Does printing in higher resolutions takes more ink? AND is the Lexmark X85 any good?

[OM]

Can someone tell me if printing in higher resolutions takes more ink?
Thanks.

AND I'd like to know if the Lexmark X85 is any good?
I can get it a very good price... (£70).
Is it any good?
I've read mixed reviews so far.

Thanks.

OM

 

[Paul P Mathews]

Nope less.

 

[Eric]

Nope less.

Could you please explain this - my feeble brain says the opposite!

Eric

 

[SleeperMan]

Could you please explain this - my feeble brain says the opposite!

Eric

I almost have no brain, but i think it's opposite, too, so i would also like
an explanation of Paul's statement!

 

[Jerry Schwartz]

I don't think you can really tell, nor do I think it would matter much.
Think of it this way: you have the same area to cover with ink, regardless
of how the ink gets there. Printing at a higher resolution doesn't cover the
paper more thoroughly, nor does printing at a lower resolution leave big
gaps between the colored areas.

 

[SleeperMan]

I don't think you can really tell, nor do I think it would matter
much. Think of it this way: you have the same area to cover with ink,
regardless of how the ink gets there. Printing at a higher resolution
doesn't cover the paper more thoroughly, nor does printing at a lower
resolution leave big gaps between the colored areas.

You're wrong here. Printing at lower res - i.e. 600 dpi means 600 spots per
inch, while printing at 1200 dpi means 1200 spots per inch, which means 100%
more spots per inch, which means 100% more ink taken.
You don't see gaps, but they ARE there. Look under big lense or microscope.
Why do you think specs say you can print like 400 sheets of plain paper at
standard resolution and 70-90 pages of highest resolution on high gloss
paper? I bet it's not just for fun.

But easiest way (although costly) is to try: take 100 sheets of gloss or
photo paper, make 100 full sized photos at max resolution, check out
remaining ink, then take 100 plain sheets and make 100 full sized photos at
normal resolution. You'll be surprised ( and without ink, too )) not
mentioning empty pocekt from wasted photo paper bought.

 

[SleeperMan]

It certainly uses more ink because the printhead must eject more drops
on paper (that's why text printed in draft looks rather grey not solid
black)

Wayne

My opinion exactly. But Jerry on the other hand doesn't think so...

 

[Oliver Walter]

You're wrong here. Printing at lower res - i.e. 600 dpi means 600 spots per
inch, while printing at 1200 dpi means 1200 spots per inch, which means 100%
more spots per inch, which means 100% more ink taken.

That assumes that one "spot" of ink is always the same amount of
ink. I could imagine that is not the case, but I certainly don't
know for sure.
Oliver

 

[Kenneth]

That assumes that one "spot" of ink is always the same amount of
ink. I could imagine that is not the case, but I certainly don't
know for sure.
Oliver

Howdy,

I don't know about the ink usage, but at 1200 dpi, the "dots" are
smaller than at 600 dpi. That's the whole idea of "finer" resolution.

All the best,

 

[OM]

Thanks for all the replies.
I'm still confused though!
I can understand why both explanations might be true.

I'm going to email HP and Lexmark to see what they say.
I'll send another posting if I get a reply.

 

[Yianni]

Ink consumption between draft and normal modes differs much. But between
normal and best (high resolution) consumption of ink is almost same.

 

[Wayne Ware]

With inkjet printers the dotsize is always the same - there is no way
to modify the size of the drop. What you say is true with respect to
laser printers where the size of the dot on the page is smaller for higher
resolutions.

Actually, with inkjet printers they are NOT putting down 1200 dots per inch
when in 1200 DPI. The resolution specs are referring to the horizontal and
vertical addressability of the paper handling mechanism. If you look at the
actual drop size and do some calculations you will realize they can not
possibly put down 1200 or 2400 or 4800 drops per inch. You would have
a sloppy ink mess if they did.

That having been said, you will definitely use more ink at 1200 than at 600
but I don't think it will be significant.

 

[Safetymom123]

I can' speak for the other printers but Epson uses variable droplet
technology. It uses smaller droplets in the detail area and larger ones in
areas where there are large areas of one color.

With inkjet printers the dotsize is always the same - there is no way
to modify the size of the drop. What you say is true with respect to
laser printers where the size of the dot on the page is smaller for higher
resolutions.

Actually, with inkjet printers they are NOT putting down 1200 dots per inch
when in 1200 DPI. The resolution specs are referring to the horizontal and
vertical addressability of the paper handling mechanism. If you look at the
actual drop size and do some calculations you will realize they can not
possibly put down 1200 or 2400 or 4800 drops per inch. You would have
a sloppy ink mess if they did.

That having been said, you will definitely use more ink at 1200 than at 600
but I don't think it will be significant.

 

[Wayne]

With inkjet printers the dotsize is always the same - there is no way
to modify the size of the drop. What you say is true with respect to
laser printers where the size of the dot on the page is smaller for higher
resolutions.

You are wrong here. Today inkjet printers (Epson, Canon, Lexmark) use
variable drop size. They have diffrently sized holes in the printhead
(for example 2pl and 10 pl) which eject diffrently sized ink drops.

Wayne

 

[Jerry Schwartz]

I didn't think of draft mode when I wrote my original reply, and I agree
with you. Only since getting my Canon i950 have I used draft mode regularly,
and it definitely produces output which is washed-out looking. Exactly how
it uses less ink, I'm not sure; but clearly that's why black comes out grey.

In the various other modes, everything looks to have pretty much the same
opacity regardless of the resolution; hence my comments about ink coverage.
A picture with lighter colors will use less ink than one with deeper colors,
clearly; and I think that will dwarf the effects of resolution.

I've never done any testing, though.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

I cannot speak for other printers, but Epson printers have used variable
drop size technology for many years now. The drops have a variation (on
demand) between about seven sizes from 2 picolitre to about 15. Some
printers use less steps, depending on the cost of the printer, some vary
dot size on areas of the print, and some can address nearly every drop
for size. Obviously, larger drops use more ink up, but so does higher
res printing, which overlaps more drops. Higher res makes for a denser
output, and it uses more ink, on average.


Art

 

[OM]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

I got feedback from Lexmark.
I emailed them and asked them if priniting in draft mode used less ink.
The answer I got was a bit confusing, but the bottom line was that darft
mode printing did use less ink (at least for Lexmark anyway).

The answer I got was the following:

"The printing speed will not change how much ink you use as the quality will
remain the same, if you want to use less ink use less quality, instead of
choosing best in printer properties choose a lower grade for
example."

 

[Jerry Schwartz]

I think what they're referring to is that the printers vary both the way ink
is used and whether or not they print in both directions. Printing in one
direction is slower, but gives the best registration (highest quality
results). The driver may not explicitly refer to bidirectional printing, but
may refer to that as high-speed, low-speed; quality would then refer to the
way ink is dropped.

Some drivers use different terminology, or combine settings (highest quality
being one direction, draft being bidirectional).