GCSE PHYSICS - How is Electrostatic Charge used in an Inkjet Printer?

gcsescience.com 9 gcsescience.com

An Inkjet Printer uses Electrostatic Charge.

How is Electrostatic Charge used in an Inkjet Printer?

An inkjet printer uses electrostatic charge to direct
the tiny ink droplets 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 a 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 ink droplets are attracted to
the negative plate and repelled by the positive plate.

Electrostatic Inkjet Printer Nozzle

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.

Links Electrostatic Charge Revision Questions

gcsescience.com Physics Quiz Index Electrostatic Charge Quiz gcsescience.com

Home GCSE Chemistry GCSE Physics