Xerox Phaser Solid Ink Sticks

Solid ink was first invented by Tektronix back in the late 80's for use in the company's printing division. Essentially solid ink sticks eliminate the need for dry toner cartridges or fluid ink cartridges, thus significantly improving efficiency and reducing waste. But you might be asking yourself how it works, so allow me to break-down the steps of how solid ink gets.

1) When the printer starts, it's maintenance roller applies a tiny layer of oil to the heated drum in order to release the ink.
2) The printhead simultaneously applies all of the colors onto the rotating drum.
3) During this process the paper is loaded between the drum and a transfer roller, thus embedding the ink onto the paper
4) The ink then transfers from the drum onto the paper. It is relevant to note that the ink cools immediately thus preventing the ink from smearing on the paper.

The entire for mentioned process is typically completed in five seconds or less. Due to the technological improvements Xerox Corp., eventually purchased the Tektronix Printing & Imaging Division in 2000 (for a rumored $950 million USD) to acquire solid ink stick technology. Xerox later began incorporating solid ink stick technology into their Phaser printer model and most recently with the ColorCube 9200. Some of the most popular Xerox Phaser printers are the Phaser 8560, Phaser 8860, and the Phaser 8500.

Phaser 8560 ink can typically be purchased individually or in bundles by the original manufacturer (OEM) or a compatible manufacturer. Purchasing in bundles, and purchasing compatible Phaser solid ink sticks are both great ways to reduce the cost of these consumables. Remember to always look for new compatible Phaser solid ink sticks over re-manufactured compatible products to guarantee the highest quality levels.

Exceptional print quality - consistent from the first page your solid ink stick prints to the last, plus they can print on nearly any media format!
High print speeds - fast printing speeds due to the solid ink technology.
Reduced waste - no cartridges or packaging to dispose of!
Easy to use & replace - literally drop the solid ink stick into it's designated slot and you are ready to print!
Low replacement costs - can be purchased as compatible as well in bundles on top of an already low print cost / page.
Environmentally friendly - reduced CO2 emissions and less energy is required to manufacturer these solid ink sticks!

Warm-up time - The printer needs a few minutes to warm up the solid ink sticks prior to the first print of the day.
Ink consumption - If the solid ink sticks solidify due to printer inactivity, it is rumored that a small portion of the solid ink stick can go to waste.
Cross-printer compatibility - Each Phaser printer has it's own unique line of solid ink sticks so you cannot swap the Phaser 8560 ink sticks for say Xerox Phaser 8550 ink sticks.

Using Phaser solid ink sticks as well as the newly released Xerox ColorCube have several positive environmental implications. First and foremost as we described above, there are no cartridges or packaging that you need to worry about disposing of. Second the solid ink sticks are made with non-toxic materials (The Tektronix CEO infamously swallowed a piece of a solid ink stick tlo validate this argument!). There are fewer resources and energy output required to manufacture these Phaser solid ink sticks, resulting in lower CO2 emissions. The Phaser printers themselves have intelligence chips in order to recognize printing patterns and usage levels. This action alone minimizes the waste of the solid ink stick, thus improving an individual solid ink sticks' life expectancy.

Plus the new ColorCube is EnergyStar qualified!