Probably, only a person very far from computer technology may be interested in what a printer is. Now these printing devices have become the de facto standard not only for office, but also for home computers. Due to the relatively low cost, such a purchase has moved from the category of pre-prepared to the field of current expenses. For example, with due diligence, you can find a new inkjet type printer for only $ 20, which is available to everyone.
Today we will understand what a printer is. The question only seems commonplace. The statistics of queries to the search engine gives out almost one and a half million interconnected words. This indicates that computer owners not only want to use a printing device, but also understand what a printer is.
Fortunately, this device is one of the simplest (of course, from the point of view of the user). Even a person unfamiliar with computers can understand what a printer is.
So, a printer is a specialized external device designed to output text and images onto paper. Industrial models can print on different materials, such as fabrics. It is worth dispelling the sometimes confusing error, according to which the printer can be compared with a mechanical typewriter, the buttons of which the computer “presses”. This is only partly true, although attempts have been made to create such solutions (UniPrinter). The principle of operation is fundamentally different, and there are no ready-made characters that hit through the tape on paper.
Currently, the following types of printers exist: dot-matrix, ink-jet and laser. It is these varieties that can be purchased in stores. Another key feature is the ability to print a picture in color on paper. Sometimes the fourth type indicated in different sources is sublimation, but it is quite expensive, so it is not used in everyday life.
Matrix printers use outdated technology to build images. In the print head, moving along the sheet, there is a block of needles that, in accordance with the commands of the control controller, hit the desired area of paper through the ink-soaked ribbon. Any image, including letters, is formed from dots. The mobility of each needle is ensured by a miniature coil of an electromagnet. The print quality depends on the number of striking needles, 9 or 24. The bigger, the better.
Disadvantages of the technology: low print speed and noise during operation.
However, the matrix method of output to paper is still used in cash registers and ATMs.
Inkjet printing is currently the most popular, since such devices allow you to receive high-quality color images, and the cost of the solution, as indicated at the beginning of the article, is low. A number of microscopic nozzles are located in the print head , through which droplets of ink forming the image are discharged onto the paper. Inks of different colors (from four, including black) are contained in special containers of the printer - cartridges. Depending on the technical solution used, droplets from the nozzles can be squeezed out using piezo (Epson) and thermo (Canon) effects.
Now increasingly popular are laser models. They use the principle of creating a focused laser beam of an image on a rotating photodrum. Then, by means of an electrostatic charge, toner (powder) is applied to it, transferred to a sheet of paper, finally being fixed by high temperature (baking).
Sometimes users ask how to use the printer. To do this, you need to perform several necessary steps: connect the printer to the computer, connect it to the network, install drivers, select the "Print" item in the program.