Oct. 11, 2024
To some beginners:
Many beginners have a question, how to choose a print head , what is the difference between these print heads , in fact, these people
often have a misunderstanding, "I am a novice, I don't have a lot of printing work to do, I only need to use it for an hour or even less
a day, I don't need a strong head, just give me a cheap one" or "I need to print a large amount, I need to print for 8 hours a day or
more, I don't want a cheap one, give me best one", these are not exact or even wrong.
On the contrary, when you don't have a lot of printing work, you need a stable printhead to ensure that you can print at any time
without problems when you really use it. You must understand that most printheads are not broken by use, but by cleaning. Even the
cheapest tx800 head, if you use it properly and print in large quantities, its life can even reach an amazing 2 years. Because of the large
workload, they don't need to be cleaned and maintained frequently. On the contrary, those who don't use it frequently have to clean
and maintain the nozzle more frequently because of the problem of ink clogging, which will seriously cause damage to the nozzle
(internal circuit, pressure, etc.), which will create a vicious circle - The less you use it, the more you clean it, the more frequently you
maintain it, and the faster it will break!
So when you are a beginner, I recommend that you choose a higher quality printhead with better circuit design (the internal design
and circuit design of these nozzles are more reasonable to resist frequent cleaning and maintenance by users), and when you have
some experience or print in large quantities, you can choose a relatively cheap and affordable printhead, (Because you don't need to
face frequent cleaning problems, or you already know how to clean and maintain it correctly)
Knowing this, let's talk about how to choose a printhead :
TX800 print head is a classic desktop head , because it has a better heat dissipation design, which can ensure that it has better
performance in a long-term printing process compared to XP600, but the TX800 print head is more prone to color mixing and channel
burnout because of its relatively simple ink path design. In addition, the discontinuation of this printhead has made the number of
good quality printhead on the market less and less, but thanks to its low price and the large amount of inventory on the market, it is
still the choice of many experienced players.
XP600 head , as a UV printing This is the one I least recommend. As an entry-level nozzle head launched by Epson, this head design is
extremely unreasonable, with a reduced heat sink, a narrow distance between the circuit board socket and the ink path, and a very
shallow ink sac socket. More importantly, it is not durable to UV ink, which greatly shortens the life of the printhead , This printhead is
more suitable for water-based ink or eco-solvent ink.
DX7 print head , as Epson's most classic nozzle, this head is a more upgraded one based on DX5, with finer ink dots and richer color
performance. Whether in the nozzle ink path design or circuit design, it is first-class, which makes it have a super high service life and
cleaning resistance. Unfortunately, with Epson's restrictions on the Chinese market and later encryption, the original secondary encryption
nozzle can only print wide pictures not exceeding 50cm, which makes it only installed on A2-sized machines. Also The most important is
that the print head cost is quite affordable for general user . If you happen to need a small printer, this head is a very good choice . ( For
the method of carrying a decryption card on the market, I will not explain it here)
i3200 printhead As the latest nozzle promoted by Epson, the nozzle has more nozzle holes, which makes it have a faster printing speed,
but the spray force is relatively weaker, and it is more suitable for materials with smooth surface and no bumps. Therefore, it is more used
in roll-to-roll printers, and the printhead life performance is also good. The price is also more expensive.
i1600 is a compromise printhead , Its life is equivalent to i3200. Although the printing speed is relatively slow, but the price is lower. It is a
good choice for customers who do not have strict requirements for speed but have requirements for print head quality.
Ricoh G5i is a small printhead of Ricoh. It has the smallest ink dots and strong spray force in the market , It is a good choice for users with
high or micro-high spray. Currently printhead cost is higher compare others.
Here we will not discuss industrial printhead such as Ricoh G5/G6 or Konica, Seiko, etc. They are more used in large flat machines or
professional processing plants, and are not within the scope of home or small batch processing.
