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A solid ink printer stores ink in solid sticks, melts them inside the machine and prints with the resulting liquid ink. In Xerox office printers, the molten ink is jetted onto a transfer drum, which presses the image onto paper; the ink cools and solidifies on the sheet. The method is also called phase-change or hot-melt printing.
How does a solid ink printer work?
The ink is solid at normal room temperature. During printing, the printer heats resin-based sticks until they melt. In Xerox’s office-printer process, printheads jet the liquid ink onto an intermediate drum; the drum then transfers the image to paper, where the ink cools and solidifies. Xerox describes this as a hybrid approach combining aspects of inkjet and toner-based printing. Xerox’s technical white paper explains the process.
Not every solid ink printer uses the same imaging path. Earlier machines could print directly onto paper, while later designs used an offset-style drum transfer. The drum-transfer description is the relevant example for Xerox ColorQube and Phaser office printers. IS&T’s tutorial describes the technology’s development.
How is solid ink different from inkjet and laser printing?
| Technology | Ink or toner and image path | Practical distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Solid ink | Solid sticks melt into liquid. Xerox office models jet ink onto a transfer drum, which transfers it to paper. | The ink solidifies on the page instead of drying as aqueous ink does. Warm-up and supply requirements depend on the particular printer. |
| Liquid inkjet | Liquid ink is propelled as droplets, commonly directly onto the page. | Uses liquid ink supplies rather than meltable sticks; the exact print path varies by design. |
| Laser | Toner is imaged using a charged photoconductive drum and fused onto paper. | Uses toner rather than ink sticks or liquid ink. |
Solid ink can produce vivid colors on suitable media, but results depend on the printer and paper. Since the ink solidifies rather than drying like aqueous ink, it does not rely on that same drying process. This does not mean every solid ink device or print job will outperform inkjet or laser; the media and machine matter. IS&T’s technical tutorial discusses the technology and its output characteristics.
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- INNOVATIVE CARTRIDGE-FREE PRINTING — No more dealing with lots of tiny ink cartridges; With this wireless document and photo printer each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 90 individual cartridges²
- LESS FREQUENT INK REPLACEMENT — Replacement ink bottles don't have to be changed nearly as often as ink cartridges¹; When you choose this combination printer, scanner and copier you can print up to 4,500 pages black/7,500 color³
- COLOR PRINTING — Up to 2 years of ink in the box4 (and with every replacement ink set) for fewer out-of-ink frustrations
- ZERO CARTRIDGE WASTE — By using an Epson EcoTank printer you can help reduce the amount of cartridge waste ending up in landfills
- HOME PRINTER DESIGNED FOR RELIABILITY — The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 All-in-One Supertank Color Printer creates vivid, detailed prints and documents thanks to Micro Piezo Heat-Free Technology; Fire off 10 ISO pages per minute1 to easily finish large jobs
What are the trade-offs?
Warm-up
Solid ink must be melted before printing. IS&T’s tutorial gives a cold-start warm-up of 12 to 15 minutes for the technology it describes. Treat that as a source-specific historical figure, not a current specification for every solid ink printer.
Supplies and handling
These printers use solid ink sticks rather than liquid cartridges or laser toner. Stick shapes and compatibility vary between models, so check the exact printer model before buying. Xerox’s ColorQube 8570/8870 user guide says solid ink is the only consumable for those printers and warns that ink shapes differ by printer. Consult the manufacturer’s model documentation and compatibility information.
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- Wireless Print/Copy/Scan (2)
- Up to 2 years of ink included
- Print up to 6,000 black & white / 7,700 color pages using a single set of inks! (1)
- Save up to $1,000 on ink (1)
- 2.7” LCD Color Touchscreen
Waste claims in historical context
A 2006 Xerox comparison sheet reported approximately 2.5 kg of landfill waste per 100,000 printed pages for its solid ink system, compared with approximately 70 kg for a typical color laser printer in that same manufacturer-published comparison. These are historical figures from Xerox, not an independently verified contemporary lifecycle comparison, and should not be treated as universal results. Xerox’s comparison material.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are solid ink printers still made, and can you buy ink for one?
The available Xerox catalog evidence points to legacy Phaser and ColorQube printers and model-specific supplies, rather than establishing current new-printer availability across regions. Xerox marks the ColorQube 8700 discontinued while listing supplies and pointing to a replacement product family. Its catalog also lists solid ink for legacy models including ColorQube 8870/8880 and Phaser 8400. Catalog listings do not guarantee that a particular item is in stock or available where you live. Xerox’s shop provides the current catalog view.
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- Package Content: Cool Toner Compatible for HP 67 XL Ink Cartridge Combo Pack and Compatible for HP 67 XL Ink Cartridges Black color Combo Pack (1 × 67XL Black, 1 × 67XL Tri-color）
- High Page Yield: It yields up to 750 pages for each 67XL Black Ink and 450 pages for each 67XL Color Ink at 5% coverage (A4e letter)
- Compatible for HP Envy 6000 6400 Series: ENVY 6010e 6020e 6022e 6030e 6032e 6034e 6050e 6052e 6052 6055 6055e 6065 6065e 6000e 6075 6075e 6400e 6420e 6422e 6430e 6432e 6450e 6452e 6455e 6458e 6475e Printer Ink Cartridges
- Compatible for HP DeskJet 2700 4100 Series: 1255 2710e 2720e 2721e 2722 2722e 2723e 2724 2725 2732 2742e 2752e 2700e 2734e 2752 2755 2755e 4110e 4120e 4121e 4122e 4123e 4130e 4132e 4152e 4155e 4100e 4175e 4155 4152 4158e Printer Ink Cartridges
- Compatible for HP DeskJet 2800 4200 Series: 2855e 2800e 2852e 2842e 2827e 4255e 4200e 4252e 4258e 4227e Printer Ink Cartridges
If you own one, identify the exact model and use the manufacturer’s compatibility listing before ordering Xerox ColorQube solid ink sticks. A stick that fits one printer may not fit another; a generic “solid ink” search is not enough to establish compatibility. Supply status can change, so confirm stock and delivery details with the seller at purchase time. Check Xerox’s catalog for model-specific supplies.
Quick Recap
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- FROM AMERICA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The Envy 6155 is perfect for homes printing everyday high-quality color documents like homework and borderless photos. Print speeds up to 10 ppm black, 7 ppm color.
- 3 MONTH TRIAL OF INSTANT INK – Subscribe to the Instant Ink delivery service to get ink delivered directly to your door before you run out, and you save up to 50% on ink. After 3 months, a monthly fee applies unless cancelled.
- KEY FEATURES – Color print, copy and scan, plus auto 2-sided printing and a 100-sheet input tray
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- WIRELESS PRINTING – Stay connected with our most reliable dual-band Wi-Fi, which automatically detects and resolves connection issues
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