price for their printers. Profits from the sale of cartridges have to subsidize the losses on hardware sales and generate the required profits for the OEM. Consumers can, however, benefit from lower prices if they are prepared to find high-quality, reliable aftermarket cartridges and forego the peace of mind of buying original OEM cartridges.