Printer Ink Cartridges - The History

You are working at your computer and trying to print out important documents and all at once you find you are out of ink.  Years ago that would have presented a big problem. Printers used ribbons or daisy wheels to print on paper. Let's take a look at the evolution of printer ink cartridges.

In 1984 ink jet printers and printer cartridges were introduced. Printing documents was now easier and so was changing printer cartridges. After years of changing ribbons, adding toner ink to reservoirs within the computer.

The dot matrix method used a ribbon. The industry found new ways to make printing easier and more convenient. There is the drop on demand method where the ink squirts onto the paper through tiny nozzles. The amount of ink dropped the page is controlled by the software driver that controls which nozzle fires and when.

By 1990 ink jet print cartridges was widely accepted.  Printer cartridges can now print in color as well as in black and white for document. Inkjet printer cartridges can print on just about any sized paper, on fabric and on film. Ink jet printers are used in a variety of settings worldwide and is a popular choice for printing.

Each brand of printer uses a specific type of cartridge. Ink jet cartridges are given an identification number and the models that can use this particular cartridge, is listed.  There are a wide variety of cartridges available and you should check your printer's manual to see exactly what cartridges are available to you.

If you are trying to save money, you can purchase refill kits that allow you to fill the cartridges yourself. Not everyone is a fan of these kits however, the quality of the printing isn't as good, and in some cases the cartridges when re-installed can fail to operate.

You can get reconditioned and refilled cartridges from some retailers and sometimes from the manufacturer. Compatible cartridges are cartridges that are made according to the exact specs of the original manufacturer. The drawback here is that not every cartridge has a compatible one.

In choosing a printer check the type of cartridge it will use. You will need to determine if the cartridge is appropriate for the type of printing and the volume of printing you will be doing. You will have to do some research and you can find much of this information on the internet, through the manufacturer or through stores that deal in the particular printer you are looking at.

Discount ink cartridges are available online.  All you have to do is type ink cartridges or printer cartridges into your search engine. Some sites offer amazing discounts. Again you are going to have to search for the deal that is best for you. Pay attention to the cartridge top when purchasing them. Check the sides of the box for a list of models the cartridge will work in.

There is a time line below that has some really interesting facts.
This would make a great list of answers for a trivia game. I cannot imagine the hard work that created the ink jet printer cartridge, as we know it. It is easy to understand why cartridges are expensive.

1452 - Gutenberg used oil-based ink, moveable type, and an old winepress to make the first printing press.
Martin Luther began the Protestant reformation making extensive use of the printing press.

1714  - The typewriter was born. Schematics that were done by Mills were discovered however, there is no proof that any typewriters were actually made.

1874 - Christopher Sholes, Samuel Soule, and Carlos Glidden made a keyboard that became known as the “qwerty” because of the first five keys on the top row of the keyboard.

1894 - Franz Wagner developed a typewriter that is very similar to the ones made today. He created a design that let the typists watch as they were typing. Previously, paper would go through a roller as you typed and you could not see what you typed until you were done.

1897 - Underwood      (by John Underwood) was the prototypical typewriter of its day.

1939 - Charles Carlson developed electrography, which is the first dry writing technique developed in the United States.

1949 - Haloid Company began to commercially developed electrography for the first time.

1959 - Xerox 914 hit the market and forced other businesses to update their communication systems.

1969 - Xerox first introduced dry printing (laser printing) by Gary Starkweather.

1078 - Xerox put out the world's first business laser printer the Xerox 9700. It copied documents at the speed of 120 ppm (pages per minute)

1979 - The IBM 3800 could print out 20,000 lines per minute.

1980's - The use of toner cartridges became obsolete.

1984 - Hewlett-Packard released the first home-based desktop laser printer.