A Printer is a hardware out put device that is used to generate hardcopy and print any document. It accepts input command by users on a computer or on other devices to print the documents. A document can be of any type such as a text file, image, or the combination of both. The printed output produced by a printer is often called a hard copy, which is the physical version of an electronic document. The printer is the second most popular output device after the monitor which is widely used world wide.
Printers are one of the common computer peripheral devices that can be classified into two categories that are 2D and 3D printers. The 2D printers are used to print text and graphics on a paper, and 3D printers are used to create three dimensional physical objects.
QUALITIES OF PRINTER
There are basically four qualities in printer are given below
I. Color :- Colored printers can print in both colored and black-and-white printing. Colored printers are more expensive than normal printers, and it is also more expensive to operate.
II. Resolution :- Printer resolution, the sharpness of text and images on paper, is usually measured in dots per inch (dpi). Expensive printers have resolutions of about 550 to 600 dpi.
III. Memory :- It is also an important factor for printers as having enough memory will result in good speed and better performance. Most printers come with a small amount of memory that can be expanded by the user.
IV. Speed :- For printing a good amount of stuff you need to have a fast printer. Hence, speed is an important factor while considering printers.
TYPES OF PRINTERS
There are many different printer manufacturers available today, including Cannon, Epson, Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, and may others. There are also several types of printers as given below:-
1. INKJET PRINTERS :- Inkjet printers are non-impact printers that are widely used by home users and small businesses. Inkjet printers recreate a digital image by spraying ink onto paper. These are the most common type of personal printer. These types of printers have the ability to create high-quality pictures with the help of vivid colors. The inkjet printers are more affordable and easier to use as compared to other printers.
Advantages Of Inkjet Printers:-
The Inkjet printers have ability to produce high quality out put.
These printers are reasonably fast and easy to use.
Additionally, these types of printers do not take warm up time.
Disadvantages Of Inkjet Printers:-
It may take more time to print
Its running cost is high.
It does not allow the highlighter marker.
Sometimes, it can produce a wrong warning of an empty catridge.
2. LASER PRINTERS :- Laser printers were developed by Xerox in 1960s. Laser printers use a laser, Ink, and a Photoreceptor drum to print out a document. The laser beam draws the text to be printed onto the photoreceptor drum. Most of the laser printers are capable of printing only in monochrome. The monochrome laser printer is around ten times cheaper than a color laser printer. They are still in widespread use in large offices or companies due to their efficient performance compared to other printers.
There are many differences between a Laser printer and Inkjet printer such as :-
The laser printer contains dry ink, while an Inkjet contains wet ink.
An inkjet printer is approximately ten times more expensive than the laser printer as it requires replacing the ink very frequently.
If a paper is wet, the inkjet printer will print the document with blur, but the laser printer will print clear.
The inkjet printer is suitable for printing fewer documents, while the laser printers has the ability to print more documents.
Advantages Of Laser Printers:-
It is less expensive than the inkjet printer.
It is able to increase productivity.
It has the ability to print documents speedily.
These types of printers have a higher paper capacity.
Disadvantages Of Laser Printers:-
It requires high voltage leads to small carbon emissions.
Lasers printers may need warm up time.
Laser printers are bulky as they required the laser technology and imaging drum.
3. LED PRINTERS:- LED printers are similar to Laser printers but use a light emitting diode array in the print head instead of a laser. LED printers are considered are more efficient and reliable than laser printers. These types of printers are non-impact.
Advantages Of LED Printers:-
The manufacturing of LED printers is cheaper than laser printers.
These types of printers mostly contain free warranty extensions.
These printers are capable of printing on thick 3D items.
4. THERMAL PRINTERS:- Thermal printers use a specific heat-sensitive paper and they produce prints by pushing electrically heated pins onto the paper. The paper used in these printers has a special heat-sensitive coating. The heating elements are switched off in a very short period of time when they are not in use. Thermal printers are also known as electrothermal printers, thermal transfer printers, or thermal wax transfer printers.
Advantages Of Thermal Printers:-
Thermal printers does not need any ribbons or cartridges.
These printers are faster and more efficient in printing monochromic ones than the other printers.
Thermal printers are cheaper and available in several models and sizes.
These are beneficial for offices as they provide noise free environments.
Disadvantages Of Thermal Printers:-
A Thermal printer does not produce colors print out well like standard printers.
At the time of printing, the high heat can be harmful to the print head. If the print head braeks down, then you have to pay for a repair or buy a new one.
