History of Printers | The Computer Printer History & Timeline

Introduction Putting Digital Content in Your Hands (Printing Devices) Most computer users can't imagine working without a printer. Monitors and sound systems let you see and hear your work, but printers give you something you can touch, carry, and share with others. Printed documents are essential in most workplaces, where people must share reports, budgets, memos, and other types of information. Over the past decade, the variety of available printing devices has exploded; however, three types of printers have become the most popular: dot matrix, ink jet, and laser. Within those three groups, consumers have hundreds of options, ranging widely in price and features. Several other types of special printing devices are available for users with special needs, such as large-format printouts or images with extremely accurate color and high resolution. This lesson introduces you to the basics of hard-copy output devices. You will learn about the most common types of printers and see how each creates an image on paper. You will learn the criteria for evaluating different printers and examine some of the specialized printing devices designed for professional use. Commonly Used Printers Besides the monitor, the other important output device is the printer. Generally, printers fall into two categories: impact and nonimpact. An impact printer creates an image by using pins or hammers to press an inked ribbon against the paper.  A simple example of an impact printer is a type writer, which uses small hammers to strike the ribbon. Each hammer is embossed with the shape of a letter, number, or symbol, that shape is transferred through the inked ribbon onto the paper, creating a printed character.  Although it is seldom done today, many modern electric typewriters can be connected to a PC and used as a letter-quality printer. As a printer, however, even a good typewriter is slow and limited in the kinds of documents it can produce. The most com- mon type of impact printer is the dot matrix printer. Other types of impact printers are line printers and band printers. t printers use other means to create an image. Ink jet printers, for example, use tiny nozzles to spray droplets of ink onto the page. Laser printers work like photocopiers, using heat to bond microscopic particles of dry tuner to specific parts of the page. In the early years of computing, dot matrix printers were the most commonly used printing devices. They are not as prevalent now, although dot matrix printers are still popular in business and academic settings because they are relatively fast and inexpensive to operate, and they do a good job of printing text and simple graphics. lok jet printers now offer much higher quality for about the same price, and they have become more popular than dot matrix printers in homes and small businesses. Laser printers are also popular in homes and businesses, but they are more expensive to buy and operate than either ink jet or dot matrix devices. What's Inside A Computer Program System Dot Matrix Printers Dot matrix printer are commonly used in workplaces where physical impact with the paper is important, such as when the user is printing to carbon copy or pressure sensitive forms. These printers can produce sheets of plain text very quickly. They also are used to print very wide sheets, as data processing departments often use when generating large reports with wide columns of information. A dot matrix printer creates an image by using a mechanism called a prat head, which contains a cluster (or matrix) of short pins arranged in one or more columns. On receiving instructions from the PC, the printer can push any of the pins out in any combination. By pushing out pins in various combinations, the print head can create alphanumeric characters. When pushed out from the cluster, the protruding pins' ends strike a ribbon, which is held in place between the print head and the paper. When the pins strike the ribbon, they press ink from the ribbon onto the paper The more pins that a print head contains, the higher the printer's resolution. The lowest-resolution dot matrix printers have only nine pins, the highest resolution printers have 24 pins. The speed of dot matrix printers is measured in hat so to 70 second psl. The slowest dot matrix printers create 50 to 70 characters per second, the fastest print more than 500 chevon though dot matrix printers are not commonly used in homes, they are still widely used in business, as are other types of impact printers. Line Printers A line pointer is a special type of impact ad that it works like a dot matrix printer but uses a special wide print head that can print an entire line of text at one use see. Line printers do not offer high resolution but are incredibly fast, the fastest can print 3,000 lines of text per minute. Band Printers A band printer features a rotating band embossed with alphanumeric characters. To print a character, the machine rotates the band to the desired character, then a small hammer taps the band, pressing the character against a ribbon. Although this sounds like a slow process, band printers are very fast and very robust, Depending on the character set used, a good quality band printer can generate 2,000 lines of text per minute. Ink Jet Printers Ink jet printers create an image directly on the paper by spraying ink through tiny nozzles. The popularity of ink jet printers jumped around 1990 when the speed and quality improved and prices plummeted. Today, good ink jet  printers are available for less than $100.  