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Inkjet Printer.
An inkjet printer uses
electrostatic charge
to direct the ink to the correct
place on the page.
Coloured
ink is passed through a very
small hole (called a nozzle)
which separates the ink into many
tiny droplets.
The tiny droplets are given an
electrostatic charge.
The direction in which the charged ink droplets move
can be controlled by electrically charged metal plates.
A voltage on the plates means that the charged ink droplets
will be attracted to one
plate and repelled by the
other.
This is very similar to an "electron
gun" or "cathode
ray oscilloscope"
where an electron beam is directed to a particular
place on a screen.
In the picture below, the
ink droplets have a positive charge.
The are attracted to the negative plate and
repelled by the positive plate.
By controlling the voltage on the plates
a particular ink drop can be
precisely positioned on the
paper.
There are many nozzles,
and the final picture is made up from
a very large number
of coloured ink drops, each in exactly the
right place for the image.
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Copyright © 2008 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.