Curious about the inked ribbon in printers? Want to know whether your printer has an inked ribbon or not?
Well, you have come to the right place. Because as a printer technician myself, I love explaining printer technology.
To be frank, printers have come a long way from the date of their invention. But still, the use of inked ribbons is not very common at all. So, knowing what type of printer requires the ribbon and if your printer has it or not can help you have a better printing experience.
But what are the inked ribbon printers available now? Does your printer have an inked ribbon? If it is, then how can you take care of it?
To know these in detail, dive into the article right now!
What Type Of Printer Requires The Ribbon?
Ribbon ink is usually used by Impact printers like dot matrix printers and thermal transfer printers.
In the case of a dot matrix printer, an ink-soaked ribbon is pressed against a paper to print. On the other hand, in a thermal transfer printer, the ribbon contains a wax coating which is melted by a heated print head. Let us describe in detail-
Dot-Matrix Printer
The ribbon that the dot matrix printer contains is mainly an inked fabric. Its core product is Nylon 6, which provides sufficient capillary and stress-resistant properties to carry ink properly. High quality inked ribbons show the following properties-
- Moderate absorption rate
- High tensile strength
- Resistance against smudge and scratch &
- Good thermal property.
Parts Of A Dot Matrix Printer
Dot-matrix printers have 4 main parts-
- Printhead: Printhead is the most important part of these printers. This is a square-shaped box that contains pins. You may find 6,12,24 pins in a printhead, To get a better outcome, choose a 24-pin set.
- Platen roller: It is a cylindrical roller that holds the paper and rolls perfectly around it.
- Inked ribbon: It is used to transfer ink to the paper from the ribbon.
- Tractor feed: Another most important part. It ensures flawless drawing while printing work runs.
How Dot Matrix Printer Works
A Dot-matrix printer is mainly an impact printer. That means they work by creating direct contact of the ink ribbon with paper.
You can print texts having multiple fonts and sizes with these printers without any hassle. The printhead uses an immersed cloth while striking paper. Dot-matrix printers operate by following the mechanisms of thermal transfer printers.
Thermal transfer printing is a method for printing high-quality documents. Thermal transfer printers use ribbons that contain wax-based ink. In thermal printing, heat is at first applied to the ribbon using the thermal print head. Then this heat melts the ink and transfers it to the paper.
Thermal printers offer a long variety of printing materials, such as paper, plastic, polyester, and so on. Not only that, thermal transfer printers offer to use colored ribbons to improve the appearance of your label.
Features Necessary Before Choosing Inked Ribbon
We are discussing the requirements based on an inked ribbon printer. For this, you have to know about –
1. Ink Type
First look at the ink type. This may seem less important, but it is not. It is very important to check whether your printer is getting the right type of color for your printing needs.
Also, check for the features like durability, and tensile strength of the ribbon properly.
2. Page Yielding
Whenever you are purchasing a new cartridge or you are comparing a cartridge with another, page yield is the key area. Page yield refers to how many pages you can print before you will replace that cartridge.
Higher page yielding cartridges are more recommended.
3. Ribbon Dimension
Knowing the dimension of your Ribbon is the most important thing to consider before buying one. Always remember, that the width of your ribbon must be longer than the label’s width. Also, look at the capillary properties of your ribbon before buying one.
4. Cost
After that, you have to check the cost. There are a variety of ribbons with different ranges available in the marketplace. Before buying you have to calculate properly and balance your demand and budget.
Depending on which type of printer ink you need, in the marketplace, you will find remanufactured and new ink ribbons. Remanufactured means recycled ribbons and they are way more affordable than new ones. You just have to be careful while buying.
Well, that’s the way you can get to buy the perfect ink ribbon for your printer.
Which Ink Is Compatible With My Printer?
There are different kinds of inks available. For example- you need different types of inks for laser and inkjet printers. These two types of printers are the most common in use all over the world. But there are more general ink categories available. Such as Liquid ink, Solid ink, Ribbon ink, Toner, UV ink, and 3D printing ink.
You have now learned about different types of inks. But, yes there is a big but!
Which ink is compatible with your printer? A very big and relevant question arises. If you already have this question, then here today you will get to know how you will understand, what type of ink is compatible with your printer.
For this dive into the below-mentioned procedures-
- First, check the box in which your printer is delivered. You have to do it because which type of ink is perfect for your printer is mentioned on the printer box
- After that, search for your printer model number on the manufacturer’s website. There you will get more authentic information. You will also get to know the ink information( ink ribbon, cartridges part number, etc) on the specification section or supply sections. Or you can also check for the cartridges part number near the cartridges carrier. The manufacturer sometimes includes it for easy reference.
- You can also check the printer user guide. If you don’t have the guide anymore, then you can simply download the guide from the manufacturer’s website.
In this way, you can determine which type of ink is compatible with your printer.
Before giving our final verdict, let us go through some questions which are related to this article.
FAQs
1. Which Printer Works By Direct Contact Of Ink Ribbon With Paper?
Impact printers work by creating direct contact of the ink ribbon with paper. Impact printers are a little bit noisier than non-impact printers. Dot-matrix printers, Daisy-wheel printers, and line printers are examples of impact printers.
2. What Are Laser Printers?
A laser printer is a very popular type of printer which works following the non-impact or photocopier technology. Here when a document is sent to the printer, a laser beam draws the full page with the help of electricity. Well, laser printers don’t use ribbons. They use toners instead of ribbons while printing.
3. Does An Inkjet Printer Use A Ribbon?
If an inkjet printer has good color printing quality, then it will give the best output with ribbons. For ensuring the best color ink quality, you have to check if it has smudge-resistance features available or not.
4. What Type Of Printer Uses Ribbons That Contain Wax-Based Ink?
Thermal printers use ribbons that contain wax-based ink. In thermal printing, heat is at first applied to the ribbon using the thermal print head. Then this heat melts the ink and transfers it to the paper.
5. Does Dot Matrix Printer Ink Fade Over Time?
Well, dot matrix printer ink slowly fades within time. But as you can’t stop the fading at once, you can get enough time to take preventive measures.
Final Words
Well, we think, now you have got the complete idea of what type of printer requires the ribbon. Haven’t you?
We have tried our best to share all necessary information related to ribbon printers and their requirements. We hope you will benefit from this article. Now it will be easy for you to determine which type of ink is suitable for which type of printer.
That’s all for today. Have a very good day!
