In the 1980s, the dot-matrix printers were the dominant printers. They are all around offices creating screeching sounds as they print away continuous computer papers that were the fad during those business days. Then came the laser printers that created a leap in terms of revolutionizing the way we print. The first laser printer was introduced in 1984 by Hewelett-Packard which got the technology that was developed by Canon. It is very different from dot-matrix but very similar to how a photocopier works with only the light source that makes the difference.

To be able to know how a photocopier works, a page is scanned at first by a bright light while with the laser printers the light source is of course, a laser. The process in printing is the same as with the photocopier because as the light creates an electrostatic image of the page over a charged photoreceptor, the printer attracts the toner in the image of an electrostatic charge thus creating images that was dictated by the software. The popularity of laser printers was quick because these printers can produce high quality print and they are very economical to use than inkjets.

Fortunately, more printer companies have decided to compete each other in the manufacture of laser printers until the competition became very stiff and the production for more budget friendly models have become more active. Prices of laser printers have gone down as the technology has found new ways in cutting the costs on printing standard papers. On the other hand, output quality has improved until 600 dpi resolutions were reached. This means clearer, bolder and crispier printing. The size of the laser printers has also become more portable, more standardized in size and very suitable even for home use. Although the introduction of inkjet technology has somewhat made a little rivalry against the laser printer, the latter can still produce much better quality black text documents than the new inkjets. The inkjet cannot beat the laser printer in terms of long lasting printing and the carbon that is used on laser printers is very cheap as compared to the ink inkjets are using.

So in terms of printing black text documents, the laser printer is still dominating all other types of printers. Although different brands today have emerged, the same quality and the same economical side are more preferred by users. This is why if an office requires an office workhorse in terms of printing, the laser printer can always be the best option. Another advantage about this type of printer is that both the home and business users can handle printing envelopes, card, and some paper media much easy with laser printers and this once again put its edge over the inkjets.

If you see what goes into laser printers, you would be surprised how much you can save from using them. This is because the components that make up the printer are far more advanced than those we find on computers such as the Raster Image Processor or RIP and the advanced system Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC), a breakthrough in printing engineering that is only utilised in laser technology. Also the chemicals for the drum and toner are very affordable but nevertheless reliable. Printing with a laser printer require lots of interesting mix of optics, mechanics, chemistry, coding and electronics stuff so that with a click of your mouse you can have a livelier and bolder printed document.

Author Bio: Label slitters Label Counters

Category: Computers and Technology
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