← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

Inkjet printer

Sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head onto paper as the head moves across it. Uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black cartridges.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 3.2 Input and Output Devices — Module 25

Understanding Inkjet printer in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: The print head moves across the paper while its nozzles spray tiny droplets of liquid ink, which is how an inkjet printer forms an image. Inkjet printers mix cyan, magenta and yellow inks, and add black for text and dark areas. Inkjet printers have a low purchase cost, but ink cartridges cost a lot over time. Inkjets give good photo quality but are slow for big jobs, so they suit small, occasional printing. The mistake is confusing inkjet with laser. Inkjet uses liquid ink from cartridges, not a laser and toner powder.

Common mistakes: An inkjet printer uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black (C, M, Y, K) cartridges, not red, green and blue. It should be cartridges = C, M, Y, K. An inkjet printer sprays liquid ink. Powder is toner, which laser printers use. It should be ink = liquid.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 262–272) and word search (Modules 262–282).

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Learning

Duo

How does an inkjet printer put an image onto paper?

It uses a laser to charge a drum and fuses toner powder with heatIt sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head

Matches

An inkjet printer uses a laser and toner powder to make the image

↓

This describes a laser printer. An inkjet printer sprays droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head.

Applying

Meanings

Term

Inkjet printer

Meaning

Sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head onto paper as the head moves across it. Uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black cartridges.

Practice

inks ← cyan, magenta, yellow, black

Testing

Gaps

Inkjet: print head sprays of ink

Check Answer

Spots

1printer = inkjet

2cartridges = R, G, B, K

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Quick Questions

1. How does an inkjet printer put an image onto paper?

A. It sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head ✓

B. It uses a laser to charge a drum and fuses toner powder with heat

An inkjet printer sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles. Laser printers use a charged drum and toner powder.

2. Which set of ink cartridges does a colour inkjet printer normally use?

A. Cyan, magenta, yellow and black ✓

B. Red, green, blue and white

Inkjet printers mix cyan, magenta and yellow inks, and add black for text and dark areas.

3. What does the print head of an inkjet printer do while printing?

A. It stays still while a heated roller melts ink onto the page

B. It moves across the paper, spraying ink through its nozzles ✓

The print head moves back and forth across the paper, and the nozzles spray the ink droplets.

4. What are the nozzles in an inkjet print head used for?

A. To spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper ✓

B. To heat the paper so the ink sticks to it

Each nozzle fires very small droplets of ink onto the paper to build up the image.

5. Which statement about inkjet printers is true?

A. They are expensive to buy but the ink is very cheap to replace

B. They are cheap to buy but the ink cartridges are expensive to replace ✓

Inkjet printers have a low purchase cost, but ink cartridges cost a lot over time.

Match the Pairs

Inkjet printer → Sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head onto paper as the head moves across it

CMYK cartridges → Cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink supplies that an inkjet printer mixes to print colour pages

The print head has many tiny nozzles that fire droplets of ink onto the paper as it moves across the page → print_head.moveAcross(paper); nozzles.sprayInk()

An inkjet printer is cheap to buy but the replacement ink is expensive, and it is slow for large print jobs → printerCost = LOW; inkCost = HIGH; bigJobSpeed = SLOW

An inkjet printer uses a laser and toner powder to make the image → This describes a laser printer. An inkjet printer sprays droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head.

Inkjet cartridges: red, green, blue and white → The inks are wrong. An inkjet printer uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black cartridges.

Key Term

Inkjet printer

Sprays tiny droplets of liquid ink through nozzles in a print head onto paper as the head moves across it. Uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black cartridges.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Inkjet: print head sprays droplets of ink

Hint: Type the word for the tiny drops of liquid ink that are sprayed onto the paper

2. The print head has tiny nozzles for ink

Hint: Type the name for the tiny holes in the print head that the ink passes through

3. Cartridges: cyan, magenta, yellow, black

Hint: Type the colour of the fourth cartridge, which is used for printing text

4. Inkjet is good for photo quality prints

Hint: Type the kind of image printing that inkjet printers do well

5. Low cost to buy, but ink is expensive

Hint: Type the word describing the price of replacement ink, a disadvantage of inkjet printers

Spot the Error

Question 1

A printer = inkjet

B cartridges = R, G, B, K

C print(photo)

Line B — An inkjet printer uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black (C, M, Y, K) cartridges, not red, green and blue. It should be cartridges = C, M, Y, K.

Question 2

A ink = powder

B head.spray(ink, nozzles)

C paper.receive(droplets)

Line A — An inkjet printer sprays liquid ink. Powder is toner, which laser printers use. It should be ink = liquid.

Question 3

A FOR each line on the page

B drum.roll_across(paper)

C nozzles.spray(droplets)

D NEXT

Line B — An inkjet printer has a print head that moves across the paper. A drum belongs to a laser printer. It should be head.move_across(paper).

Question 4

A cost_to_buy = LOW

B cost_of_ink = LOW

C big_jobs = SLOW

Line B — Inkjet printers are cheap to buy, but the replacement ink is expensive. It should be cost_of_ink = HIGH.

Question 5

A printer = inkjet

B use = photos

C quality = POOR

D cost_to_buy = LOW

Line C — Inkjet printers give good quality photo printing because the tiny ink droplets blend colours well. It should be quality = GOOD.

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