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Ink Printing
Firing
Ink Without Heat
- Piezo print heads deliver photo-quality at high speed...but
what are they? -
Inkjet printers compose a picture by firing tiny droplets
of ink onto a medium. But different printer manufacturers
use different firing mechanisms. Broadly speaking, firing
is achieved by one of two systems: a bubble system or a
Micro Piezo system. A bubble system uses the pressure produced
by bursting bubbles of heated ink to fire the ink. In a
Micro Piezo system, electricity passing through the piezo
elements causes physical distortions in the elements, which
helps to fire the ink.
The
heat applied in a bubble system exerts a heavy load on the
heater, ink, and ink head, causing them to deteriorate rather
rapidly. The Micro Piezo design, on the other hand, relies
on mechanical force to achieve firing. This requires a highly
sophisticated structure that demands high level processing
precision in manufacturing. While both designs have their
relative strengths and weaknesses, the Micro Piezo system
is the design of choice for Epson's series of inkjet printers.
The reason is simple: Epson is confident that it is piezo
technology that will enable the company to push the limits
of photo-quality imaging.
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