For years, consumers have griped about the overpriced printer cartridges – especially ink cartridges. To address this consumer pain point, OEM manufacturers have introduced printers that use ink tanks to hold higher capacity ink than standard ink cartridges. Ink tank system printers have rapidly become another affordable printing option, as they perfectly combine low operation costs with the same multifunction printer features you expect from the common inkjet printers. In this article, we will explain what ink tank system printers is and make a comparison of ink cartridge and ink tank printers.
Instead of counting on printer cartridges to create a print, ink tank system printers use a refillable tank system and ink bottles to handle printing tasks. Similar to filling up your gas tank, when your printer is running low in ink levels, you need to fill the ink tank with proper amount of ink from the bottle. The printer’s continuous ink supply system delivers the ink via an airtight tube to the printhead, so ink won’t dry out over time. Ink bottles are a much more economical printing solution than many OEM printer cartridges due to their higher ink capacity, providing thousands of prints at an extremely low cost per page.
What Is the Difference Between Ink Cartridge and Ink Tank Printers?
Ink Cartridges
Ink cartridges refer to ink containers with an inbuilt printhead. These small containers of ink (cartridges) are filled with liquid ink, which is then used by the printer to print out your documents or photos. Most printers that can print color come with a black cartridge and color cartridges that combines 3 primary colors to create a variety of color combinations. Once an ink cartridge runs out, it can either be refilled or replaced. Typically, it is considerably cheaper to refill a printer cartridge than to buy an entirely new one.
Ink Tanks
Different from ink cartridges, ink tanks do not have an inbuilt printhead. Ink tanks have individual color tanks consisting of cyan, magenta and yellow, as well as a black tank that can be refilled with ink from ink bottles easily. Compared to inkjet printers that use ink cartridges, refillable ink tank system printers tend to be more costly at the beginning (usually costs more than twice the price of an average inkjet model that uses ink cartridges). However, you end up making much savings in the long run because of low per page printing costs and the availability of inexpensive refill ink bottles.
Ink Tank vs Ink Cartridge – Which Is Better?
In the battle between ink tank and ink cartridge, there is no clear winner. As far as printing performance is concerned, there are no known notable differences in print quality between ink cartridges and ink tanks. As a matter of fact, which system will be more efficient and cost-effective for your printing depends largely on your usage.
Cartridge printers are best for occasional users. That is because initial costs are low, and with moderate printing needs, recurring costs can remain acceptable and reasonable. However, for those who are constantly fetching printouts or require a high volume of color prints, ink tank system printers can significantly reduce your printing cost per page. Although initial costs of the printing machine can be higher, these costs can gradually be offset for frequent users.
Before your purchase, it’s therefore important to consider your future printer usage and printing needs. Households or businesses that are relatively heavy users of cartridges can make big savings in the long run by switching their printer for one with refillable ink tanks. After reading this article, we hope you finally know what is ink tank system printers and the difference between ink cartridge and ink tank printers. Moreover, you can also choose TIANSE to buy compatible ink cartridges or refill ink bottles for your inkjet printers or ink tank system printers.
Post time: Jul-12-2019