These models typically attain print resolutions of at least 300 dots per inch. These same models can print from two to four pages per minute (only slightly slower than the slowest laser printers) Compared to laser printers, the operating cost of an ink jet printer is relatively low. Expensive maintenance is rare, and the only part that needs routine replace meant is the ink cartridge, which ranges in price from $20 to $35. Many ink jet printers use one cartridge for color printing and a separate black only cartridge for black-and-white printing. This feature saves money by reserving colored ink only for color printing. Color ink jet printers have four ink nozzles: cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow, and black. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as CMYK printers, or as using the CMYK color process. These four colors are used in almost all color printing because it is possible to combine them to create any color. How Does A Computer Program Process Input From A Keyboard And Mouse? Notice that the colors are different from the primary additive colors (red, green, and blue) used in monitors. Printed color is the result of light bouncing off the paper, not color transmitted directly from a light source. Consequently, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are sometimes called subtractive colors and color printing is sometimes called four-color printing. When used with special printing paper, many ink jet printers can produce photo-quality images. For this reason, they are often used to print pictures taken with a digital camera. Laser Printers Laser printers are more expensive than ink jet printers, their print quality is higher, and most are faster. As their name implies, a laser is at the heart of these printers. A CPU and memory are built into the printer to interpret the data that it receives from the computer and to control the laser.  The result is a complicated piece of equipment that uses technology similar to that in photocopiers. how a laser printer works? The quality and speed of laser printers make them ideal for office environments, where several users can easily share the same printer via a network. Just as the electron gun in a monitor can target any pixel, the laser in a laser printer can aim at any point on a drum, creating an electrical charge. Toner, which is composed of tiny particles of ink, sticks to the drum in the places the laser has charged.  Then, with pressure and heat, the toner is transferred off the drum onto the paper. The amount of memory that laser printers contain deter mines the speed at which documents are printed. A color laser printer works like a single color model, except that the process is repeated four times and a different toner color is used for each pass. The four colors used are the same as in the color inkjet printers: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Single color (black) laser printers typically can produce between 4 and 16 pages of text a minute. If you are printing graphics, the output can be a great deal slower. The most common laser printers have resolutions of 300 or 600 dpi, both horizontally and vertically, but some high-end models have resolutions of 1,200 or 1,800 dpi. The printing industry stipulates a resolution of at least 1,200 dpi for top-quality professional printing. It is difficult to detect the difference between text printed at 600 dpı and at 1,200 dpi; the higher resolution is most noticeable in graphics reproduction such as photographs and artwork. Importance Program Of Computer In Today Era Laser printers start at about $150, and the price increases dramatically along with speed and resolution. Color laser printers are considerably more expensive than single-color printers. In addition, laser printers require new toner cartridges after a few thousand pages, and toner cartridges can cost anywhere from $40 to $200. All-in-One Peripherals (Printers) Several printer makers now use ink jet or laser printers as the basis for all-in-one peripherals. These devices combine printing capabilities with scanning, photo coping, and faxing capabilities. Small, lightweight, and easy to use, all-in-one devices are popular in home offices and small businesses, among users who cannot afford to buy several professional-quality devices for these tasks. All-in-one peripherals are available in black-and-white and color models, at prices as low as $200. Laser-based models are significantly more expensive than ink jet models, especially when color printing is required. Comparing Printers When you are ready to buy a printer, you must consider how you plan to use it Do you need to print only text, or are graphics capabilities also important? Do you need to print in color? Will you need to print a wide variety of fonts in many sizes? How quickly do you want your documents to be printed? When evaluating printers, four additional criteria are important: Printer Image Quality Image quality, also known as print resolution, is usually measured in dotschdpe. The more dots per inch a printer can pro duce, the higher its image quality For example, most medium-quality ink jet and laser printers can print 300 or 600 dots per inch, which is fine for most daily business applications. If a