It is difficult to imagine modern life without a printer. Scripts are printed at schools, essays are printed at the university, contracts are made at work, and even at home it is extremely necessary for us to transfer this or that information to paper. There are several types of printers, they are classified by type of print, by format, by size and even by type of printed materials. Consider the principle of printing an inkjet and laser printer.
How an inkjet printer works
We will try to highlight the principle of printing an inkjet printer briefly. The print quality is slightly worse than that of the laser. However, their cost is much lower than that of laser ones. The inkjet printer is ideal for home use. It is easy to operate and easy to maintain. The principle of printing inkjet and laser printers are markedly different. This is manifested both in ink supply technology and in equipment design. So let's talk first about how an inkjet printer prints.
Its principle of operation is as follows: an image is formed in a special matrix, and then this matrix imprints the image on the canvas using liquid dyes. Another type of inkjet printer is equipped with cartridges that are installed in a special unit. In this case, using the print head, ink is fed into the print matrix, and it transfers the image onto paper.
Methods for storing ink and applying it to paper
There are three ways to apply ink to the canvas:
• piezoelectric method;
• gas bubble method;
• drop-on-demand method.
The first method when printing leaves an ink dot on the canvas, due to the piezoelectric element. With its help, the tube is compressed and expanded, preventing excess ink from entering the paper.
Gas bubbles, also known as injection bubbles, leave an imprint on the canvas due to high temperatures. Each nozzle of the printing matrix is equipped with a heating element, which heats up in a split second. The resulting gas bubbles are pushed through the nozzle and transferred to the consumable.
The drop-on-demand method also uses gas bubbles during operation. But this is a more optimized technology, which significantly increases the speed and quality of modern printing.
An inkjet printer stores ink in two ways. There is a separate removable tank from which ink is fed into the print head. The second method for storing ink uses a special cartridge, which is also located in the print head. To replace the cartridge, it is necessary to replace the head itself.
Let's talk about inkjet printers
Inkjet printers have gained particular popularity due to the possibility of
color printing. When printing, the image is formed by superimposing the basic tones of each other with different saturations. A set of primary colors is abbreviated CMYK. It includes: yellow, purple, cyan and black.
Initially, a tri-color set was proposed, which included all of the above tones, except for the black shade. But when applying yellow, cyan and magenta, at 100% saturation, it was not possible to achieve black. The result is a brown or gray color. Therefore, it was decided to add black ink.
Features of the inkjet printer
The main indicators of the quality of the printer include noise, print speed, print quality and its durability.
Printer Operational Properties:
- The principle of printing is inkjet. Ink is fed through special nozzles and printed on the canvas. Unlike needle printers, where ink application is a mechanical shock process, inkjet is very quiet. How the printer prints is not audible, you can only distinguish the noise of the engine, which moves the printheads. Noise level does not exceed 40 dB.
- The print speed of an inkjet printer is significantly higher than that of a needle printer. The print quality also depends on this indicator. The principle of printing a printer: the higher the speed, the worse the print. If you choose high-quality printing, the process slows down and the ink is applied more carefully. The average print speed of such a printer is approximately 3-5 pages per minute. More modern models have increased this figure to 9 pages per minute. Color printing takes a little longer.
- A font is one of the main advantages of an inkjet printer. Font display quality can only be compared with a laser printer. You can improve print quality by using good paper. It should have fast absorbent properties. A good image is obtained on paper with a density of 60-135g / m². Copier paper with a density of 80 g / m² also performed well. To quickly dry ink, use the paper heating function. Despite the fact that the principle of printing an inkjet and laser printer is completely different, high-quality equipment allows you to achieve a similar effect.
- Paper. Unfortunately, the inkjet printer is not suitable for printing on roll media. And to get multiple copies you will have to use multiple printing.
Disadvantages of printing an inkjet printer
As it turned out above, inkjet printers print with liquid dyes using a matrix. The image is formed from dots. The most expensive part in the printer is the print head, some companies have integrated the print head of the printer into the cartridge to reduce the overall dimensions of the device. The principle of printing inkjet and laser printers are significantly different from each other
The disadvantages of such a printer include:
- Low print speed.
- If the printer has not been used for a long time, the ink may dry out.
- Consumables have a high cost and a small resource.
Benefits of Inkjet Printing
- Attractive price, perfect value for money.
- The printer has very modest dimensions, which allows it to be placed in a small office, without creating inconvenience to the user.
- Cartridges are easy to refill on their own, just purchase ink and read the instructions.
- Possibility of connecting a continuous ink supply system. With large print volumes, this will significantly reduce costs.
- High quality photo printing.
- A wide selection of print media.
A little bit about the laser printer
A laser printer is a type of equipment designed to print text or images onto paper. The history of this type of equipment is very unusual. And it has a marketing approach, unlike an inkjet printer, which created hundreds of scientific concepts.
Only in 1969, Xerox began to develop the principle of printing a laser printer. For several years, scientific work was carried out, many methods were used to improve the existing apparatus. In 1978, the first copier appeared in the world, which used a laser beam to create a print. The printer turned out to be huge, and the price did not allow anyone to purchase this unit. After some time, Canon became interested in the development, and in 1979 the first desktop laser printer was released. After that, many companies began to optimize copiers and release new models, but the principle of printing a laser printer has not changed.
How to print a laser printer
The prints obtained in this way have high performance characteristics. Moisture is not terrible for them; they are not afraid of erasure and fading. Images obtained in this way are very high quality and durable.
The principle of printing a laser printer in brief:
- The laser printer applies the image to the canvas in several stages. Toner (special powder) melts under the influence of temperature and adheres to paper.
- The squeegee (special scraper) removes unused toner from the drum to the waste storage tank.
- The caronator polarizes the surface of the drum, and by means of electrostatic forces assigns it a positive or negative charge.
- The image is formed on the surface of the drum using a rotating mirror, which directs it to the right place.
- The drum moves along the surface of the magnetic shaft. There is toner on the shaft, which sticks to the places of the drum where there is no charge.
- After the drum rolls on paper, leaving the toner on the canvas.
- At the final stage, the paper with the toner sprayed on it is rolled through the oven, where the substance melts under the influence of high temperatures and adheres securely to the paper.
The principle of printing a laser printer has much in common with the technology used in copiers.
Color laser printers and their main differences
The printing process on a color printer differs from black and white in the presence of several shades that, when mixed in a certain proportion, are able to recreate all the colors we know. Color laser printers use four separate compartments for each ink color. This is their main difference.
Printing on a color printer consists of the following steps: image analysis, its raster image, the arrangement of colors and their corresponding toners. Then the charge distribution is formed. After the procedure is the same as with black and white printing. The sheet of paint passes through the stove, where the toners are melted and securely set with the paper.
Their advantage is that the principle of printing a laser printer allows you to achieve very thin rays that discharge the desired areas. As a result, we get a very high-quality image of high resolution.
The benefits of modern laser printers
The benefits of printing laser printers include:
- High print speed.
- Resistance, clarity and endurance of prints (they are not afraid of a wet microclimate).
- High resolution image.
- Low cost of printing.
Disadvantages of printing a laser printer
The main disadvantages of laser printers:
- During equipment operation, ozone is released. So, you need to work with him in a well-ventilated area.
- High power consumption.
- Bulky.
- High cost of equipment
Based on all the pros and cons, we can conclude that inkjet printers are great for home use. They have an affordable price and small dimensions, which is important for many users.
The laser printer is suitable for offices and other institutions where there are many black-and-white printouts and speed of processing of documents is important.