A Brief History of Print and Printer Cartridges

Ever since prehistoric times man hasof the HP Deskjet printer series which sold for a
communicated using a type of print. What startedmassive $1000 each.
as simple pictures or images scratched into aThe development of the inkjet printer had not all
cave wall using a sharp rock or burnt stick hasbeen plain sailing, again more than one company
turned into a multibillion pound industry. Theseworked hard to perfect the new technology.
days life wouldn’t be the same without theThere were problems with ink delivery control and
ability to print, everything from bank notes to awith ink drying times amongst many others. Once
bus ticket involves printing of some sort.again there were front runners and Hewlett
It is unlikely that the first cave man ever toPackard along with Canon led the way in
scratch a picture could see the importance ofdeveloping not only a completely new ink delivery
printing; he could never envisage that thousandssystem that held wet ink inside but also a
of year’s later man would develop the printingremovable printer cartridge which was a purpose
technology and the total reliance we have on thisbuilt cartridge to deliver ink  to the paper. HP
technology today. The earliest forms of masshave gone on to develop this technology over the
repetitive print were the printing press, the oldestyears, the HP Deskjet, HP Photosmart, HP PSC,
press known dates back to 1452, invented by aHP Officejet, to name just a few of the HP range
man called Guttenburg. The stand alone printer weall owe their heritage to this early inkjet
recognise today followed much later.technology.
It has been a long journey from cave drawings toNo article on print or printers would be complete
the high quality photographs and documents wewithout a closer look at the printer cartridge. It
can now print ourselves, the ability to be able towasn’t just the invention of inkjet and laser
print such things at home and in the office isprinters alone that changed the way we print.
mainly down to recent advances in inkjet printerLots of effort and probably blood and sweat
and laser printer technology, back in 1938 whenwent into the development of the printer
Chester Carleson invented the first dry printingcartridge. Almost every modern printer has a
process called electro photography (commonlycartridge at the heart of it; without the printer
called Xerox) things started to changecartridge the printer is useless and visa versa.
dramatically, Xerox Engineer, Gary StarkweatherWhen HP released their first printer it was the
adapted the existing Xerox printer by adding afact that the HP printer cartridges can be easily
laser beam to the reprographics which set thereplaced that played a strong part in its success
mark for the future of laser printers.as a consumer product.
At the time other companies were investing timeThe printer cartridges of today can be split into
and effort into developing other versions of thetwo main categories, Laser cartridges and Ink
laser printer technology. Hewlett Packard and IBMcartridges. The difference between the two is
were amongst the front runners in the race to begreat; they are totally different types of
the most innovative imaging company; it was IBMtechnology. The laser printer cartridge uses a dry
that first brought high speed to the laser printerpowder ink sometimes known as toner and the
process with the IBM 3800 Printing System whichInk cartridge uses a wet ink.
boasts a printing speed in excess of 100The manufacture of printing technology has
impressions per minute  (impressive for the dotspread and to date there are a few different
matrix era).companies who each have their own type of
In 1984 Hewlett Packard announced their arrivalprinters and printer cartridges. Hewlett Packard is
into the laser printing top spot with the release ofamongst the biggest companies so too are
their HP Laserjet series of printers which quicklyLexmark, Canon, Epson and Xerox. 
became the world’s most popular personalThere are also many printer cartridge recycling
desktop laser printer. HP developed the first lasercompanies, most printer cartridges can be
printer to have a print resolution of 600 x 600 dpirecycled or refilled at least once. Refilled or
(dots per inch), the HP Laserjet 4 became veryremanufactured printer cartridges are usually a
popular worldwide and although Hewlett Packardlow cost alternative; many people choose refilled
have not manufactured one for years there arecartridges as they are considered to be a more
still many of them around and the printerEco minded way of printing.
cartridges are still in circulation, which is aWho knows what the printers of the future will
testament to the quality of build by Hewlettbe like, will we still be reliant on the humble ink
Packard.cartridge, the use of e mail and internet research
The arrival of laser printers with the dry printwill have undoubtedly had some effect on the
technology didn’t spell the end for wet inklevels of printing but for the foreseeable future
printing, although the laser printer was good,there will always be a need for a hard physical
colour laser printing was not yet developed andcopy print of some sort, or at least until the next
there was a void in the industry that Hewlettgreat innovation of printers and printing
Packard was about to fill. In 1976 the Inkjettechnology takes place, we’ll just have to
Printer was invented, but it wasn’t until 1978wait and see.........
that it became a home user item with the release