As much as these sound like parts of a sci-fi movie they are in fact all very real and reliable models of printer. But how are they different?

There are two main categories of printer, impact and non-impact. They do exactly what they suggest. Impact printers consist of those which use pins which hit an ink ribbon and create an image by striking the paper. An example would be a dot matrix. Non-impact printers will create the image without touching the paper; these include ink-jets and laser-jets. So specifically, which printer does what? Well, over time, these printers have tended to find different audiences.

Laser jets are particularly popular with commercial entities. They are capable of dealing with high volumes of printing due to a large memory, large paper tray and networking facilities as well as offering a range of functions. They utilise toners instead of liquid ink. The finished, products are also professional and neat and they rarely smudge easily. They are however quite expensive, although over recent years they have become more accessible to a wider audience. Overall they are economical for those needing to do lots of printing on a daily basis.

Ink-jets work by heating ink to form a vapour bubble which is then transferred to the paper. They are relatively cheap in comparison to laser jets and yet offer speed with high quality. They come with disposable heads and all require ink to be replaced fairly occasionally depending on usage. The disadvantage of them is that they are less durable and will probably buckle if required to print constantly in a business environment. They are less economical if used in this way too. However, they are great for home use when you may need your printer for a variation of business like and creative tasks.

Multifunction printers are fairly popular at the moment. These are good if you have a home office and require the use of a scanner, copier and fax. They take up less space and work out cheaper than buying the separate components. Remember that the unit will need to be fixed or replaced if just one component fails though.

Photo printers are a relatively new addition to the market. These utilise very fine droplets to offer an improved photo quality. They seem to be the ‘must have’ accompaniment to a digital camera. In fact many will let you print directly from your camera or memory card and may even come with a preview screen. They are fine tuned to offering great photo quality, sometimes incorporating a wider range of ink colours for this reason. Portable printers are very handy for travelling or for accompanying a net book. There are many different portable printers available on the market and they can be expensive but they are economical with space.

Dot-matrix and thermal printers use slightly different techniques and have gone out of fashion for home and office use. They are used now mostly for printing carbon copies and cash point statements.

Author Bio: Dave Matthews is a freelance copywriter. He writes articles for a range of interests, causes and businesses – in this case, Ink Technologies, a leading supplier of replacement Inkjet Cartridges.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: printing, printer, ink, cartridges