What is a Computer Printer? Types of Printers

Printer: a machine for printing text or pictures, especially one linked to a computer.

On the basis of technology, printers are categorized into Impact and Non- Impact Printers.

Impact printers create an image by using some mechanism to physically press an inked ribbon against the page, causing the ink to be deposited on the page in the shape desired.

I)  Dot matrix :- The dot-matrix printer uses print heads containing from 9 to 24 pins. These pins produce patterns of dots on the paper to form the individual characters

II)Daisy wheel:- A hammer strikes a “petal” containing a character against the ribbon, and the character prints on the paper. Its speed is slow typically 25-55 characters per second.

III)           Line printer:- Line printers, or line-at-a-time printers, use special mechanism that can print a whole line at once; they can typically print the range of 1,200 to 6,000 lines per minute

IV) Drum printer:- A drum printer consists of a solid, cylindrical drum that has raised characters in bands on its surface. The number of print positions across the drum equals the number available on the page.

V) Chain printer:- A chain printer uses a chain of print characters wrapped around two pulleys

VI) Band printer:- Band printer has a steel band divided into five sections of 48 characters each.

Non – Impact Printers do not touch the paper when creating an image.

I) Ink-jet printers:- One or more nozzles in the print head emit a steady stream of ink drops. Droplets of ink are electrically charged after leaving the nozzle. The droplets are then guided to the paper by electrically charged deflecting plates

II)              Laser printers:- Laser printers use buffers that store an entire page at a time. When a whole page is loaded, it will be printed.

III)Thermal printer:- is a digital printing process which produces a printed image by selectively heating coated thermo chromic paper, or thermal paper as it is commonly known, when the paper passes over the thermal print head.

A plotter is an output device that interprets commands from a computer to make line drawings on paper with one or more automated pens. Unlike a regular printer, the plotter can draw continuous point-to-point lines directly from vector graphics files or commands.