Printers
Dealing with multiple data frequently requires not only editing but also printing. To fulfill the first mentioned process, we much rely on computing devices (desktop PCs, laptops, PDAs), whereas to get the data on paper, we reckon on printers. The latter are nowadays represented by multifarious types and brands, although their efficient operation greatly depends upon drivers for printers.
All existing printers might be viewed via the prism of three aspects: targeted audience, desired color, and typing methods.
According to the targeted audience, printers are divided into personal and shared. The first ones are designed to serve individuals and can be connected to a single computer only. They offer relatively low-volume print jobs, producing up to 25 pages per minute. The second ones are targeted entire PC networks; their printing productivity ranges from 45 to 100 pages per minute.
As far as color is concerned, printers are divided into monochrome and color ones. Monochrome devices employ only one color toner (black), while color items usually have four toners (black, yellow, magenta, cyan). The toners reside in dedicated drums, so that when a paper passes through each drum, the corresponding color particles stick on its surface.
To continue, average users tend to discriminate between printers by their typing mechanism. In spite of this, in order to establish communication with some computing device, a user has to download drivers for printers. Hence, one might get benefit from: - outdated daisy wheel printers which print only characters and some symbols; they cannot produce graphical images;
- dot matrix devices. They produce text and graphical data by using dots to form the desired shape. The dots are made by a printhead that handles up to 500 characters per second;
- inkjet equipment sprays liquid ink through tiny holes in a printhead, so that to create a necessary image. Such models are an optimal choice for printing high-quality images as on office paper, so on canvas;
- laser models are an advanced solution both for home users and businesses. Instead of an inkjet, they employ a fine powder, called a toner. Thus, they are fast, qualitative and multifunctional, although require updated printers drivers for an efficient operation;
- field-specific printers. Those include photo and dye sublimation models used for prime-quality photo printing, plotters used by engineers and architects, and portable/mobile printers that are designed for users-on-move to communicate with their smartphones, laptops or tablets.
» Printers: Full list of devices
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