The unofficial underdog of the printing world, solid ink printers aren’t widely used, but those who own one would argue until they’re red in the face that they’re the best printers on the market. With cheap running costs, excellent colour reproduction and package-free, environmentally-friendly cartridges, solid ink printers offer a serious alternative for those left unconvinced by inkjet and laser machines.
Before you run out and buy one however, you should be aware that like all printer types, solid ink printers do have their pitfalls. It’s important to weigh up the advantages of disadvantages of solid ink printing before agreeing to buy a machine, as it may turn out that a solid ink printer isn’t right for your requirements.
Here, we’ll provide a list of the pros and cons of solid ink printers, helping you to understand the benefits and limitations of the technology.
Bottle of ink printer has three colours. Colours is red, yellow and blue with syringe on coloured paper.
asian beautiful woman using printer in office
The Advantages of Solid Ink Printing
Aside from the advantages listed above, what other benefits can those who buy a solid ink printer expect from the technology?
They’re Cheap to Run
While replacement inks for solid ink printers are fairly pricey, the high page yield of each cartridge more than makes up for this relatively high price tag. The average solid ink printer can produce hundreds of printouts from a single stick of ink, meaning you rarely find yourself having to stop printing to top up the tank.
They’re Eco-Friendly
If you’re conscious of your carbon footprint and like to keep your waste to a minimum, a solid ink printer could be just the type of machine you’re looking for. The Xerox solid ink sticks used in each printer don’t come with any other packaging other than what they’re wrapped in, and once they’re used up, there’s no empties to dispose of — meaning less harmful waste sent to landfill.
They’re Excellent for Printing Photographs
Rivalling inkjet printers in terms of accurate colour reproduction, solid ink printers are ideal for printing full colour images. Due to the solid ink melting down during the print process, this lends itself perfectly to the production of accurate colour when printing photographs and other graphics.
The Disadvantages of Solid Ink Printing
Unfortunately for those interested in investing in a solid ink printer, the technology does have its downsides. Here we look at the negative aspects of owning a solid ink printer.
They Take a While to Warm Up and Cool Down
If speed is at the top of your new printer wish list, you might want to look elsewhere. Before solid ink printers start chucking out sheets, they need time to warm up and melt the solid ink sticks into liquid form. This takes time, and can impact upon the overall first page rate.
They’re Expensive to Buy
Given solid ink printers are manufactured by a single supplier (Xerox), the company has free rein to charge what they like for the technology. This means solid ink printers can be expensive to buy outright, particularly when compared with the equivalent inkjet or laser alternative.
They’re Vulnerable to Low Melting Temperatures
Though solid ink won’t melt in the sun after it’s been applied to a sheet of paper, it’s by no means a permanent fix. Some solid ink printer users have noted that when laminating a sheet of paper, the heat can distort and smudge the ink on the page due to its relatively low melting temperature. So if you do a lot of laminating, a solid ink printer may not be suitable for your requirements.
Weighed up the options and decided that a solid ink printer is the machine for you? Then click here to view our complete selection of solid ink printers, as well as a range of solid ink consumables.