printer's resolution is 600 dpi, this means it can print 600 columns of dots and 600 rows of dots in each square inch of the page, a total of 360,000 dots (600 × 600 = 360,000) per inch. Professional quality printers, used for creating colorful presentations, posters, or renderings, offer resolutions of 1,800 dpi or even higher. Printers Speed Printer speed is measured in the number of page per mints the device can print. (As you learned earlier, however, the speed of dot matrix printers is measured in characters per second.) Most printers have different ppm ratings for text and graphics because graphics generally take longer to print. As print speed goes up, so does cost. Mast consumer level laser printers offer print speeds of 6 or 8 ppm, but high volume professional laser printers can exceed 50 ppm. Printer Initial Cost The cost of new printers has fallen dramatically in recent years, while their capabilities and speed have improved just as dramatically. It is possible to buy a good quality ink jet printer for personal use for less than $100; low-end laser printers can be found for less than $200. Professional quality, high output systems can range in price from $1,000 to tens of thousands of dollars. Color printers always cost more than black-and-white printers, and this is especially true of laser printers. Printer Cost of Operation The cost of ink or toner and maintenance varies with the type of printer. Many different types of printer paper are available, too, and the choice can affect the cost of operation. Low quality recycled paper, for example, is fine for printing draft quality documents and costs less than a penny per sheet. Glossy, thick, photo-quality stock, used for printing photographs, can cost several dollars per sheer depending on size. High-Quality Printers Although most offices and homes use ink jet or laser printers, other types of printers are used for special purposes. These printers are often used by publishers and small print shops to create high-quality output, especially color out put. The last type discussed in this section, the plotter, is designed specifically for printing large-format construction and engineering documents. Photo Printers With digital cameras and scanners becoming increasingly popular, users want to be able to print the images they create or scan. While the average color ink jet or laser printer can handle this job satisfactorily, many people are investing in special photo prime documents. Many photo printers use ink jet technology, but a few use dye sublimation technology.  The best photo printers can create m ages that look nearly as good as a photograph printed using traditional methods Photo printers work slowly, some can take two to four minutes to create a printout. Several models create prints no larger than a standard 4 x 6-inch snapshot, although newer photo printers can produce 8 x 10-inch or even 11 14 inch prints. Many larger-format photo printers can print multiple images on a single sheet of paper. Because ink jet photo printers spray so much ink on the paper, it can take several minutes for a printout to dry, so smearing can be a problem. Still, these printers give digital photography enthusiasts a way to print and display their photos in hard-copy form. Photo printers range in price from $200 to more than $500, and the cost per print ranges from a few cents to a dollar (several times more expensive than traditional film processing). One advantage of the newest photo printers is that they do not need a computer. These photo printers feature slots for memory cards used by many digital cameras. Instead of connecting the printer to a computer, the user can simply remove the memory card from the camera and plug it into the printer. Some photo printers can connect directly to a camera by a cable or even by an infrared connection. Thermal-Wax Printers Thermal ax printers are used primarily for presentation graphics and handouts. They create bold colors and have a low per-page cost for printouts with heavy color requirements, such as posters or book covers. The process creates vivid colors because the inks do not bleed into each other or soak the specially coated pa- per. Thermal-wax printers operate with a ribbon coated with panels of colored wax that melts and adheres to plain paper as colored dots when passed over a focused heat source. Dye-Sublimation Printers Desktop publishers and graphic artists get realistic quality and color for photo images using dye-sublimation (dye-sub) printers. In dye sublimation technology, ribbon containing panels of color is moved across a focused heat source capable of subtle temperature variations. The heated dyes evaporate from the ribbon and diffused on specially coated pa per or another material, where they form areas of different colors. The variations in color are related to the intensity of the heat applied. Dive sub printers create extremely sharp images, but they are slow and costly. The special paper they require can make the per page cost as high as S3 to 54. Plotters A plotter is a special kind of output device. It is like a printer because it produces images on paper, but the plotter is typically used to print largo-format images, such as construction drawings created by an architect Early plotters were bulky, mechanical devices that used robotic arms, which literally drew the image on a piece of paper. Table plotters for flatbed plotters) use two robotic arms, each of which holds a set of colored ink pens, it pens, or pencils. The two arms work in concert, operating at right angles as they draw on a stationary piece of paper in addition to being complex and large (some are almost as big as a billiard table).  