Optical Density And How Printer Ink Cartridges Contribute To It

2010-06-27

There are two important factors to consider for any business purchasing printer ink cartridges or printer ink refills. The first is cost. It is essential to find a supplier that can not only provide the ink needed, but at a rate that is within budget limits and is sustainable over the long term. Second, the ink cartridges must print well. A cost-effective cartridge rapidly becomes expensive if it does not work and has to be replaced. Ideally, a cartridge should be found that cannot only be adjusted to produce fast, low-quality prints for internal documents, but also to provide enough ink on the page to render high-quality images and words for presentations or shipping outside of the company walls. Each ink cartridge and brand will have slightly different qualities, which will result in a different level of printing. One of the most important qualities of any printer cartridge is its overall optical density.

Essentially, optical density is the ability of the ink cartridge to deliver the most amount of ink to a given location on a page. The more ink and dots per inch that can be placed onto one section of paper, without the losing the crispness of the image, the higher the optical density will be. Printer cartridges which can produce only a very low optical density on paper will inevitably be less costly, but will never be able to print perfect, high-quality documents. Excellent printer ink cartridges should have the ability to do both, based on their own constriction as well as the type of printer they are used with.

As well, it is not only the printer ink cartridge that is responsible. A printer which can only print in a very low dots per inch (DPI) setting will mean that no matter how much ink is applied, the image will never look as crisp as it should. Similarly, if the paper used does not have a high enough opacity or the ability to limit light bleed-through, the printed text or graphic will never appear as bright and vibrant as possible, and the back side of the page will always show some of the image on the front bleeding through. Nonetheless, optical density should be a factor in the purchase of any new ink cartridge line. Many brand name and refurbishing companies will offer several grades of ink, depending on the need, and higher quality ink will offer greater optical density.

Although this concept is not the end all be all of print quality, it is worth knowing about some of the factors which go into creating a finished page, enabling companies to make the printer ink choices that best suit their needs and their budgets.