Inexpensive inkjet printers are a staple of modern office life, offering high-resolution printing for office applications. Inkjets are found at any office supply store, electronics shop, or department store.
History
While Lord Rayleigh described the inkjet concept as early as 1868, the first inkjets, a continuous-ink type, were not produced until the 1950s. VideoJet, A.B. Dick, and Mead DIJIT were early models. IBM released the the IBM 4640 in 1976.
Technology
Continuous ink has ink constantly flowing onto the page. These have commercial applications. For home use, drop-on-demand flow is more common. Individual drops are placed on the page where required, a much less wasteful technique.
Manufacturers
The leading manufacturers of inkjet printers are Lexmark, Canon, HP, Epson and Brother. Common brands include the DeskJet, BubbleJet, and OfficeJet.
Styles
Inkjet printers are sold as peripherals for the home computer, as part of multi-function (scanner, printer, fax) devices and in tiny versions for travel. There are photo inkjet printers, color inkjets and gray-scale versions.
Ink
Inkjet printers use cartridges which are typically on the expensive side. Several companies sell kits to refill the ink at a fraction of the cost.
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