. External hardware output device that takes electronic data from computer and transfers information on a paper.
. Most popular computer peripherals and are used to print text and images.
. Used almost everywhere where we need hard copy like bills, tickets, reports, documents etc.
. Manufactures are Canon, HP, Epson etc.
. Connected to computer in different ways like using USB, Ethernet, Wifi or by sharing another computer's printer in network etc.
. Most popular computer peripherals and are used to print text and images.
. Used almost everywhere where we need hard copy like bills, tickets, reports, documents etc.
. Manufactures are Canon, HP, Epson etc.
. Connected to computer in different ways like using USB, Ethernet, Wifi or by sharing another computer's printer in network etc.
Types of Printers:
. Classified into two types depending whether they touch paper while printing or not.
. Impact printers have mechanism to touch paper to create images and text. Ex: Dot-Matrix
. Non-Impact printer do not physically touch the paper while printing. Ex: Inkjet, Laser, Thermal.
. Impact printers have mechanism to touch paper to create images and text. Ex: Dot-Matrix
. Non-Impact printer do not physically touch the paper while printing. Ex: Inkjet, Laser, Thermal.
Laser Printers:
. Produces high-quality text and graphics by using laser beam.
. Beam is passed back and forth over negatively charged drum, scanning the image and text directly across printer's photo-receptor.
. The drum to selectively collects powdered ink also known as toner, which it then transfers to paper.
. Used in Offices and Business areas where more text is to be printed.
. It is costlier but output resolution is high.
. The drum to selectively collects powdered ink also known as toner, which it then transfers to paper.
. Used in Offices and Business areas where more text is to be printed.
. It is costlier but output resolution is high.
Inkjet Printers:
. Forms images by spraying droplets of ink on the paper.
. Characters they print are made up of dots like Dot-Matrix printers but these dots are very tiny that we cannot see them.
. They fire the ink in various ways like heating, piezoelectricity etc.
. Available for color and white-black printing.
. Produce good quality text and images.
Laser Vs Inkjet Printers:
| Laser Printers | Inkjet Printers |
|---|---|
| Uses laser beam to print text or image. | Uses ink cartridges which is wet to print text or image. |
| Faster output compared to Inkjet. | Slower output compared to Laser. |
| Cannot print on different types of papers because produces heat. | Can print on different types of papers. |
| Produce sharper text on office paper. | Water- based ink, so prints can fade and easily damaged. |
| Lower cost per page, but high purchase price. | Not economical if you print alot. |
| Heavier and not as portable as Inkjet, need more space. | Smaller and can fit in smaller spaces. |
| Harder to maintain than Inkjet. | Easier to maintain. |
| Contains larger paper tray capacities, refills are fewer. | Ink is wasted during automatic cleaning of printers and need to refill more no.of times. |
| Warm up is required to use. | No need of warm up, can be used immediately. |
| Suitable for fast and high-volume printing. | Suitable for offices or small business that need not to print a lot but print high-quality images. |
Thermal Printers:
. Makes use of heat in order to produce image on paper.
. No involvement of toner or ink like InkJet printers but make use of thermal papers.
. Most widely used in Grocery stores, Airline, Banking etc.
. More durable and lower cost compared to other printers.
. Noise free and efficient in mono-chromic printing.
. Most suitable for barcode related printing.
Dot-Matrix Printer:
. Forms images one character per time as print head moves across paper.
. Uses tiny pins to hit an ink ribbon and paper.
. It is cheapest and most noisy printer producing low quality output.
. Speed is usually 30 to 550 characters per second.
. Usually formed in Railway Ticketing, Bus Ticketing, ATMs etc.
DPI:
. Stands for Dots Per Inch.
. Used to measure resolution in printing.
. It means how many dots fit in one square inch of print.
. Higher the DPI, higher is the quality of image.
. If DPI is 600, it means 600 x 600 = 360000 dots will be present per square inch.
. When working with graphics only on computer screen, 72 DPI is sufficient.
. To print, it requires minimum 300 DPI to get good quality image.
