What are ink tank printers?

Gone are the days when only small offices and businesses looked at printers as a necessity. Most of us today depend on our smartphones and laptops to get paper-free work done. Sometimes, there is no escaping the need for printouts for either printing documents or forms, or sometimes just to print some photographs around the house. One needs to spend time and effort taking it to a local printing shop. Home printing solutions have existed in form of desktop printers, portable, even large scaled laser printers. We’ve avoided using printers at home, fearing one thing only – printing expenses. Recent developments have seen traditional printers replacing cartridges with ink tanks. Here are some reasons of why you needn’t worry anymore – the era of smart and affordable printing solutions has dawned. Say hello to ink tank printers.

Traditional inkjet printers use ink cartridges for printing. They print smooth and detailed text and images on all types of printing papers, glossy, matte, fabric and others. Most colour printers come with one larger black cartridge along with three colour cartridges (cyan, magenta and yellow). These cartridges need to be replaced once they run out.

Traditional cartridge printers are not ideal for occasional printing. The ink in the cartridges can dry up rendering the cartridge useless. In such cases, you have to replace the entire cartridge which is an expensive thing to do.

Unlike traditional ink cartridge printers, ink tank printers have individual colour ink tanks. These tanks are capable of holding large capacity (70 ml in most printers) of ink, which is great for printing jobs and never having to worry about running out of ink. One good thing about ink tank printers is that there is little fear of ink drying up or wastage. You can fill the tank with ink based on your printing requirements.

Traditional printers are engineered to print on an average of 300- 400 pages off a single cartridge, sometimes a lot less if the printing quality demands are high. On the other hand, ink tank printers can churn out in excess of 1000 pages or even more depending on the capacity of ink it can store.

Both, traditional and ink tank printers can do decent quality printing. As mentioned earlier, traditional printers have good precision and can print on different types of printing papers and even on some fabrics without any issue. Ink tank printers use liquid ink that may not be ideal for purely photo printing although the results are quite decent. They are better suited for mixed purposes where you might be printing documents, projects as well as photographers and posters.

Typically, the cost of traditional cartridge printers is lower compared to the ink tank printers. The cost of replacing cartridges on the other hand, is a much more expensive affair. The cost of new cartridges for those printers can be more than Rs. 700 per cartridge. You need roughly 4 cartridges a printer. Prices can be higher, depending the printer model and capacity of the cartridge.

Although, ink tank printers are a bit more expensive to purchase, you save big on the cost of printing since the refill ink bottles are inexpensive. Ink tank printers have an inbuilt mechanism of supplying continuous ink, which helps lower the cost of printing. Filling up the tanks with ink is really simple too. Most models have the tanks built outside the printer’s chassis.

Once you decide on the type of printer, take some time to explore the other features they offer. The most important thing is the resolution and the print speed. If you are going to be using the printer in an office, you will want faster prints. For home use, it is worth considering features such as Wi-Fi, LAN and USB connectivity, touch screen controls, web printing, app support and more for your convenience. These features will let everybody at home print directly from their phones or PCs. Touchscreens make operating printers simpler and some models can even print remotely over the web.

Most models these days come with a built-in scanner. These models are called as all-in-one printers so look for an ink jet variant. Memory card readers and support for connecting a camera directly to the printer are other enhanced features on more premium models.

The battle of considering traditional cartridge printers or ink tank printers, depends on your usage and priorities. Traditional printers, specifically high-end photo printers are still great for purely photo-perfect quality. If it’s a mix of printing needs, from decorating your home with posters, or having your children print their school and college projects or if it’s for you printing forms and an occasional article, you will find an ink tank printer adds a lot of value. For most of us, the lack of fear over printing costs means we’re likely to print freely rather than as an expensive novelty.

Chances are you’ve probably heard the terms “ink tank” and “ink cartridge” in regards to printers. You may have assumed they were different names for the same thing, but did you know they actually pretty different from each other?

When it comes to inkjet printers, you generally have the choice between choosing a printer with an ink tank, or a printer with an ink cartridge. In this blog, we will take a look at the differences between ink tanks and ink cartridges, as well as the pros and cons of each.

Ink tanks have no inbuilt print head. These varieties utilise individual colour tanks, plus a black ink tank. The ink within these tanks can be topped up as needed from an ink bottle, and is supplied directly to the printer via an integrated ink system. Printers with ink tanks tend to be referred to as ‘continuous ink tank printers’.

