Buying replacement ink for your printer? You should know the difference between “OEM” and “non-OEM” ink. Essentially OEM comes directly from the original manufacturer, and “non-OEM” is the generic equivalent. Here’s a full explanation:
Tag Archives: iso 9001
How Do Inkjet Cartridges Work? No Tiny Elves Involved; Fascinating!
HP Video Explaining How Inkjet Cartridges Work: So, you thought that an ink cartridge was basically just a little plastic box that holds ink until it’s magically transferred onto paper by tiny elves? (Well, that’s what I always assumed)
How is Printer Ink Made? Fascinating Video Shows You Exactly How
How is ink manufactured? Maybe it’s not as fun as learning how chocolate bars or beer is made, but there is an incredible science to the art of making 4-color, CMYK, process ink. (This would be such of a nightmare job for me, being colorblind!) Although companies have their own unique manufacturing techniques, they all have a similar process.
Printing ink is used for a wide variety of things; everything that you see with color on a paper like substance has been printed, including all of the packaging and print material that you see
Printer ink is composed of 2 primary things; the pigment (giving ink its color) and the vehicle, which is the carrier of the color
The pigment, a colored powder, is incorporated into the vehicle, which is a sticky varnish (like honey) that varies in thickness
First the vehicle is heated in order to thin it, so that the pigment can be incorporated. The pigment is then grinded in a bead mill, and then smeared in a 3-roller mill to reduce each pigment particle to its smallest size in order to maximize the color within
Quality control (QC) now becomes hugely important, ensuring that each batch of ink is the same
The ink is then subjected to a number of rigorous tests, including a grind test, and bleach test, which checks the color strength
Once approved, other ingredients are added, including waxes (for rub resistance) driers (so that the ink can dry quickly on paper)
The tack (stickiness) is tested, as it must be controlled so that the printer transfers it properly to paper
The ink is run again through another 3-roller mill, refining it further and adds more gloss and polishing
Before the ink is poured into a can and packaged, it has been through grinding mills, mixers, and a number of quality control tests.
I came across this truly fascinating video from the Printing Ink Company that illustrates the process; from the raw ingredients and mixing process, to the final ink that is sold. Seeing the video makes you feel even worse about how much ink is wasted in your printer! (Click below to view, & please share this page!)
How Ink Is Made: (Video)
Highlight of the video: Essentially, four base colors are made, from which all other colors are derived through mixing. These colors are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black; commonly known as CMYK color.
How Ink is Made:
ISO 9001 Quality Standards for Ink? Here’s What That Means
What are ISO 9001 standards for ink? How do you know that the quality and performance of that remanufactured inkjet cartridge you are about to buy is really as good as the more expensive name brand ink?
The process that ensures quality for remanufactured and compatible ink is known as ISO 9001. Most ink that meets these tough standards will actually have an ISO 9001 seal on the packaging, meaning that they have been manufactured under ISO 9001 standards.
While all of your top ink brands like Epson, Canon, HP ink, and Lexmark (genuine ink directly from the manufacturer is known as “OEM ink”) comply with these standards, you’ll want to make sure any generic ink cartridges that you buy comply as well.
The coupons for generic ink that we feature on this site (click for 4inkjets.com coupons or 123inkjets.com coupons) all comply with these quality standards.
History of ISO 9001 quality standards:
In 1978, a Swiss organization known as the International Organization for Standards (ISO) created a set of quality standards, known as ISO 9000. This set of stringent quality standards are universally accepted and were created to ensure that a specific product or service will consistently meet their expectations every time.
ISO 9001 is a specific set of standards under the broader global standards (known as ISO 9000) that monitors the quality of design, development, and production. In this case, the ISO 9001 standards apply to compatible inkjets and remanufactured inkjets.
The ISO 9001 certification process
The process for obtaining ISO 9001 certification is a very rigorous process. With the end result guaranteeing that you, the customer, are getting a very high quality product. Some of the requirements in ISO 9001 (which is one of the standards in the ISO 9000 family) include:
- a set of procedures that cover all key processes in the compatible inkjet cartridge manufacturing process
- monitoring all manufacturing processes to ensure quality of inkjet cartridges
- checking inkjet cartridge for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary
- regularly reviewing specific individual processes as well as the quality system itself for effectiveness
- facilitating continual improvement for inkjet manufacturing process
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In general, a company or organization that has been independently audited and certified to be in compliance with strict ISO 9001 standards may publicly state that it is “ISO 9001 certified” or “ISO 9001 registered”. (as seen on the side of many inkjet cartridges) Certification to an ISO 9001 standard certifies that formalized business processes are being applied for consistency.
Buy generic ink that is iso 9001 certified for quality