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HP's inkjet beginnings

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A brief look at HP thermal inkjet technology (TIJ) solutions

Back in the 1970s, finding a reasonably priced alternative to dot matrix printing was a major R&D goal for technology companies. By 1979, HP Laboratories had invented thermal inkjet technology—a new way to deliver higher quality printing at a lower price point. Known as TIJ, this printing technique heats ink, creating tiny bubbles that squirt ink onto paper and other media when they burst.

By 1984, HP had released the ThinkJet—the first low-cost, mass-produced inkjet that offered a disposable cartridge for monochrome printing. Over time, HP refined cartridge body designs and ink delivery systems to make color printing possible. The first generation of color inkjet printers used dye-based inks. Later generations used pigment-based inks that enhanced water—and light-fastness—enabling outdoor signage and other applications.

HP's ongoing inventiveness

Over the years, HP has worked continuously to improve the quality of inkjet printing. These efforts have included a detailed study of ink drop characteristics, which include velocity, trajectory, volume, aerosols, and tail. By better understanding how ink drops behave, HP was able to dramatically improve inkjet print quality for a variety of media—such as paper, film, and fabric.

Inkjet technology today

Since 1979, inkjet technology has advanced many times over. It is now used in numerous applications, from simple text documents to vivid, complex graphic designs on various media of different sizes. Inkjet printers are in the classroom, in the boardroom, at home, and in the office. And they are rugged enough for industrial use—including Product identification, mail addressing, and printing packaging, labels, postage, and point-of-sale transaction, records.
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