Printheads

One of the most important tools at a business’ disposal is its printer. They enable you to print documents, marketing media, and everything in between. And if you need labels, they can print your receipts, product labels, and shipping labels.  

They’re incredible machines, but if something goes wrong, it can cause a major headache for you and your team.  

The printhead is the most important part of any inkjet printer. Knowing how they work, what maintenance they need, and how to replace them is essential knowledge for any business owner.  

What is a Printhead? 

The printhead is the part of your machine that applies ink to the paper or label. Using a motor and a toothed belt, it can create the clear text and vivid images you need. Depending on the type of printer you’re using, this can either be in full colour or black and white.  

Over time, your printhead will wear out. This leads to inferior printing quality, jams, or it may fail altogether. The more you use your printer, the sooner this will happen. Businesses that need product labels often use their printers throughout the workday, which will put strain on even the most advanced machines.  

Do Thermal Printers use Printheads?

Thermal printers don’t use ink, and therefore don’t have a traditional printhead. Instead, heat is applied to the paper or label. As well as making smudging impossible, thermal printers don’t need replacement ink cartridges, which means they are cheaper to run than an inkjet alternative.  

However, thermal printers aren’t ideal for colour printing and are instead best for labels. Keep all applications in mind when you decide which type of printer is best.  

Can Printheads Dry up? 

Yes, it is possible for a printhead to dry out and therefore stop working properly. This is often because of underuse. If you only use your printer every so often, the printhead may dry up after a few weeks.  

When you use your printer on a daily basis, it won’t dry up.  

Replacing Printheads 

All modern inkjet printers have printers that are easy to remove. This means that a replacement can be fitted quickly, causing minimal downtime for your business. You could also bring your printer to a specialist like us, where we can order and fit your new printhead for you.  

We always try to offer the fastest service possible, so you aren’t without your printer for long. However, it can be hard to predict when your printhead will need replacing, unless you have regular inspections.  

Printhead Maintenance

Keeping printers up and running is at the core of what we do. Our maintenance team are some of the best in the business and are ready and waiting to help you.  

We provide regular printer maintenance. This involves a member of our team inspecting every part of your printer, checking for damage, wear, and giving it a thorough clean. They are then able to address any faults before they cause a bigger problem, ordering and fitting new parts wherever necessary.  

We time these visits well, so they don’t interrupt your work more than they should, and the process rarely takes more than a few hours. As these inspections are planned well in advance, you can work around them too.  

One of the first things our maintenance team will check is your printhead. With years of experience, they’ll know at a glance if a replacement is needed, and we’ll help you order one to keep everything running smoothly. We can also roughly guess when your printhead will start to wear out and will always have a replacement in stock for when its needed.