Computer Printer
What is Printer?
A Printer is a hardware output device that accepts text files, images, or a
combination of both. It accepts information from a computer and transfers it to the standard size or different size sheets of paper known as a hard copy. A printer can be connected to
the computer via a USB device or via a network.
Printers are classified into two categories.
1. Impact Printers
Impact
printers are dot-matrix printers it has a number of pins on the print head that
helps to form a character. The dot matrix printers are also known as a pin
printer. It strikes an ink ribbon using print heads that place thousands of
little dots to form images and text. The pins strike the paper a line at a
time. Impact printer pins strike an inked impression on paper for each character,
and then each character print on paper.
2. Non-impact Printers
There
are three main categories of non-impact printers. They are-
Laser Printers
Laser
printers use a laser beam reflected from a mirror to attract ink to an area of
the paper.
Ink-Jet Printers
Ink-Jet
printers spray ink from a cartridge at very close range to the paper as it
rolls.
Thermal Printers
Thermal
printers transfer wax-based ink or use heated pins to print an image on
specially treated paper. Thermal printing is a
digital printing process that produces a printed image by selectively heating
coated thermochromic paper. It utilizes heated pins in order to produce
the image on paper. These types of printers are widely used in retail,
industries, banking, airline, healthcare, grocery, entertainment, and fax machines.
Low cost and print fast is the feature of these printers. These printers depend
on the thermal paper to produce the images.
Characteristics of the Printer
Following are four main characteristics of the
printers.
1.
Resolution:
Printer resolution depends upon the sharpness
of text and images printed on paper.
Printer resolution is usually
measured in dots per inch (dpi). Most printers provide 600 dpi resolutions.
2.
Speed:
The speed of the printer becomes significant when you need much printing. Some
printers print 3 to 6 sheets per minute, while others print much faster. It depends upon the quality of the printer. The speed of the printer is usually measured in sheets of paper printed per
minute
3. Color: Color printers
are significant for those who need to print pages for projects, maps,
presentations, or another purpose. Some color printers use two ink cartridges so
they are more expensive. Users can set color printers to print only in
black-and-white. Black-and-white printers are cheaper to operate than color
printers.
4. Cache Memory: Printer memory
is separate from computer memory. All come with a certain amount of printer
memory installed, but most are upgradeable to handle more or large print jobs. Printer
memory affects the speed at which a file can be printed.
Function
Printer memory is used to store and process print jobs as
they are sent to the printer from a computer. After printing, the job is
cleared from the memory to make room for more print jobs.
Importance
Printer memory is directly linked to two print characteristics;
speed and print quality. More memory allows you to print faster and print
larger images with high-quality graphics.
Adding Memory
Printers use single inline memory modules (SIMMs) for
memory. Standard SIMM sizes include 2 MB, 4 MB, and 16 MB. Some printers accept
third-party SIMMs, while others accept proprietary SIMMs only.
Input-Output Interface
Input-Output Interface provides
a method for transferring information between internal storage and external I/O devices. Peripherals connected
to a computer need special communication links for interfacing them with the
central processing unit.
The I/O subsystem of a computer provides an efficient mode of communication
between the central system and the outside environment. It handles all the
input-output operations of the computer system
Peripherals connected to a computer need
special communication links for interfacing with the CPU. In the computer system, there
are special hardware components between the CPU and peripherals to control or
manage the input-output transfers. These components are called input-output interface units because
they provide communication links between the processor bus and peripherals. They
provide a method for transferring information between the internal system and
input-output devices.
Printer Languages
Printer languages are commands from
the computer to the printer to tell the printer how to format the document
being printed. Printing languages, also called page description languages,
are representations of exactly what needs to be on the screen or printed page.
They are generally a collection of drawing commands that programs can generate.
These commands manage font size,
graphics, compression of data sent to the printer, color, etc.
There are two most popular printer languages
PostScript
Language
PostScript printer language was developed by Adobe in 1985. This
language uses programmatic constructions to describe the appearance of a
printed page to the printer. It introduced some new features such as vector
graphics and outline fonts. It can be used with any device that creates images.
This language is not restricted to printers.
Printer Command
Language (PCL)
Printer Command Language (PCL) was
developed by Hewlett Packard in 1980, for dot matrix and inkjet printers. It is
an escape code language used to send commands to the printer for printing
documents. Escape code language is so-called because the escape key begins the
command sequence followed by a series of code numbers. PCL
3 was sophisticated enough that other printer manufacturers started to emulate
it, and it became a de-facto standard.
Printer Fonts
Printer’s fonts are of two types, Resident fonts or
built-in-fonts and Cartridge fonts
A font is a set of
characters with a specific size, style, and design. Printers
use resident fonts and soft fonts to print documents. Resident fonts or
internal fonts are built into the hardware of a printer. Internal fonts (resident fonts) are used most often by laser,
dot-matrix, and ink-jet printers.
Cartridge fonts are stored in a cartridge
or a card that plugs into the printer.
Downloadable fonts are
sets of characters sent from the computer to a printer's memory when needed for printing.
How to buy a printer?
If
you want to buy a printer, it may be a difficult task for you to select a
perfect printer. It depends upon the nature of your work. Below is important
information about printer technology that can help you to buy a printer.
Technology
While
purchasing a printer, the first consideration is technology, which is used by
the printer for printing. Nowadays, laser and inkjet printers are more popular
printer technologies. Laser printers are a better solution for businesses or
networks as they provide high-quality resolution, efficiency, and speed. Inkjet
printers are affordable and beneficial for home businesses and home users.
Resolution
It
is one of the main points to keep in mind while purchasing a printer. It is
measured on the basis of dots per inch (DPI) printed by a printer.
Speed
Before
buying a printer, speed is also an important point that must be considered. The
speed of a printer means how many pages can be printed by a printer in a
minute. It can be rated between 4 and 10+ pages per minute (PPM), which is
based on different factors like if a print is a color or black and white,
full-page, or text only. You may prefer to buy a laser printer as it has a
faster speed of page per minute as compared to the Inkjet printer.
Cost per page
The
cost per page is related to the ongoing price of the printer after purchasing
it. When you are looking at the cost per page, you may have to pay less for a laser
printer as compared to an ink printer.
Ink and toner
Whenever
you are buying a printer, the toner or ink is an important factor. Read the
given below characteristics of the ink that is used with the printer.
Price is
one of the most important factors when you are purchasing a printer. If you
need to use the printer frequently, you have to spend more money on replacing
the ink. Thus, check out how much the cost will have to pay when the ink requires
to be replaced.