Ink cartridges are ink containers with an inbuilt print head. These cartridges are small boxes of liquid ink, that are created separate to the machine itself, but placed within the printer for printing. Some printers require a single cartridge with black, magenta, yellow, and cyan ink, while others need separate cartridges. Once a cartridge runs out of ink, it can either be replaced or refilled.

Over time, using ink tanks for printing generally equates to cheaper printing costs than using ink cartridges. However, it can take a little while for this saving to be realised, as the cost of a printer with an ink tank tends to be more expensive than a printer with an ink cartridge. For those with a little money to spare, investing in a printer with ink tanks could end up costing you less for printing in the long run. Refilling ink tanks can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but with some practice, you should be able to master the art. One positive of ink tank printers is that the ink is delivered to the printhead via a tube that is airtight, which means it is more difficult for the ink to dry up when not in use. However, it is still possible for print heads to dry out.

Ink cartridge printers are generally cheaper printers to purchase. While they cost less initially, the printing costs for ink cartridge printers tend to stack up to be more than their ink tank counterparts. Replacing printer cartridges can also be pricey, however, the replacement process is pretty straightforward for most machines. There is also the cost-effective option of refilling a cartridge with more ink. Like ink tanks, this process can take a few goes to get the hang of. One downside to ink cartridge printers is that the ink can dry out when not in use. This can be frustrating for those who print very infrequently, and return to print to find their cartridges dry! It is best to ensure regular printing occurs, to lower the chances of ink drying up.

Whether a printer uses an ink tank or an ink cartridge will usually be displayed on the machine. If you are unsure of what type of ink your printer requires, Googling the machine’s make and model should elicit the results you require.

Some examples of printers that use ink cartridges are as follows:

View our 7822 ink cartridges

This printer has printing, faxing, scanning, and copying functions, as well as the ability to create photo prints. It has a 2.65-inch touchscreen display, and mobile printing capabilities such as Wireless direct Printing, HP ePrint, and Apple AirPrint. The 7822 can print colour pages up to 4800 x 1200 optimized dpi, and has automatic duplex printing. This printer has two print cartridges: one black, and one tri-colour (cyan, magenta, and yellow).

View our TS5060 ink catridges

The TS5060 is an all-in-one printer that can print, scan, and copy documents. It can also produce photos, both borderless 4 x 6”, and Instagram-style square. Wireless printing is enabled, meaning you can print from Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Windows 10 Mobile, plus more! The inks it uses are PGI670 BK and CLI671 BK, C, M, Y.

Some examples of printers that use ink tanks are as follows:

View our ET-2750 ink cartridges

This 4-colour multifunction printer is capable of printing, copying, and scanning. It comes with enough ink to print up to 6,500 black pages, and 5,200 colour pages. The ET-2750 allows printing from tablets and smartphones, and comes with Wi-Fi Direct. It can also print borderless photos, and has a 1.44-inch colour display.

View our DCP-J1100DW ink cartridges

The DCP-J1100DW has wireless and Wi-Fi Direct, along with automatic two-sided printing options. This printer has INKvestment Ink Tanks, and comes with up to 1 year of ink supplied with the printer. The DCP-J110DW has printing, copying, and scanning capabilities, and is also able to produce high-quality photo prints.

Which one will come out on top?

With much buzz about ink tanks and how they are set to revolutionise future printing, the question remains, can they outmatch traditional ink cartridges? In this battle of the printer series, we explore ink tanks vs ink cartridges to decipher which option is best for you.

Read on to find out whether ink cartridges or ink tanks are best for your needs.

Ink tanks or 'integrated bulk ink systems' are refillable ink printers that do not contain an inbuilt print head like ink cartridge printer models. Instead, they utilise an integrated bulk ink system. This means that printer ink is supplied continuously to the printer from the printers built-in ink tank. This negates the need for replacement ink cartridges. Just simply top up the tanks with ink from genuine ink bottles.

Whilst ink tank printers can set you back a considerable amount, they pledge to provide you with big savings on your cost per page. In comparison to ink cartridges, ink tank printers the running costs of ink tank printers are said to be much lower.

The video below shows how easy it is to refill an ink tank.

When it comes to pros and cons of ink tanks, there are some stark differences when compared to conventional ink cartridges. To start with, printing costs from refillable ink printers are extremely low. Continuous ink printers supply significantly lowers the cost of printing; particularly for high colour photos and prints. Then, there are page yields. Ink tanks can churn out up to 6,000 to 7,000 pages from a single refill.

