Now, let’s take a few minutes to talk about the different parts of an inkjet printer, and how those parts work.

The Print Head:
The print head operates the printing action of the printer. It contains a series of nozzles that are used to spray droplets of ink. The print head can either be included as part of the printer or part of the inkjet cartridge.

The Inkjet Cartridge:
Inkjet cartridges come in different combinations, depending on the manufacturer or model. Cartridges can have a separate tank for each color or one cartridge for each color. Most inkjet printers will use four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to create almost any color combination. If the inkjet printer doubles as a photo printer, it will use six colors, by adding the light magenta and light cyan to extend the printer’s color gamut.

The Stepper Motor:
The stepper motor is what moves the print head and cartridge back and forth across a page. Some printers will have a second stepper motor to park the print head assembly when the printer is not in use.

The Belt:
The belt is the gray ‘belt looking’ thing inside your printer that attaches the print head assembly (the holder for your inkjet cartridges) to the stepper motor.

The Stabilizer Bar:
The print head assembly (the holder for your inkjet cartridges) moves across a stabilizer bar to ensure that each row of dots are even and precise.

The Paper Tray/Feeder:
Inkjet printers will have either a paper tray that can be loaded with paper or a feeder that is located in the back of the printer. Both include a sensor that stops the printer when it is out of paper.

The Rollers:
The rollers pull the paper from the paper tray/feeder and control the rate at which the paper is moved past the print head assembly.

The Printer Driver:
A printer driver is software that acts as a translator so that the printer can understand data and instructions from your computer. The driver describes the text, image, etc. to be printed and translates it into the printer language.

The Controller:
The controller is essentially the “command station” of the printer. The control circuitry is responsible for decoding the information sent from the computer, via the printer driver, to the printer, as well as controlling the various motors of the printer.