5. SOLID INK PRINTERS:- Solid Ink Printers use solid ink sticks or granules similar to wax to melt them in order to print onto paper. A laser class solid ink printer is designed to save space and money on packaging. It uses a unique type of ink technology. The solid ink printer was introduced in the market by Tektronix, Inc, with its crayon like cartridges.
Advantages Of Solid Ink Printer:-
These type of printers are capable of printing the documents fast.
The solid ink printers are easy to handle because these are made by non-toxic vegetable oils and do not melt in our hands.
The print quality of a solid ink printer is good as it produces dynamic colors and extra ordinary print quality on a broad range of media.
Disadvantages Of Solid Ink Printer:-
These printers are mainly used for a large numbers of printing. If it is turned off in the middle of the printing, it will take some time to warm up again.
6. 3D PRINTERS:- 3D printers are advanced printers that are used to produce three-dimensional objects. 3D printers work by taking a digital blueprint of an object and reproducing it layer by layer using various materials such as plastic and metal alloys. Chuck Hull created the 3D printer i 1984. These printers typically use high-quality resins to create 3D objects.
Advantages Of 3D Printers:-
It provides users unlimited shapes and geometry.
It has the ability to full customization.
The main advantage of a 3D printer is that it allows to print objects in 3D.
It is easy to access and cost effective.
It prints the documents with better quality.
Disadvantages Of 3D Printers:-
3D printing is still developing technology.
It consumes high energy.
Its initial and resin costs are high.
It includes limited materials.
7. DOT MATRIX PRINTER :- Dot Matrix printing is an older impact printer technology for text documents that strikes the paper one line at a time. Dot Matrix printers offer very basic print quality. The Dot Matrix printers are also known as a pin printer that was released by IBM in 1957. Although, in 1970, Centronics created the first Dot Matrix impact printer.
Advantages Of Dot Matrix Printers:-
It has the ability to print carbon copies of a particular print out, unlike non-impact printers.
Its printing cost is lowest.
Its maintenance cost is less expensive than other printers.
It is easily available in the market.
Disadvantages Of Dot Matrix Printers:-
It creates high noise.
Dot matrix printers speed is slow than other printers.
It is a time consuming printer.
8. MULTIFUNCTION PRINTERS:- These printers are also known as all-in-one printers. It is suitable for budget minded businesses that want to reduce costs, consolidate assests, and improve workflow. The multifunction printer eliminates the need to purchase more than one device and allows users to complete multiple tasks. These printers can also be controlled using their control systems without the need to connect them to the computer.
Advantages Of Multifunction Printers:-
The multifunction printers can save initial cost.
These type of printers are beneficial for home and office as they save a lot of floor space.
The operation functionality is faster than other printers.
Disadvantages Of Multifunction printers:-
Its maintenance cost is expensive.
These printers perform a task on the basis of first in first out rule.
The operating cost of a multifunction printer is high.
9. PHOTO PRINTERS :- Photo printers are similar to inkjet printers but are designed specifically to print high-quality photos, which requires a lot of ink and special paper to ensure the ink doesn’t smear.
10. DAISY WHEEL PRINTERS:- Daisy wheel printers are impact printers used primarily to achieve the quality found with typewriters. Because these printers have a mechanism that looks like a daisy ( a flower ), they are named Daisy wheel printers.
11. DRUM PRINTERS :- The Drum printer consists of a rotating cylindrical drum with a circular band of characters on its surface. In particular, the surface is divided into tracks equal to the size of the supported printing paper. Tracks have characters on them.
12. CHAIN PRINTERS:- The chain printer consists of a revolving chain with characters set on its surface. These printers typically have a character set of 48,64,or 96 characters. The chain is connected using gears in such a way that it can rotate horizontally.
13. PLOTTER :- Plotters are the type of large format printers that allow us to print relatively large graphics. These printers are quite expensive and require more space than other printers. It is a hardware device or a printer which was first invented by Remington-Rand in 1953. It developed to print vector graphics and uses a pencil, pen, marker or other writing tools.
There are several types of Plotter
Drum Plotter
Flatbed Plotter
Electrostatic Plotter
Inkjet Plotter
Cutting Plotter
Advantages Of Plotter:-
It can draw the same pattern thousand times without any degradation.
It has the ability to save all templates and patterns on the disk.
A Plotter is capable of working on the large sheet around 2 feet or more with better quality.
It can print on sheet, steel, plastic, aluminum, plywood and any flat sheet materials.
Disadvantages Of Plotter :-
The size of a Plotter is very large than the traditional printers.
Plotters are more expensive as compared to a traditional printer.
