Printers - Providing Hard Copies Of Data

By Matthew Kerridge

Printers are a type of electronic that is used to produce hard copies of the information found on your computer. Printers most of the time use paper but they can also print on envelopes, card stock, transparencies and other media. Printers can be connected to your laptop or computer using a parallel cable, USB connection, network connection or wireless connection. A network printer allows many different computers to be connected to one printer.

Some of the most modern printers can even directly connect to memory cards, image capture devices and memory sticks. Many times a printer can also be a combination printer, scanner and fax machine as well as photocopier. Many times these printers are called multi-function devices, multifunction printers or all in one printers.

There are also versions of printers that will connect directly to memory sticks, image capture devices and memory cards. There are also multiple function printers that also have photocopy functions, a fax machine and scanner. These combination printers go by the name of multifunction printers, all in one printers and multi-function devices.

Laser printers are also very similar to photocopiers as they use the same technology called the xerographic principles. A drum attracts the toner as the drum is light sensitive. Then static electricity is applied to get the toner onto the paper where it sets due to pressure and temperature. Laser printers are very popular as they produce excellent quality printing, have a low cost per page and can print documents very fast.

Laser printers can be found by color printers or just black and white printers. An LED printer will used LED rather than lasers for printing. The newest printers do not produce any air pollution or ultrafine particles that can be hazardous to your health. You can also eliminate this air pollution by having your printer in a well ventilated space.

Solid ink printers are used for printing on non-porous material such as transparencies. The ink for this comes in sold sticks like wax. It is melted and then travels through the ink jet heads.

Solid ink printers are used mainly when you need to print on transparencies or non-porous material. The ink looks like a stick of wax and when heated it will then transfer onto the media. This printer uses print heads and not ribbons or a drum. - 31403

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