Feasibility of low-cost microarray printing with inkjet printer

The methods of microarray fabrication are categorized as contact printing and non-contact printing according to spot formation techniques. In contact printing, a printing device does physical contact at the substrate while depositing biological sample. In contrast, non-contact printing involves no physical contact between the device and the substrate. In non-contact printing, inkjet printing technology is relatively flexible, simple and less expensive, also reduced contamination and higher throughput. For inkjet printing, however, need nozzles that can eject several pl (pico-litter) volumes and the position control of nozzle to eject ink with accurate position. These necessities complicate organization of the system that can fabricate microarray using inkjet method, and increase costs. Therefore, this paper proposes such a microarray fabrication methodology using a commercial inkjet printer that is already consisting of ink ejection system.