Inkjet printer technology was developed by some of the biggest names in the business in the late 70's. There were actually two technologies developed, one based on heat and the other based on an electric current applied to a crystal. Both methods are used to force the ink out of the ink cartridge on to the paper.
Printers that use heat to acheive this are called thermal printers. These are very popular. Most home inkjet printers are thermal printers. The heat causes the ink in the ink cartridge nozzle to bubble and then burst, spraying the ink on to the printer paper.
The other technology uses a crystal, often a piezo crystal, that changes shape with the application of electricity. The change of shape causes the ink to be placed on to the paper. This process does not heat the ink. This technology is used by one of the biggest printer brands in the business.
Both processes have their strong points and generally produce excellent results.
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Tom is author of InkCartridge.info, which provides general information about ink cartridges.