By: Kiran Desai Roll no: 1007

A device that prints text or illustrations on paper

 

There are several major printer technologies available. These technologies can be broken down into two main categories with several types in each, IMPACT PRINTERS NON-IMPACT PRINTERS

These printers have a mechanism that touches the paper in order to create an image. There are two main impact technologies: CHARACTER PRINTER (Daisy Wheel) DOT MATRIX PRINTER

 

Similar to a typewriter. Daisy-wheel printers produce letter quality print but cannot print graphics

 Mechanism o This type of printer has a plastic or metal wheel on which the shape of each character stands out in relief. o A hammer presses the wheel against a ribbon, which in turn makes an ink stain in the shape of the character on the paper.

  

Creates characters by striking pins against an ink ribbon. Each pin makes dots, and combinations of dots form characters and illustrations. It has the best cost per page ratio.

  

These printers do not touch the paper when creating an image. There are many printers in this group. Some major printers in this group are: INK JET PRINTERS LASER PRINTERS SOLID INK PRINTERS DYE SUBLIMATION PRINTERS THERMAL WAX PRINTERS

 

Sprays ink at a sheet of paper. Ink-jet printers produce high-quality text and graphics.

Laser printers use dry ink (toner), static electricity, and heat to place and bond the ink onto the paper. Produce very high quality text and graphics

 

Solid ink printers contain sticks of wax-like ink that are melted and applied to the paper. The ink then hardens in place

 These printers have a long roll of transparent film. Embedded in this film are solid dyes corresponding to the four basic colors used in printing: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK).  The print head uses a heating element that varies in temperature, depending on the amount of a particular color that needs to be applied.  The dyes vaporize and permeate the glossy surface of the paper before they return to solid form.  The printer does a complete pass over the paper for of the basic colors, gradually building the image.

 Thermal wax printers are something of a hybrid of dye-sublimation and solid ink technologies.  They use a ribbon with alternating CMYK color bands.  The ribbon passes in front of a print head that has a series of tiny heated pins.  The pins cause the wax to melt and adhere to the paper, where it hardens in place.

Out of all of these incredible technologies, Inkjet printers are by far the most popular. In fact, the only technology that comes close to Ink-jet today is Laser printers.