table plotters are notoriously slow, a large, complicated drawing can take several hours to print. A used variation on the table plotter is the roller plotter (also known as the drum plotter), which uses only one drawing arm but moves the paper in- stead of holding it flat and stationary. The drawing arm moves side to side as the paper is rolled back and forth through the roller. Working together, the arm and roller can draw perfect circles and other geometric shapes, as well as lines of different weights and colors. In recent years, mechanical plotters have been displaced by thermal, electrostatic, and ink jet plotters, as well as large-format dye-sub printers. These devices, which also produce large-size drawings, are faster and cheaper to use than their mechanical counterparts. They also can produce full-color renderings as well as geo- metric line drawings, making them more useful than standard mechanical plotters . The Care and Feeding of Printers Whether you own a $50 dot matrix printer or a $5,000 color t laser printer, you want to get the most from your investment. Although today's printers are much more durable than those of a decade ago, they still work better and last longer if they are properly maintained. Luckily, most consumer grade printers are easy to take care of. Here are some tips that will help you get years of service from your printer, no matter what kind of device it is. Getting Basic Information When maintaining your printer, the best place to start is the owner's manual. Check it for specific instructions on setting up, cleaning, clearing out paper jams, replacing components, and other maintenance-related tasks. You may be able to find these instructions on the manufacturer's Web site. Always unplug your printer and let it cool down completely before doing any maintenance or cleaning. All printers-especially units that are used a lot-get hot in- side, possibly hot enough to burn you. To avoid shock, dis- connect the printer's cables from your computer or network. Also, be sure to remove the paper from the printer before working on it. Positioning a Printer Make sure your printer has room to breathe. This means set- ting up so there is space around it, to allow air to flow through the printer. This keeps down dust and avoids over- heating. Avoid crowding objects (such as stacks of books or boxes) around the printer, or you may block air flow. Never stack anything on top of a printer; the weight can cause malfunctions. Cleaning a Printer Printers usually don't require heavy cleaning, but paper dust and airborne particles can collect inside a printer, adding to heat build-up and leading to mechanical problems. You can clean the outside surfaces of most printers with a dry or damp cloth, but don't use solvents or spray cleaners, which may be harmful to some printer parts. To clean the inside of the printer, open it up and remove all paper. Remove the toner cartridge, ink cartridges, or rib- bon as your owner's manual directs. Use a lint-free cloth or swabs to gently remove built-up dust and dirt. Do not use a wet cloth, and never spray any kind of liquid cleaner into your printer unless the manufacturer recommends doing so. If the printer has a great deal of dust built up inside, you can use a vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle to pull out the dust. If dust appears to be stuck or is embedded in tiny spaces, use a can of compressed air to blast it loose, then vacuum it out.  Dealing with Paper Jams For years, paper jams have been the scourge of computer users. They strike at the worst times, and can take a long time to clear out. The best way to solve this problem is to prevent it: Make sure your paper is compatible with your printer. Some ink jet printers, for example, do not work well with thick, glossy paper. Check your manual to see what weights and sizes of paper will work best with your printer. Set the printer on an even, level surface. Tilting can encourage paper jams. Don't overfill the paper tray. Paper must be flat and able to slide freely through the mechanism. If the tray is crammed with paper, the sheets may be buck- led or stuffed in too tightly to move. If you experience a paper jam, see your owner's manual for instructions on clearing it. If paper jams are a common problem, contact the manufacturer for help. Maintaining Your Drivers Printers use special programs, called drivers, which enable them to communicate and exchange data with your PC and programs. If you use Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP, then there's a good chance that your printer's driver is built into the operating system. If not, you can install your printer's driver from the disk that comes with the printer. Printer makers sometimes release updated versions of their printers' drivers, and it's a good idea to make sure that you are using the most current driver. To check for updated drivers, visit the manufacturer's Web site. If you use Micro- soft's Windows Update service, your updated drivers may be available there. Computer Training Specialist Not everyone is proficient with computers, and not every- one wants to be. It's Karen Koenig's job to make