Print Heads

The print head is the part of the printer that actually applies the ink or colorant to the paper. Dot matrix printers are considered impact printers because the pins emerge to inject, or push, ink onto the paper. Laser printers are considered non-impact printers because they use a laser to attract the toner to the paper to form characters or images. Inkjet printers are also non-impact printers because they spray the ink onto the paper to print. All of these varieties use a print head, which can get clogged in some cases, causing a decrease in quality.

When buying a new printer, or considering maintenance on the model you currently own, you should think about whether the print head is included in the ink cartridge, as in many less expensive HP printers, or whether the print head is in the printer, as is the case in Epson printers, and in some more expensive HP printers.

If you prefer not to maintain or clean your printer, you may want to consider the less expensive HP printers. Since you will be changing the print head whether you want to or not every time you change the ink, the print heads in these models will get clogged less often, and cleaning will not be necessary.

However, consider that the reason Epson puts the print head in the printer is because they use a more expensive (and often thought of as better) print head that would be impractical to replace every few weeks or months. These print heads are sturdier than their throwaway companions, but certainly not sturdy enough to resist the necessity of cleaning them.

Laser printers, while containing a print head, do not need to be cleaned, as the ink does not clog them. These printers may be the best investment for a printer that does not need de-clogging.

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