Inkjet printers have come a long way up the technology ladder since Hewlett-Packard (HP) invented the first inkjet printer way back in 1979. In those days they were known for slow speed, clogging ink jets, cumbersome ink cartridges, and smears across your paper. Today they are on the cutting edge of technology with full colour ink capabilities, good speeds, plug-and-play compatibility, and multi-function capabilities including fax and built-in scanners.
Although there are a lot of inkjet printers to choose from these days, grabbing the first one that you see is not a good idea. Like any other tool you want to match your inkjet printer to the jobs that you need it to do.
The first step in selecting the best inkjet printer for you is to understand the underlying technology that drives the different brands.
There are two different technologies that are employed by almost every different inkjet printer manufacturer. These technologies are known as "Micro Piezo" and "Thermal". Let's explore the differences between them:
Micro Piezo is a proprietary and patented technology that is the exclusive domain of printers that are manufactured by Epson. The Micro Piezo system fires the ink onto the paper without using heat. The benefits of this process include no heaters and heat-support parts to wear out or malfunction, and brighter and more vibrant colours that do not deteriorate because of the heat process.
Thermal technology is used by everyone else including Hewlett-Packard with their DeskJet printer. In this process heat is used to force the ink onto the paper in a similar way as heat forces lava out of a volcano. Epson claims that their process is superior to the thermal technology. All of the other manufacturers say that it doesn't matter. I guess you'll have to decide there.