How to Distinguish Ink Cartridge, Printhead and Toner Cartridge

Almost all people around the globe either own or use a printer every day. Printers have become very important tools for work, business and even for schools. This is why it is important for you to know the components of printer systems.

TonerBoss gives you the very basic pointers on how you can differentiate ink cartridge, printhead and toner cartridge. These are all valuable components of printer systems. Without these, any type or brand of printer will not be complete and you will not be able to print your documents or graphics.

• A printhead and a cartridge are not the same.

A printhead and a cartridge are two different components of the printer. A printhead is component that has the printer nozzle which releases the ink from the cartridge to the paper.

A cartridge, on the other hand, can either be a printer ink cartridge or a laser toner cartridge. A printer ink cartridge contains ink while a laser toner cartridge contains toner. These two are different because printer ink is in liquid form while toner is dry ink (in powder form). Whether its printer ink or toner, they both come out through the nozzle in the printhead to the paper.

• Is there a difference in the costs of ink and toner cartridges?

Yes, the prices of ink cartridges are different from those of toner cartridges. Printer ink cartridges are cheaper than laser toner cartridges. The choice of which printer or cartridge to use depends on the printing job and quality that you need. In most cases, laser toner cartridges can give better page yield than printer ink cartridges.

• Which one gives faster printing speed, printer ink cartridge or laser toner cartridge?

In terms of printing speeds, a laser toner cartridge is faster than printer ink cartridge. The difference in speed is due to the different and more advanced printhead technology used in laser printers.

• Does using a printer ink cartridge or a laser toner cartridge have any effect on the print quality?

Yes, of course, there is a difference in the print quality. Technically, laser toner cartridges give better print quality than printer ink cartridges but the difference is not very noticeable and significant.

In spite of these differences, the choice on which cartridge to use remains to be yours. It will depend on what you need or what you require. A laser toner cartridge is not necessarily better than a printer ink cartridge and vice versa. Contact TonerBoss for more details or for your inquiries.