Try Ink Sticks Instead
If you have had enough of struggling to replace those clunky old toner cartridges in your laser printer or to refill the ink in your inkjet then perhaps now is the ideal time to start exploring the idea of purchasing a solid ink printer instead. Rather than dealing with the hassle of heavy or messy ink cartridges used in other printers solid ink printers use small ink sticks that are far easier to use. These innovative ink sticks negate the danger of spilling liquid ink or toner all over your clothes or, worse yet, back into the printer while trying to change a nearly empty cartridge.
There are a number of major advantages in switching to solid ink printers instead of other more traditional models. They are fantastic options for anyone interested in graphic arts or photography, since the wax ink used is vibrantly colored and gives even low quality paper a professional glossy finish. The environmental impact of ink sticks is much less than for toner or ink cartridges–the entire stick is ink, leaving behind no plastic reservoirs or pounds of waste material to be dumped into a landfill. Unlike laser printers solid ink sticks do not produce ozone during printing, which is healthier for office workers operating the machines and far better for the overall environment as a whole. In fact, between the lack of waste and the few chemicals released in printing this may be one of (if not the) most environmentally friendly printing options widely available at this time.
However, to be fair using solid ink printers is not all a walk in the park. Since printing with solid ink requires a process of heating up the ink stick to melt the wax binding, these printers tend to waste more electricity and ink than normal printers do. Every time that the printer loses enough power to cool down the melted ink held in reserve for the next print job the printer purges these reservoirs and dumps them into a waste ink tray, leaving you with much less ink than you might expect over the lifetime of the stick. Even worse, if you move the printer while those ink reservoirs are still melted they could easily spill and gum up the works on accident.
In the end there are arguments for and against solid ink printers, but they are definitely worth further consideration.