| ing has become an incredibly important part of | | | | making this technology all but obsolete. |
| modern life. Any tangible thing one reads was | | | | The dot matrix system, also known as an impact |
| printed at one point. Before printing was | | | | matrix printer, works by running an ink-soaked |
| developed, all publications were handwritten, | | | | ribbon back and forth across paper, continuously |
| meaning they were expensive and limited. | | | | impacting down to create an image. Color can be |
| Woodblock printing was invented around the third | | | | achieved by using multicolored ribbons. Nearly all |
| century, but it was inefficient and relatively weak. | | | | advanced printers use dot matrices, but are |
| The printing process became more streamlined | | | | different than classical dot matrix systems |
| when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing | | | | because they do not use impact to make images. |
| press in the fifteenth century. | | | | Thermal printers operate by selectively heating |
| In modern times, technology has advanced to the | | | | paper to make images appear. While these |
| point where a variety of digital printing | | | | printers are fast and quiet, they require special |
| technologies are available. Large publishers and | | | | paper, called thermal paper, which is expensive. |
| printers mainly use a non-digital technique called | | | | Also, color is limited to usually only two colors, and |
| offset printing, which is effective for mass | | | | thus thermal printers are used mostly to print |
| printing. For home use, consumers can utilize | | | | informational packets. |
| several digital options which are faster and | | | | Inkjet printers are the most widely used type of |
| produce higher quality prints. | | | | printer by consumers. They are relatively cheap, |
| Line printing is a method in which type is printed | | | | easy to use, and have great functionality. Inkjets |
| one line at a time. While line printing is considered | | | | have the capability to produce high quality color |
| somewhat outdated, it is still in use today. Line | | | | prints as well as black and white ones. Additionally, |
| printers are incredibly fast, and can print type at | | | | they can print onto a variety of mediums by |
| an average rate of fifteen pages per minute. Four | | | | propelling different sized droplets of ink. A |
| types of this technology exist: drum, chain, bar, | | | | common application of inkjet printers is the |
| and comb printers, which each have their own | | | | development of business cards. However, when |
| unique designs. | | | | printing large quantities of cards, each subsequent |
| Daisy wheel printers function almost like | | | | line can be offset slightly, although by only as |
| typewriters. The chief component of the system | | | | much as one millimeter. |
| is a small wheel which has every letter and a | | | | Laser printers produce letter-quality text and |
| multitude of other characters engraved on it. | | | | graphics on plain paper. Images are created by a |
| During a printing session, the wheel is turned to | | | | laser scanning across the printer's main |
| line up the appropriate character, and a pawl | | | | photoreceptor. The whole process is comprised of |
| pushes the wheel into the paper, copying a letter | | | | seven steps, all of which are vastly complex. Due |
| on to it. The result is an exceptionally high quality | | | | to the advanced nature of laser printers, they can |
| print. On the negative side, daisy wheel printers | | | | perform several tasks that other printers cannot. |
| are expensive and cannot print graphics or | | | | For one, they are able to produce any quantity of |
| different fonts (unless you change the wheel), | | | | business cards without the offsetting difficulties. |