The two main types of printhead technology

Two Main Printhead Technologies

Thermal Printheads: Use tiny heating elements to create bubbles that push ink onto the paper. Common in consumer printers like HP and Canon.

Piezoelectric Printheads: Use piezoelectric crystals that change shape with an electric current to precisely eject ink, without heat. Epson’s Micro Piezo and PrecisionCore are advanced versions of this technology, used in consumer, professional, and industrial printers.

Other Piezoelectric Uses: Lighters, sensors, microphones, transformers, filters, and medical devices.

Fun Fact: “Piezo” is from the Greek piezein, meaning “to press” or “apply pressure.”