Printers
Printer is an output device, which is used to print information on paper.
Here are the different types of printers to help you narrow down your search based on your needs.- Inkjet printers. Inkjet printers are the de-facto standard for consumer/home-use printers.
- Laser printers.
- All-in-one printers.
- Super tank printers.
- Dye-sublimation printers.
- Dot matrix printers.
- 3D printers.
There are two types of printers −
- Impact Printers
- Non-Impact Printers
Impact Printers
Impact printers print the characters by striking them on the ribbon, which is then pressed on the paper.
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| Impact Printers |
- Very low consumable costs
- Very noisy
- Useful for bulk printing due to low cost
- There is physical contact with the paper to produce an image
These printers are of two types −
- Character printers
- Line printers
Character Printers
Character printers are the printers which print one character at a time.
These are further divided into two types:
- Dot Matrix Printer(DMP)
- Daisy Wheel
Dot Matrix Printer
In the market, one of the most popular printers is Dot Matrix Printer. These printers are popular because of their ease of printing and economical price. Each character printed is in the form of pattern of dots and head consists of a Matrix of Pins of size (5*7, 7*9, 9*7 or 9*9) which come out to form a character which is why it is called Dot Matrix Printer.
Advantages- Inexpensive
- Widely Used
- Other language characters can be printed
- Slow Speed
- Poor Quality
- Daisy Wheel
Advantages
- More reliable than DMP
- Better quality
- Fonts of character can be easily changed
Disadvantages
- Slower than DMP
- Noisy
- More expensive than DMP
Line Printers
Line printers are the printers which print one line at a time.
These are of two types −
- Drum Printer
- Chain Printer
Drum Printer
This printer is like a drum in shape hence it is called drum printer. The surface of the drum is divided into a number of tracks. Total tracks are equal to the size of the paper, i.e. for a paper width of 132 characters, drum will have 132 tracks. A character set is embossed on the track. Different character sets available in the market are 48 character set, 64 and 96 characters set. One rotation of drum prints one line. Drum printers are fast in speed and can print 300 to 2000 lines per minute.
Advantages
- Very high speed
Disadvantages
- Very expensive
- Characters fonts cannot be changed
Chain Printer
In this printer, a chain of character sets is used; hence it is called Chain Printer. A standard character set may have 48, 64, or 96 characters.
Advantages
- Character fonts can easily be changed.
- Different languages can be used with the same printer.
Disadvantages
- Noisy
Non-impact Printers
Non-impact printers print the characters without using the ribbon. These printers print a complete page at a time, thus they are also called as Page Printers.
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| Non-impact Printers |
These printers are of two types −
- Laser Printers
- Inkjet Printers
Characteristics of Non-impact Printers
- Faster than impact printers
- They are not noisy
- High quality
- Supports many fonts and different character size
Laser Printers
These are non-impact page printers. They use laser lights to produce the dots needed to form the characters to be printed on a page.
Advantages
- Very high speed
- Very high quality output
- Good graphics quality
- Supports many fonts and different character size
Disadvantages
- Expensive
- Cannot be used to produce multiple copies of a document in a single printing
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are non-impact character printers based on a relatively new technology. They print characters by spraying small drops of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers produce high quality output with presentable features.
They make less noise because no hammering is done and these have many styles of printing modes available. Color printing is also possible. Some models of Inkjet printers can produce multiple copies of printing also.
Advantages
- High quality printing
- More reliable
Disadvantages
- Expensive as the cost per page is high
- Slow as compared to laser printer