Ever since the 1980s—the early days of desktop inkjet—there has been a market for lower-cost ink supplies. The integrated disposable printhead with ink supply was introduced by Hewlett-Packard in the 1980s to avoid costly printer maintenance problems because inkjet technology had not reached the high level of reliability we see today. This problem was particularly apparent with the phasing out of early piezo printers by Tektronix (made by Sharp) principally due to problematic nozzle plugging with a permanent printhead. Integration solved the maintenance problem but added significant cost to the end user because each time the ink supply was replaced, an expensive printhead was replaced as well—whether or not it had failed.
Today these problems have been overcome in the thermal inkjet technology of Canon, Lexmark and HP, as well as the piezo technology offered by companies like Epson. Thus many printers today have separate ink tanks and printhead systems. From the early days, a significant business opportunity has developed for those offering the printer owner alternatives to the printer manufacturers’ ink supply.
This ink cartridge refill kiosk, manufactured by INK-O-DEM, is being used in retail settings such as the Ace Hardware chain. (Photo courtesy of INK-O-DEM)
With the integrated printhead/ink supply cartridges, the aftermarket suppliers can offer ink supplies and processes that enable the refilling or remanufacture of the ink cartridges. Many of the ink tanks offered separately from the printheads can be remanufactured, refilled and resold to end users at lower cost. In addition, bulk ink systems were developed that offered further reduction in supply costs.
The market has matured, and today the focus has shifted on the part of printer manufacturers to provide more environmentally friendly alternative packaging that supports efforts to provide more sustainable supplies. Aftermarket suppliers are faced with a less friendly ink tank for remanufacturing and a less attractive aftermarket alternative. These efforts impact the cost and the environmental impact of ink products now and in the future.
REFILLING
Unfortunately, a huge number of integrated cartridges and wide-format ink tanks find their way into our landfills each year. Efforts to collect them and reuse them have grown, but this segment accounts for only a small fraction of those produced and sold new.
One solution that is becoming increasingly popular for the desktop market is the ink refill kiosks that can be seen in major retail outlets such as hardware stores, office supply stores and superstores. An example is the refill kiosk developed and deployed by Phoenix Ink. They use Kodak aftermarket inks and a sophisticated refilling and testing system operated by store personnel. They have built a very successful and growing business that has refilled more than four million ink cartridges. End users can feel good about saving money and avoiding landfills. The key to success with this approach is to test the cartridges, and if electronically viable refill them, and then test to assure printhead performance.
Remanufactured ink cartridges such as these made for HP printers offer a greener and cost-effective alternative for print shops. (Image courtesy of LexJet)
This type of in-store approach would not be practical for most professional wide-format end users. It might be possible for distributors to set up some kind of mail-in refill system, but so far, that has not caught on. However, there are two approaches that are enjoying increased popularity among sign and print shops, and both result in lower costs and greener solutions: bulk ink systems and remanufactured cartridges or ink tanks.
BULK SYSTEMS
Bulk ink systems eliminate the use of cartridges altogether, and some printer manufacturers, such as Mimaki, are making bulk ink systems an available option with new printers. But bulk systems from third-party providers generally require some modification of the printers, and may lead to warranty issues for printers still under warranty.
However, a well-executed bulk system with good quality inks can save money and dramatically reduce the waste associated with ink cartridges. Over the years, both the quality of the aftermarket inks and the performance of the bulk systems have improved. Still, care should be taken to carefully check out both parts of the solution since low-quality inks and poorly designed bulk systems are still being sold today.
Hewlett-Packard offers a greener ink tank packaging system in its Latex printer series. The exploded view of HP’s three-liter ink container system for the LX600 Latex printer employs a recyclable corrugated box and plastic ink bag. (Images courtesy of Hewlett-Packard)
REMANUFACTURING
Since cloning wide format and desktop ink cartridges is illegal in the U.S., there is a large market for remanufactured ink cartridges and ink tanks. As with bulk ink systems, this must be done properly—for both the remanufacturing of the ink tank and the formulation of the inks in order to achieve the same quality and reliability as the original printer manufacturer. The ability to replace one color at a time with an aftermarket product is a very important capability for the end user both to insure color consistency and to enable a no-cost switch over.
LexJet offers this type of plug-and-play remanufactured pigmented ink cartridge system for the HP 5000 series of printers. Return data for defective ink cartridges shows that the LexJet remanufactured ink tanks are comparable in reliability with new cartridges from HP.
GREENER PACKAGING
Hewlett-Packard has made a very important advance in their sustainability program with the “Latex” printer series. Not only have they reduced the need for solvent ink systems in large- and grand-format printing with this water-based resin technology, but they have carried this all the way through their packaging of the ink, using recyclable paper-based ink containers. The grand-format HP LX600 Latex Scitex Ink Cartridge is a good example. The accompanying image shows the three-liter ink supply is primarily a plastic bag in a corrugated box, and both are recyclable.
CONCLUSION
Work continues to remanufacture, recycle and to minimize the consumption of materials. Costs will be lower and the push toward use of the least impactful consumables will continue. Both the inkjet printing industry and the planet will benefit.