This is considerably higher than conventional cartridges.

A final positive for ink tank printers is that there is a slightly increased quality of printing. By having an integrated bulk ink system as a standard feature, you will overcome the disadvantages of third-party manufacturing. Not to mention the risk of counterfeit printer cartridges. All ink tanks are specifically formulated for the printer itself, leading to the very best print quality. Users of ink tanks can enjoy reliable colour printing with the mess or hassle that is often associated with non-genuine refills.

In summary, the primary positives of ink tank printers are:

Should you be a regular printer of colour documents, you are most likely to see the benefits of ink tanks. However, for the less frequent printer, all the positives of ink tanks are somewhat lost. If you are currently shopping for an ink tank printer, you should check out our experts guide on the best ink tank printers available within Australia. We dive deep into which brand is producing the highest quality continuous ink printers and crown our king of the ink tanks.

The primary downfall of ink tank printers is the initial setup cost. When you think about how often you change your printer, you might decide that spending more upfront is a bargain should you save in the long term. However, it can take a significant amount of time before you realise the cost savings with ink tanks. For the very casual printer, this can be anywhere between 1 to 3 years.

Therefore, should you use your printer less frequently, the initial cost of an ink tank printer may not result in cost savings long term. In fact, you would be better with an original ink cartridge printer as the overall running costs for infrequent printing are reasonable.

Unlike ink tanks, ink cartridges are small containers with an inbuilt print head that is filled with liquid ink. Ink cartridges are manufactured separately to the printer, but are stored within a specialised compartment, suitable only for compatible cartridges.

Whenever a cartridge runs out of ink, it can either be replaced or refilled. This method of refilling ink has been used for over a decade and over the years, ink cartridges have been more efficient. The result of this delivers higher page yields and better quality printing from previous models.

The video below demonstrates how to replace and old ink cartridge:

As tried and tested printing technology, ink cartridges have been the staple method for many years. When it comes to their benefits, genuine original printer cartridges are of the highest quality available. They are manufactured by the same company that makes the printer and are 100% compatible. That said, most cartridges have lower printing yields when comparing ink tank vs ink cartridges.

However, the yield of original printer cartridges is measured to an international standard. You can, therefore, be sure that your cartridge from Cartridges Direct, has been manufactured according to the standards for determining monochrome and colour printer page yields.

In addition to standardised printing yields, ink cartridge printers are typically cheaper to purchase over ink tank printers. The cartridges also contain high-quality ink and compatible containers which lead to flawless printing. One final benefit, although trickier to install than ink tank refills is minimal mess. Until you grasp clean refilling through ink tanks, there may be some nasty stains on the edge of your printer tanks.

In summary, the primary positives of ink tank printers are:

Despite the cost benefits of your initial purchase, for those of you who print regularly, you may be better off purchasing ink tanks to save greater costs in the long-term. Let's take a look at some of the commonly known negatives of ink cartridges.

A major downfall to ink cartridges vs ink tanks is that replacement cartridges are more expensive. Whilst the initial setup cost is lower, for regular printing, you will quickly rack up some receipts. On the other hand, for anybody who prints too infrequently, there is a risk that your printer ink will dry up. Unlike ink tanks which have an airtight seal, stopping dried ink in motion, ink cartridges do not have this feature. As such, ink cartridges are better suited to the frequent, but not power printer user.

Then, there are potential compatibility issues. Should you accidentally purchase non-genuine ink cartridges from websites such as eBay, there is a great risk that you will break your priner. New printer technology is slowly nipping this in the bud, however, there is still a risk that your cartridge is not compatible when purchasing from illegitimate sources.

In the battle between ink tanks vs ink cartridges, there is no clear winner. In fact, the printing system that you choose is solely dependent upon your usage and needs. For the casual printer, ink cartridges are more suitable. This is because the initial setup costs are low and with moderate printing, recurring costs remain reasonable.

An ink tank printer delivers ink from its internal tank through airtight tubing directly to the printhead to produce printed pages. A color tank printer will have separate storage tanks for black, cyan, magenta and yellow ink. When ink levels in any of the tanks are low, the ink needs to be refilled.

• Slower print speeds. Most ink tank printers average print speed is between 5-25 ppm depending on the printer model – the cheaper the ink tank printer, the slower the print speed.
• High upfront costs.
• Beware of clogs.