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Printers

Wha is it?

  • A printer is an external hardware output device that takes the electronic data stored on a computer or other device and generates a hard copy of it.

  • It accepts text and graphics output from a computer and transfers the information to paper, usually to standard size sheets of paper.

  • Printer varies in size, speed, sophistication, and cost.

A printer is a device that prints text or illustrations on paper.

Soft copy

Printer

Hard copy

Types of Printers:

  • Below is a list of all different types of computer printers.

  • Dot Matrix printer

  • Inkjet printer

  • Laser printer

  • LED printer

  • Thermal printer

  • Plotter

  • 3D printer

Printers Interfaces:

  • There are different ways a printer can connect to communicate with a computer.

  • The most common connection types are by USB cable or via  Wi-Fi.

Interfaces used to connect a computer to a printer.

USB

Firewire Cable

Wi-Fi

CAT5

Parallel Port

Serial Port

LASER VS INKJET

  • Today, most common printers used with a computer are Inkjet and Laser printers.

  • Here some of the significant difference between a Laser printer and Inkjet printer is given below.

Laser

  • The laser printer uses a laser beam reflected from a mirror to attract ink (called toner ) to selected paper areas as a sheet rolls over a drum.

  • The best-known non-impact printers.

  • eg. HP LaserJet M5035

  • Bulky size.

  • High cost.

  • Can print high-quality text.

  • Uses solid color (powder).

  • Internal working is complex.

  • Printing speed is fast compared to Inkjet printer.

  • Can print only on paper.

Inkjet

  • The inkjet sprays ink from an ink cartridge at very close range to the paper as it rolls by. 

  • eg. HP Deskjet J110

  • Small in size.

  • Low cost compares to a Laser printer.

  • Can print a high-quality photo.

  • Uses liquid color.

  • Internal working is simple.

  • Printing speed is slow.

  • Can print on paper, glossy sheet, sticker etc.

Thermal Printers

  • A thermal impact printer or electrothermal printer is a printer that uses heated pins to "burn" images onto heat-sensitive paper. 

  • These printers are commonly used in calculators and fax machines;

  • Although they are inexpensive and print relatively fast, they produce low-resolution print jobs.

  • A thermal printer, thermal transfer printer, or thermal wax-transfer printer uses thermal wax ribbon to melt colored wax on paper for a photo print.

Dot Matrix Printer

  • It's an impact printer that strikes the paper a line at a time.​​

  • Refers to the process of using dots to form an image.

  • The dot-matrix printer was a popular low-cost personal computer printer. â€‹

Used in ticket counter as a receipt.

Cons:

  • Notably, dot-matrix printers, are limited to one or a few fonts. 

DPI

  • In printing, dots per inch (dpi) is the usual measure of printed image quality on the paper. â€‹â€‹

  • Printer resolution is usually measured in dots per inch (dpi).

  • The sharpness of text and images on paper.

  • Most inexpensive printers provide sufficient resolution for most purposes at 600 dpi.​

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