Peck Tech Designs - Introduction to Printers

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Introduction to Printers

There are three basic types of printers commonly in use today:

Dot Matrix
Inkjet
Laser

Dot matrix

Image is made of dots that are visible
Slower than inkjets and laser
Only PC printer that can print multi-part "carbon" forms
Have an inked ribbon like a typewriter
Usually have a "tractor feed" with pins to pull heavy multi-part forms through the printer

Inkjet

The image is made by a "jet" of ionized ink sprayed onto the paper
Average "resolution" of about 300 dpi (dots per inch), so dots aren't visible
Usually the smallest of the three kinds
Usually the least expensive of the three kinds

Laser

Use the same technology as copiers
Faster than inkjets and dot matrix
Best quality of the three
Much higher resolution (up to 1200 dpi, or dots per inch - dots are invisible)
Most expensive

These printers use the same technology as copiers, so they're much faster than inkjets (and also more expensive). They are also typically much higher resolution than an inkjet (up to 1200 dpi, or dots per inch).

Color

A consideration when purchasing a printer is not only its initial cost but also the cost of the colored inks, which can quickly exceed the cost of the printer. There are three different colored inks on color printers. Since they're so expensive, and since they aren't used at the same rate of speed, it's well worth paying more to get a printer with three separate color cartridges.

More information on printers:
http://www.viewz.com/aol/guides/printer.shtml