Solid Ink - Laser Printers, Color Laser Printers and Printing Supplies at Printermalls

Solid Ink Printing

Solid ink printers use wax-like ink sticks reminiscent of crayons instead of fluid inks or dry toners. Tektronics, Inc. invented the solid ink printing process in 1986 and introduced the first solid ink printer, the Phaser III, in 1991. This first generation solid ink printer implemented a printing process similar to current day inkjet printers with a printhead that traversed the width of the page then advancing the paper to do the next line. It quickly became clear that a different process was necessary. In 1995, Tektronics developed an indirect printing process where the entire page was printed on a rotating drum then the image is transferred to the paper from the drum. This offset printing method is currently used in today's solid ink printers. In 2000, Xerox acquired Tektronics color printing division. Since Xerox purchase, the solid ink printer has been refined to an economical and speedy alternative to traditional color laser printers.

The current product line of Xerox Solid-Ink Printers and MFP's offer speeds up to 30 pages per minute with a comparable cost per page to color laser printers.

The solid ink printing process:

The printer has a warm-up procedure. At this time the ink-melter and printhead are heated so the solid ink melts to a liquid state. The drum assembly is also heated so that the ink solidifies but is kept in a state that also allows the ink to be transferred to the paper. After the printer warms up the printer is ready to print.

The drum maintence kit cleans the rotating aluminium drum then applies a thin layer of oil to the drum.
The drum assembly then rotates and the heated ink is sprayed on the oil-coated drum.

The paper travels through a preheating unit then between a transfer roller and the drum assembly. The image is transferred from the drum onto the paper with the heat and pressure.
The paper will exit the printer or go through the duplexing unit to print the reverse side of the page repeating these steps

Advantages of solid ink printing:

Excellent Print Quality: The colors are vibrant and consistent. Paper quality has little impact on the print quality. Solid ink printer's single pass printing method do not suffer from registration problems that plague inkjet and laser printers.
Ease to Use: Ink-sticks are manufactured with a specific shaper for each printer and color and can not be installed incorrectly. The paper tray can easily handle an entire ream of paper. Consumables are easy to replace with no mess or risk of spillage.
Environmentally Friendly: Solid ink printers generate up to 95% less waste than typical color laser printers because there is less to through away. Unlike laser printers, solid ink printers do not produce any ozone and do not introduce fine toner particles into the air that may cause cancer.
Warm-up time: Quick warm-up time from standby mode.

Disadvantages of solid ink printing:

Warm-up time: Very long warm-up time from power off. It is recommended for the printer to be left on and for it to go into standby mode when not in use. New models are very efficient in standby mode.
Ink-waste: The printer performs a cleaning cycle when powered on. It is recommended for the printer to be left on and for it to go into standby mode when not in use.
Possible printer damage: The printer can be damaged if moved before it has completely cooled down. Always follow the manufacture's directions before moving a solid ink printer.

Anatomy of the solid-ink printer:

Front control panel
Paper trays
Drum assembly
Solid-ink printhead
Paper path
Preheater
Ink loader
Ink melter
Electronics access panel
Melted Ink Reservoirs
Maintenance Kit
Waste Ink Tray

Who buys from us?

Upper Cumberland Development District
-----------

Primary Children's Hospital
-----------

Boys Club of Palm Springs
-----------

Remax Reflections
-----------

Sandia National Laboratories
-----------

American Red Cross
-----------

Brookgreen Gardens
-----------

Village Books Press
-----------

Gigabites
-----------

Weichert Realtors Premier
-----------

CENTURY 21 Sbarra & Wells
-----------

Southwestern Precision Co
-----------

RE/MAX Associates
-----------

US Coast Guard
-----------

CITGO Refining and Chemicals
-----------

United States Air Force
-----------

Alliance Communications Inc
-----------

Shaw AFB
-----------

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
-----------

University of Minnesota
-----------

CompuDirect is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau since 1994. Zero complaints since we joined the BBB! Click image above for our current status.

Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express Accepted

Technical Support
is handled by
Xerox.

Available 24 Hours Per Day, Every Day

800-835-6100

or browse to:
www.support.xerox.com

Privacy
Your Privacy is assured!

You will NOT be spammed by using this website! Matter of fact, we hope that you will join forces with us and all legitimate businesses in helping to stop spammers by reporting them to:

Security
Our Online Store System uses SSL security. At checkout you will see that your page is locked meaning that all information is encrypted.

Shipping Charges
To compute shipping charges, place an item or items in your cart then click the Checkout Button. Your shipping will be computed and displayed before finalizing your order. We ship 'best method' always, so you'll get your order as fast as possible - 'ground' is usually 3-5 days anywhere in the lower 48! Of course, 'overnight' is also available if needed.

$25 minimum order on this site. This helps defray high order processing costs.

PrinterMalls Links

CompuDirect is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The use of the word "CompuDirect" in any context, alone or in combination with any other text, is forbidden without the express written permission of CompuDirect of Myrtle Beach.
©2011 CompuDirect of Myrtle Beach
CompuDirect of Myrtle Beach retains copyright to all text and graphic images on this site. YOU MAY NOT download, copy, print, or modify this material in whole or in part for any purpose without the express written permission of CompuDirect of Myrtle Beach. We do not hold the trademark to Xerox or Xerox-related products.

The following are registered trademarks of Xerox Corporation: XEROX®, The Document Company®, digital X®, DocuPrint, CopyCentre, WorkCentre, Phaser, ColorStix, PrintingScout , Walk-Up, Total Satisfaction Services, Tekcolor, Tektronics, PhaserSmart, PhaserColor, PhaserShare, Made for Each Other, Ink Stick Design and CentreWare.

HP®, Okidata®, IBM®, Lexmark®, Xerox® and other manufacturers are used on this site for identification purposes only.

All Products

PrinterMalls E-Commerce System v 4.1

Brands

Products

Information

Vendor Info

Who buys from us?