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Printers Come in Two Main Categories: - Impact

The document summarizes the main types of printers: dot matrix, inkjet, laser, and thermal dye/wax transfer. It provides details on how each printer type works, including using print pins to transfer ink for dot matrix, spraying ink through tiny nozzles for inkjet, using toner and an electrically charged drum for laser, and heating ribbons of dye or wax for thermal printers. The document also discusses issues for each type such as worn print heads, dried ink cartridges, and paper jams.

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Ardhika Dhennis Putra Ananda
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139 views

Printers Come in Two Main Categories: - Impact

The document summarizes the main types of printers: dot matrix, inkjet, laser, and thermal dye/wax transfer. It provides details on how each printer type works, including using print pins to transfer ink for dot matrix, spraying ink through tiny nozzles for inkjet, using toner and an electrically charged drum for laser, and heating ribbons of dye or wax for thermal printers. The document also discusses issues for each type such as worn print heads, dried ink cartridges, and paper jams.

Uploaded by

Ardhika Dhennis Putra Ananda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Printers come in two main categories:

Impact
Older printers used typewriter letter
heads to strike an ink ribbon and transfer
ink to the paper.
Dot Matrix printers used a matrix of print
pins to create letters. The fewer the pins,
the lower the quality. Many form printers
using tractor fed paper are still used today.

Printers come in two main categories:


Non Impact
Most of todays printers use a non impact
method of transferring ink or toner to the
paper.

There are Four main types of printers:


Dot matrix
Ink jet
Laser
Thermal dye transfer and thermal wax
transfer

Dot Matrix:
Been around since the first PCs.
Use mechanical means to press ink from ribbon onto page.

9 or 24 pin print head


9pins == low quality and 24 pin has smaller pins close to
each other giving better quality print (Near Letter Quality
(NQL).
Various size and shape ribbon cartridges
Multipart forms: Carbonless paper forms keep these printers
around.
Tractor feed and friction feed
Uses a sprocket to mesh with holes in the side of
continuous form paper. Typewriters use friction feed.

Images by permission: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

Images by permission: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

How it works:

A print-head moves back-and-forth in front of the paper on which


characters or graphic images are transferred. The print-head
contains numerous wires, typically from 9 to 24. Each wire is part
of a solenoid-like unit. A pulse applied to the solenoid creates a
magnetic field which forces the wire to move briefly forward then
backward. As the wire moves forward, it presses against a print
ribbon containing ink. The impact transfers an ink dot to the
paper. The paper is supported from behind by a platen.

Dot Matrix issues:


Print head - Print heads wear off after a while. The ink from the
ribbon can clog the tiny pins. Pins can be bent. Electromagnet
can be damaged. Print heads are expensive.
Ribbon - Poor print quality can simply mean that the ribbon
needs to be replaced. Cartridges vary from printer to printer thus
they are not interchangeable.
Overheating - Dot matrix printers are noisy. They are often kept
under a padded, sound proofed cover. Less ventilation lead to
overheating.
Paper jams - Big problem. Perforated sides can be ripped off
easily, jamming the printer.

Ink jet
Inkjet technology was developed in the 1960s, but first
commercialized by IBM in 1976.
Ink is forced through tiny holes (50 60 microns in size). Ink
can be a single color, or multi-colors.
The resolution of the dots can be as large (small?) as 1440 x
720. With the proper resolution, color ink and photo paper, you
can produce photographic quality prints.
Ink jets are less expensive than color laser printers making them
popular in the home market.

Images by permission: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

Images by permission: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

How it works:
Characters and graphics are sprayed line by line as a print head
scans horizontally across the paper. An ink-filled print cartridge
is attached to the inkjet's print head. The print head contains 50
or more ink-filled chambers, each attached to a nozzle. An
electrical pulse flows through thin resistors at the bottom of each
chamber. When current flows through a resistor, the resistor
heats a thin layer of ink at the bottom of the chamber to more
than 900 degrees Fahrenheit for several millionths of a second .
The ink boils and forms a bubble.

How it works:
As the bubble expands, it pushes ink through the nozzle to form
a droplet at the tip of the nozzle, and the droplet sprays onto the
paper. The volume of the ejected ink is about one millionth that
of a drop of water from an eye-dropper. A typical character is
formed by an array of these drops 20 across and 20 high. As the
resistor cools, the bubble collapses. The resulting suction pulls
fresh ink from the attached reservoir into the firing chamber.

Ink Jet issues:


Cartridges Ink can dry out over time. If large amounts of
printing is done, the cost can be more than a laser. They are also
subject to mold growing in the ink, which forces ink out the
nozzle.
Refills - Cartridges can be refilled, but the quality of refill ink is
often less than OEM standards, and after a few uses, the
nozzles are worn out, and ink drips.
Cost While the printer is usually cheap, the cartridges can be
expensive, and often hard to find.
Paper jams Moisture in paper often causes paper to misfeed.

Laser:
Laser printers use a type of dry, powdered, electrically charged
ink called toner. The printer places the toner on an electrically
charged rotating drum and then deposits the toner on paper as
the paper moves through the system at the same speed the
drum is turning. This involves a complicated process of optical,
electrical, and mechanical systems.
Laser printers have the best quality of print, and are the
standard by which other printers are judged. Lasers have long
been the most expensive, but costs have continually dropped.
The process of printing is broken down into 6 phases:

Images by permission: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/3.0/

Remember the line "Charlie


Can Walk Dance & Talk
French". The first letters
are in the order of the 6
steps.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Cleaning
Conditioning
Writing
Developing
Transfer
Fusing

1. Cleaning: Excess toner is scraped from the photoelectric


drum.
2. Conditioning: A uniform -600 volt charge is placed on the
photoelectric drum by the primary corona.
3. Writing: Laser diodes write an invisible electric image on the
photoelectric drum by causing the drum surface to be less
negative wherever the laser beam hits.
4. Developing: This is where the transfer roller places the toner
on the drum. The toner sticks to the areas that have had the
electric charge lessened due to the laser beam.
5. Transfer: The secondary corona uses a positive charge to
attract the toner from the drum to the paper. The paper gets
charged by corona too.
6. Fusing: The toner is then melted into the paper.

Dye Sublimation:
Thermal dye transfer printers, also called dye sublimation
printers, heat ribbons containing dye and then diffuse the dyes
onto specially coated paper or transparencies. These printers
are the most expensive and slowest, but they produce
continuous-tone images that mimic actual photographs. Note
that you need special paper, which is quite expensive.

Solid Wax Ink:


These printers contain sticks of wax-like ink that are melted and
applied to the paper. The ink then hardens in place.

Dithering
Dithering is creating the illusion of new colours and shades by
varying the pattern of dots. Many printers dither instead of laying
down multiple colors. Newspaper photographs, for example, are
dithered. If you look closely, you can see that different shades
of grey are produced by varying the patterns of black and white
dots. There are no grey dots at all. In printing, dithering is
usually called half toning, and shades of grey are called
halftones.
Note that dithering differs from grey scaling. In grey scaling,
each individual dot can have a different shade of grey.

black

grey

light grey

white

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