The cartridge concept is used in a number of ways. It can be an interchangeable element that has what a machine needs to function. This type of cartridge usually wears out with use, a peculiarity that requires replacing it every certain amount of time with another of the same type.
Many printers use ink cartridges to function. These are the pieces that contain, precisely, the ink that is used to print on the paper. Usually it is possible to differentiate between black ink cartridge and color cartridges.
Suppose a person wants to print the photos he took while on vacation. If you have an inkjet printer, you will need a color cartridge. Someone who only wants to print text documents, on the other hand, can possibly satisfy that need with a black ink cartridge.
As in all areas of the industry, the market offers us several brands of printers, each with its various models and, perhaps most importantly, with a particular way of dealing with the organization of cartridges that can have a considerable impact on the consumer’s pocket. For example, some printers require the user to have ink in all cartridges to make any print, regardless of whether the document in question requires those colors.
These printer models generally use four cartridges, which contain ink in the following colors: black, yellow, magenta (a dark red that resembles purple), and cyan (a blue-green). If, for example, the yellow ink cartridge has been emptied (that is, it has reached the level that the machine considers unnecessary for a job), it does not matter that we try to print a document in black: if the printer’s operating mode is as mentioned in the previous paragraph we will be forced to replace the yellow one to continue using it.
In the field of computing, the removable element is also called a cartridge that works as a memory with read-only information. The cartridges were used by video game consoles to load the software that each game contained. The Sega MegaDrive and Nintendo Game Boy consoles, among many others, used cartridges.
For a few years, video game companies opted for optical storage media, such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, or variants thereof specifically tailored to the needs of each console. However, Nintendo’s portable consoles (their most recent being the DS and 3DS) have always used cartridges to store their games and, in 2017, the Nintendo Switch was released, the first hybrid console from this Japanese company that, after three generations, he opted for the cartridge again.
In the “war” between optical media and cartridges there is no definitive winner, as each has advantages and disadvantages. Broadly speaking, we can say that the cartridges offer much higher reading speeds and total absence of noise, but at a much higher cost; Blu-rays, on the other hand, have greater storage capacities at a more affordable price but require a reading mechanism that is noisy and is more prone to errors, as well as generating more heat.
Many firearms, on the other hand, use cartridges: the set that make up the gunpowder, the bullet and the case together with the primer capsule. The cartridges have a variable size, since they are introduced in the chamber of the weapon. When the cartridge does not contain the bullet, it is called a blank cartridge.
Lastly, Cartucho is the common name for plants such as Zantedeschia aethiopica and Arum italicum.
