A printhead for an ink jet printer can be formed as a plurality of substructures which are connected subsequent to inspection and/or testing. A substructure can include a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate having a plurality of heater traces which are used to maintain a temperature of melted solid ink within a tolerance of a desired temperature. The traces can be accurately formed using semiconductor processing techniques. Testing and/or inspecting the substructures prior to assembly can reduce rework and scrap, and can allow the formation of printhead structures from a wide variety of materials.