Introduction to Printers

What is Printer?

Printer is an output device which is used to produce hard copy of computer data.

Printers
Classifications of Printers

Printer can be classified into two categories: 

  • Impact Printer : Impact Printer are the printers in which there is physical or mechanical contact between print head and the paper. Impact printers are noisy printer. Impact printers are of two types: 
    1. Character Printer : Character printer is the printer which prints only one character at a time. Character Printer is a slow printer and it is of two types:
      1. DMP : DMP stands for dot matrix Printer. Dot matrix Printer forms character in the forms of dots. It is slow and rarely used. 
      2. Daisy Wheel Printer: 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.
    2. Line Printer : Line Printers are the printers which prints a line at a time. Line Printers are faster than character printers and can print 6000 lines per minute. Line printers are of two types: 
      1. Chain Printers : The chain printer consists of a revolving chain with characters set on its surface.
      2. Drum printers : Drum printer consists of a revolving cylindrical drum with characters on its surface.
      3. Band Printers : Band printers are like chain printers, but they use a thin steel band instead of a chain to print letters. The band has letters and symbols stamped on it. You can pick different bands with different letters to match what you need to print the most.
  • Non-Impact Printer : In Non-Impact Printer there is no physical or mechanical contact between print head and the paper. Non-Impact printer does not produce sound during printing. Non-Impact Printer are Fast Printer in compared to Impact printer. Non-Impact printer are expensive. Non-Impact printer are of two types: 
    1. Inkjet Printer : Inkjet printers spray liquid ink particles from cartridges through tiny holes called nozzles.  Inkjet printers are faster than dot matrix printers but slower than laser printers. Inkjet printers are also smaller and less expensive than laser printers. In Inkjet Printers, ink in the cartridges is in liquid form, which dries if not used for a long time. Printer Manufacturing companies uses two technologies during the construction of Inkjet Printer i.e. Thermal Bubble and Piezoelectric.
    2. Laser printer : Laser Printer is the Printer which uses laser technique to print text and images on the paper. Laser printers are generally preferred because they print at high resolutions, Laser Printers are reliable, and they are fast. Laser Printer, ink is in the form of toner (powder), it does not dries up even if you don’t use it for a long time.