sure that the students she's working with leave her classroom not only more knowledgeable about computers, but also more confident in their ability to use them in daily life. "Once in a while I'll get a student who is afraid to touch the computer, for fear that he or she may delete files or mess something up," says Koenig, a computer training specialist in the Professional and Community Education area of Bowling Green State University's Continuing & Extended Education program located in Bowling Green, Ohio. "It's very rewarding when that same person walks out of my classroom feeling much more comfortable using technology." A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Koenig earned her degree in business education an' is a certified Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS). She began her career teaching a sole computer class, and la. became a full-time instructor. Koenig spends her time teaching both -day and evening classes of university faculty/staff and other adult students on how to use computers and specific applications like Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. Along the way, she's mastered applications such as HTML for Web site building and university-specific programs, such as a calendar-scheduling application used by faculty and staff. Koenig sees future opportunities for computer trainers as good, based on how integrated computers are in our everyday lives. "It's amazing just how many people know nothing about computers, even though they've been around for so long," says Koenig, who is continually updating her own skills to meet her students' needs. A successful trainer needs a strong background in general computer hardware and software. This means that a trainer should have a solid understanding of how a computer system functions and a mastery of current operating systems and common application software. Often, trainers must get additional instruction or certification if they want to teach others to use certain programs. Companies such as Microsoft and Oracle, for example, offer trainer-certification programs that ensure employers that a trainer has mastered certain products and is qualified to teach others how to use them. The pay scale for computer training specialists covers a wide range. Freelance trainers, for instance, may charge an hourly rate (ranging from $25 to $50, or higher), which goes up with the complexity of the programs being taught. The annual salary for full-time trainers can start out in the $18,000 to $30,000 range, but can go up with experience and expertise. Top-level trainers (who teach other trainers and develop training courses or materials) can earn $50,000 per year or more. Summary (Printer) Printers fall into two general categories: impact and nonimpact.  Impact printers create an image on paper by using a device to strike an inked ribbon, pressing ink from the ribbon onto the paper. Nonimpact printers use various methods to place ink on the page. When evaluating printers for purchase, you should consider four criteria: image quality, speed, initial cost, and cost of operation A dot matrix printer is an impact printer. It uses a print head that contains a cluster of pins. The printer can push the pins out in rapid sequence to form patterns. The pins are used to press an inked ribbon against paper, creating an image.  The speed of dot matrix printers is measured in characters per second. The fastest ones can print 500 characters each second.  An ink jet printer is an example of a nonimpact printer. It creates an image by spraying tiny droplets of ink onto the paper Ink jet printers are inexpensive for both color and black printing, have low operating costs, and offer quality and speed comparable to low-end laser printers  Laser printers are nonimpact printers. They use heat and pressure to bond tiny particles of toner (a dry ink) to paper. Laser printers produce higher quality print and are fast and convenient to use, but they are also more expensive than ink jet printers. Laser printers are available in both color and black and white, and the highest end laser printers provide resolutions of 1.200 dpi and greater Thermal-wax and dye-sublimation printers are used primarily by print shops and publishers to create high-quality color images. Photo printers are specialized printers used to print color photographs taken with digital cameras. Plotters create large-format images, usually for architectural or engineering purposes, using mechanical drawing arms, ink jet technology, or thermal printing technology. Review Questions (Printer) 1. What is the difference between an impact printer and a nonimpact printer? 2. How does a dot matrix printer create an image on paper? 3. How does a band printer work? 4 What kind of resolution and speed can you expect from a low-cost ink jet printer? 5. What four colors are used in color ink jet and laser printers? 6. How does a laser printer create an image on paper? 7. What four factors should you consider when evaluating printers? 8 If a printer is said to have a resolution of 600 dpi, what does this mean? 9. Describe a specific advantage of some new photo printers. 10. How does a dye-sublimation printer create an image on paper? 11. What is the speed of Dot matrix printers? Explain. 12. What is a All-in-one peripheral? 13. Write a short note on thermal-wax printers. 14 What is a plotter? 15. Write the differences between table and roller plotters.