Squid Inkjets Blog: 03/06/07

Archives

Squid Inkjets Blog

History of Paper

There are three vital components, which need to be considered in order to reach a perfect printing process. They are; printer, quality ink and paper. We have discussed both printers and ink previously. The topic for this blog is paper. This blog mainly describes the origins of paper and the historical timeline to now.

Paper is a substance of thin material made of vegetable fibers such as pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material. These vegetable fibers are natural. To reach a desirable physical output for paper, it is combined with certain synthetic fibers like polypropylene and polyethylene.

Etymologically, the word paper comes from Greek language for ancient writing material of the Egyptians called papyrus, which is taken from the papyrus plant. The plant originates in Egypt. Later it was sold to Greece and Rome. Papyrus can only grow in a subtropical environment. Therefore, places outside Egypt made their parchment out of sheepskin or calfskin.

Paper is believed to be one of the four Great Inventions of China. In the dynasties of Shang and Zhou, paper was not present, bone and bamboo were utilized. The characters were written on the strips of bamboos and rolled together. However these materials are heavy. There was a light material that was used for documents; silk. However, these materials were rare and expensive. Paper was invented in the Han dynasty, it was inspired from wasp and bee hives.

It was in the second century, when the paper was already used, even only for the purpose of wrapping. It was the perfect wrapper for precious goods such as bronze mirror and medicine. Paper was used as writing material in the third century, although the function as wrapper was still continued.

The Diamond Sutra, which is one of the first printed books in the world, reveals the usage of paper in China. Although paper was already found in the second century, using it as toilet paper was only invented in the sixth century. The reason it was not used for toilet paper prior to the sixth century was because they wrote the names of the sages and quotations of Chinese Five Classic. Therefore, they had no courage to use paper for toilet use. Later toilet paper became an important commodity in China, especially in the kingdom environment. In the AD 851, an Arab who traveled to China wrote that the Chinese are not very clean, they don't wash themselves, and they only wipe their body with paper.

During the Tang dynasty paper was used to preserve the flavor of tea. During the Song Dynasty paper was introduced for the first time in the world as paper printed money and bank note. However, during this era paper money was only dedicated for official government use and wrapped in special paper envelopes.

According to archaeological research in America, paper was already found in the fifth century by the Mayan. They called it amatl, it was widely used by the Mesoamerican until the Spain conquest. The technique of making traditional paper is still conducted in a small quantity.

Paper was spreading slowly outside China. People outside China saw the paper and tried to manufacture it themselves. Other countries required the "process" of the paper making but the Chinese didn't want to share their secret. The paper that they produced was very thin unlike the western papers, and it could only be written on one side.

Books were invented in India, from palm leaves. Korea transferred the technology then it was imported to Japan by a Buddhist priest. After the defeat of the Chinese in the Battle of Talas, the invention spread to the Middle East. From there it spread worldwide. Baghdad was the first producer and produced a thicker paper.

Some historians speculate that the Chinese were less developed than the western continents in the ancient time. When papyrus was already manufactured for papers, the Chinese still relied on bamboos which were not a very efficient material for writing. The Chinese advanced and superseded the Western continents in the invention of paper during Han Dynasty. Europe made advancements in the invention of paper and printing during the Renaissance era.

In the 1400's paper was affordable for urban and rural people but books remained expensive until the 1900's. In spite of this, poor families could afford to buy some books in the 1700's if they wanted to. Steam-driven paper making machines were invented in the 1900's. It enabled making papers with fibers out of wood pulp. Together with the invention of fountain pen, the mass production of pencil and the invention of steam printing press, wood based paper created a major change in the society of many industrialization countries. Cheap paper resulted in letter writing becoming a popular and universal activity. Writers became a high status job.

Throughout this long journey, papers have come to provide multiple functions. To represent a value such as currency and cheques, for entertainment such as book and magazine, for packaging such as paper bags and envelopes, for cleaning and hygiene such as toilet paper and facial tissue, for construction such as papier-mache and origami, and other uses such as sandpaper and blotting paper.

Guess what paper will be used for in the next 100 years.

by Mary and Ali

Squid Inkjets Blog

Toner Refill

Refill and remanufacture have been discussed in the previous blogs in a wider scope; about Ink and Toner. This blog is also about refilling and manufacturing but it is focused only on toner.

Firstly a review of our previous blogs. Toner and ink have many differences. Toner requires powder whilst Ink requires a liquid or solid ink. Toner has to be heated while ink does not require this process. Ink requires a period of time untouched to dry after the print, while toner is dry immediately after the print. The price is significantly different between the two mediums. Toner is significantly more expensive than ink, either OEM, compatible, or remanufactured.

The price of toner is extremely high, so that home users prefer to use ink printers instead of toner printers. Toner printing is preferred in office environments because of the efficiency of use and time. However the internal price remains expensive even for office supplies

Some companies refill their own toner when the cartridge is empty. Refilling toner can be done two to four times for each toner cartridge, without sacrificing the print quality. They only need to get a bottle with toner powder that is specifically formulated and pour the powder through the right hopper.

The toner components are durable. The toner can be refilled two to three times without any component replacement. The manufacturers designed it to be durable regardless of the printing style of the users; text, graphic or a mix of the two. This is to avoid any complaint from the customers. Manufacturers want to make sure the internal components stay "healthy" before the toner powder runs out. Otherwise they owe the customers a replacement, therefore they build the cartridge and components for multiple usage, this enables the cartridge to be used and refilled when the cartridge is empty.

The first attempt to refill the toner in the early time of toner printer was quite crude. The process was to take the empty cartridge and drill a hole in it. Then pour the powder through this hole, sealing it with a tape a simple but risky solution. This method is known as "drill and fill".

There is a risk in doing this drill and fill technique. It is caused by the tiny plastic debris from the drilling process. The bits of plastics fall in the toner bin and cause trouble in the printing process. Some companies do not practice due diligence when selecting the type and quality of the toner powder, which they refill the cartridge. Sometimes they use copier toner powder for their toner printer. Copier toner has a different electrical charge. It delivers nearly solid black page with grayish white text. Toner requires the appropriate toner formulation for every machine; printer, fax or copier.

Drill and fill operation has been replaced by companies that specialize in toner remanufacturing. Lessons learnt on the process of refilling toner cartridge enabled a doctrine on the "correct" way of refilling toner to be created. The doctrine stated that some parts of the empty cartridge have to be replaced. They are the photo optic drum which is the heart of the cartridge, the developer roller/magnetic roller sleeve, the silicone wiper blade, and the primary corona. The toner bin has to be vacuumed and the proper toner powder poured into the tank and everything has to be sealed. This method gives the same quality and quantity on printing as what the new cartridges offer, at a much cheaper price.

Later on, it was found that the top of the cartridge can be popped out with a special tool. A fresh toner can be dumped in. In addition, replacement and cleaning was not really necessary, the refilling can be done two or three times a year, while the quality stays the same.

So, are you thinking to switch to toner printer since refilling toner can be done in such easy way?

by Mary and Ali

my account

shipping

policies

payment

customer service