A computer printer is a device that would allow a user to create a hardcopy of a document or image that is electronically created. Normally, the electronic data is created through a computer. Today, printers can now be attached to a digital camera or a scanner to develop the hard copy of the document or image.

Kinds of Computer Printer Technology

Computer technologies found in printers that are available in the market today can be grouped into two: impact and non-impact.

Impact printers refer to printers where the image or text is developed by the printer head touching the paper to be printed on. These kinds of printers were developed based on the concept followed by the typewriter. Impact printers usually use a printer ribbon to transfer the text and the image to the paper surface. These kinds of printers are often limited in functions and only produced low resolution text and images. Because of the process of transferring the text and image on the paper with the printer head touching the ribbon and paper, these printers can be quite noisy to use. The most common kind of impact printers that is still being used today is the dot-matrix printer.

Common Non-Impact Printers

Inkjet printers

Laser printers

Solid ink printers

Thermal printers

Dye sublimation printers

Non-Impact Printer Technology

Modern-day printers use a number of technologies that allow them to create high quality images and text at a short amount of time. The most common non-impact printer technology is the use of liquid ink. This is commonly found in inkjet printers. The liquid ink is sprayed directly onto the paper surface through ultra fine nozzles located on the printer head.

Another printing technology that is found in modern-day printers is the use of heat. A special paper is passed through and then heated using varying temperatures in order to develop the text and image.

Some printers use a combination of these printer technologies in order to provide high quality text and images. One example is the solid ink printer. It combines the technology used in inkjet printers and thermal printers. First, the printer uses heat to melt the solid ink sticks before it is then sprayed on the paper before it hardens.

Another printer that uses a number of printer technologies is the laser printer. The printer first uses electrostatic charges to allow the toner to stick onto the light-sensitive drum. It then uses a beam of laser light to keep the static energy from dissipating. This forms the text or image to be printed. The toner is then transferred to the paper. Finally, the paper is then heated to embed the toner onto the paper permanently.