There are many doubts circling on in people’s head about some of the facts related to printer ink cartridges. One of them is the main point of difference between a print ink and a toner. The chief divergence is that printer ink is not a solid, but it is a liquid, and is thoroughly processed inside the cartridges of the ink, and only after that is it applied on paper. One can print using ink in several ways. However, the most commonly known method is the thermal ink jet technology, which is the most popularly used too.

In consumer ink jet printers, this method makes full use of a cartridge, which includes a line of minute electrically heated chambers. In order to create an image, a pulse of current is run through the printer, through all the possible heating elements. In the chamber, one experiences a steam explosion, which drops a spot of ink on to the surface of the paper. As soon as the bubble condenses, the extra ink is sucked back from that surface of the paper. On the other hand, toner is recognized as a fine carbon powder, which is burned on to the paper, through the efficient guidance of laser and its heat.

One experiences the projection of an electrical charge on a charge roller. Special garnet or plastic forms the base of the drum, on which a system which writes light is electronically driven into. This causes the leakage of electrostatic charge from all the exposed and uncovered portions of drum. The open face has a bath with extremely minute particles of the toner or the plastic powder that is dry in nature.

Buy a laser printer if you only print in black and are a heavy user. Laser printers and toners are initially expensive, they only make sense if you use them a lot. For businesses that can make sense especially in you put them on the network, laser printers are very sturdy and fast.

Buy an inkjet printer if you are a home user or work from home, the cost saving alone is a critical factor. In addition you will benefit from color printing and very often, fax, scan and picture printing.