Seven Common Senses of UV Printer Printhead

Understanding the UV printer printhead is a topic of great interest for all users and one that is frequently brought up. Given that the printhead is the most frequently used component in daily printing, it is also the source of the most common issues. By gaining insight into the key aspects of printheads, we can achieve a more comprehensive and professional understanding of this crucial part of UV printers.”

Common Sense 1: Import or Domestic Printer Printhead

Domestic UV printer printheads, whether they are Epson printheads, Seiko printheads, Konica printheads, Ricoh printheads, Xaar printheads, etc., are all imported, and 90% of them are imported from Japan, and the rest are from the United Kingdom and the United States. Since the country currently does not have the corresponding technology, it cannot produce it yet.

Common Sense 2: Civil or Industrial

There is no inherent distinction between civilian and industrial UV printer printheads. Instead, printheads vary significantly in terms of printing effect, speed, performance, and other parameters. To simplify understanding for users, the industry categorizes printheads with high performance, long lifespan, and strong compatibility as industrial-grade. Conversely, printheads with shorter lifespans, higher failure rates, and lower costs are categorized as civilian-grade. This classification helps users choose the printhead that best suits their specific printing needs and budget.

Common Sense 3: Cheap or Expensive

We must believe that "you get what you pay for" is an unchanging truth. Any product sold by a merchant is to make money. It is impossible to sell it without making money or even at a loss. Similarly, there are no good and cheap printheads, only good and expensive printheads. Don’t be deceived by advertising slogans and make rational judgments.

Common Sense 4: Technology of Printer Printhead

Normally, the more expensive a printhead is, the more money, manpower, and material resources will be invested in the research and development, upgrade, and other services of its corresponding motherboard program. Therefore, this has also become an important criterion for judging the technical level of manufacturers. You can compare the technical gaps between manufacturers by asking the prices of the printheads made by the manufacturers.

Common Sense 5: Ink

Different UV printer printheads have different printhead diameters, materials, internal structures, etc., so you must remember that the inks cannot be mixed. Otherwise, it will not only cause the inks to react with each other but also shorten the life of the printhead, causing it to become clogged and scrapped.

Common Sense 6: Encrypt or Non-Encrypt Printer Printhead

Encrypted and non-encrypted printheads mainly refer to Epson DX5 printheads, which have primary encryption printheads, secondary encryption printheads, triple encryption printheads, and non-encryption printheads. Encryption means that during the printing process, color bars will appear after printing for a certain distance, causing the pattern to be scrapped. Unencrypted printheads do not have this problem, but they are indeed more expensive than encrypted ones. Domestic UV printer manufacturers have relatively mature cracking technology for primary encryption and secondary encryption printheads, but triple encryption printheads are still being cracked.

Common Sense 7: Warranty or No Warranty

I put this at the end, mainly because too many users have asked and cared about this issue. After the printhead comes out of the factory that produces the printhead, once it is sold unless there is a problem before it is used, return and replacement services are provided. After installing it on the device and loading ink for testing, there is no guarantee for any problems that may arise. Mainly there are too many uncontrollable factors. From this point of view, in fact, the printhead is not without warranty, it is part of the consumables. Why do we often hear some manufacturers advertising that their printheads provide a one-year or even two-year warranty? These are just promotional slogans. Carefully check the terms of the warranty, various additional conditions, and additional fees. It is so harsh that the manufacturer makes money not to mention a one-year warranty, but a 20-year warranty.