Supertank printers are a type of

continuous ink system A continuous ink system (CIS), also known as a continuous ink supply system (CISS), a continuous flow system (CFS), an automatic ink refill system (AIRS), a bulk feed ink system (BFIS), or an off-axis ink delivery system (OIDS) is a method for ...

(CISS)

inkjet printer Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper and plastic substrates. Inkjet printers were the most commonly used type of printer in 2008, and range from small inexpensi ...

. Supertank printers differ from traditional inkjet printers in that the printhead is connected via a tube system that draws ink from high-capacity ink tanks, which are filled and refilled via high-capacity ink bottles, eliminating the need for

ink cartridges An ink cartridge or inkjet cartridge is a component of an inkjet printer that contains the ink that is deposited onto paper during printing. Each ink cartridge contains one or more ink reservoirs; certain producers also add electronic contacts ...

. Cost-per-page (CPP) can be significantly lower than traditional cartridges, as replacement ink bottles contain enough ink to print thousands of pages, and typically cost under $20.

Supertank printhead types

Supertank printers come in two different configurations: fixed (permanent) printheads and disposable printheads. Each configuration has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Fixed printheads

Fixed printheads are a permanent printhead that is designed to last for the life of the printer. Because it does not need to be replaced every time it exhausts its ink supply, ink costs can be lower and the printhead itself can be more precise than a disposable one, typically requiring no calibration. On the other hand, if a fixed printhead is damaged, obtaining a replacement can become expensive, and removal and replacement of the head is not always possible. If the printhead cannot be removed, the printer itself would need to be replaced. Fixed-printhead consumer supertank printers are manufactured primarily by

Epson Seiko Epson Corporation, or simply known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano ...

and HP.

Disposable printheads

Disposable printheads use a printhead that is part of a replaceable ink cartridge. If the printhead is damaged, it can be replaced.

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

now uses (in most models) replaceable printheads which are designed to last the life of the printer, but can be replaced by the user should they become damaged.

Advantages

*Printing costs are lower with the use of low-cost replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges. *The convenience of printing thousands of pages with fewer interruptions to replenish ink. *As an inkjet printer, it dispenses ink droplets at a very high speed, which allows for a relatively long distance between the printhead and the substrate, and a high drop-ejection frequency, allowing for high-speed printing. *The reduction of waste due to the elimination of used cartridges and their packaging. *The printer manufacturers are being forced to measure the ink volume remained in the printer by optical measurements and can't use smart chips for

planned obsolescence In economics and industrial design, planned obsolescence (also called built-in obsolescence or premature obsolescence) is a policy of planning or designing a good (economics), product with an artificially limited Product lifetime, useful life o ...

, since the ink cartridge is integrated into the printer, and filled every time ink runs out.

Disadvantages

*The initial cost to purchase is generally higher than cartridge printers, which often follow the

razor and blades model The razor and blades business model is a business model in which one item is sold at a low price (or given away for free) in order to increase sales of a complementary good, such as consumable supplies. It is different from loss leader marketin ...

of selling the printers at or below cost to generate later sales of proprietary cartridges.

Examples

Epson pioneered this technology by launching the EcoTank range, first in Indonesia in 2010, with a North American launch in 2015. The supertank concept proved commercially successful, and Canon and HP launched their own lines of supertank printers, under the names MegaTank (Canon) and Smart Tank (HP).

References

{{reflist Inkjet printers