Types Of Printers: Different Types, Uses & Functions

Printers are like an asset that accepts all your text files and converts them into paper. With time, the printing industry has evolved, and different types of printers are introduced. We live in the modern era of advanced technology where printers and their types are not new. They are like a silver lining in dark clouds making the daily printing task a piece of cake. 

What are Printers?

Printers are useful inventions to create, print, or provide hard-form documents. With the help of printers, you can convert soft documents, text images, and files into physical documents to hold in hand.

Printers give hard copies of booklets, brochures, and all other documents you read on a computer screen.

 In the current era, everything is online, and users are scared of losing important files and documents. So, most people prefer hard copy over soft copy. For this purpose, printers play a major role and help people print important documents.

They are connected to computers, laptops, and other devices from where you can enter commands. As soon as you give the print command, the printer machine transfers your online images, files, texts, and documents into electromechanical form.

How do Printers work?

Before we jump into types of printers, it is essential to know the printer’s working process. They work on commands and give output in electromechanical form. For this purpose, they get attached to electronic devices like laptops and computers. Printers convert soft documents to hard copy on a sheet of paper.

Once you give an electronic order to a printer device, it prints your text files, word documents, and images. Special software is installed in printers that convert digital information into a language printers understand. The output you get is an exact copy of the soft document you see on the laptop screen. 

What are the different types of printers?

Printers are popular electronic devices, and they exist in different ranges, qualities, and forms. There are some printers for office use, some for home use, and some premium-quality printers for multiple purposes.

Now the question is: What are the types of printers, and how do they differ from each other? Here are some common types of printers for multiple purposes

Laser Printers

Laser printers are modern-day printers with good memory capacity. They work fast, and the printing quality is also premium. They are used for instant printouts because they work efficiently in emergencies. They work on laser beams, and there is no doubt about their speed.

Laser printers are famous for their printing quality, and you can print images, text, and Word documents from them. They are more suitable for office use than home because they can handle the bulk of printouts. 

The laser printer cost is comparatively high because it is the latest edition with some advanced features. The best thing about a laser printer is its speed and printing quality. It is a non-impact printer, and when you give a printing command to it, it forms dots to generate text and image print on white paper.

A laser printer uses photocopier applied science to generate a text or image structure through a laser beam. The laser beam passes through selenium-coated drums to the toner. On its way, it gets charged, and the charged particles of the laser beam add print on paper.

When charged particles of a laser beam across the toner, it gets heated up. With the help of pressure and heat, the charged toner generates print on white paper. This process takes a few seconds, and you get a printout in less than a minute after giving a command.

Laser printers are different from other types of printers because they produce high-resolution prints. They are convenient for office use because of their large system capacity and easy-to-operate mechanism. 

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are for daily use. They are portable and easy to handle.  An Inkjet printer is a good option for a low-budget business or a new start-up. It is cost-effective and works efficiently in a small setup.

People use inkjet printers for regular use, like printing a document at home, generating brochures, and other small business printing tasks. What makes them stand out is their comfortable use and adjustment in a small setup.

Although they are efficient in printing, you can use them for color printing. It consists of cartridges for color ink storage. You can use colorful inks for printing images, landscapes, and other things. Inkjet is a multifunctional printer, and you can use it at home too. 

Inkjet printers can print bulk photographs, documents, brochures, and other text files. It is no doubt a high-quality color printer, but you should know that if your cartridges are half-filled, the printing quality disappoints.

They generate high-resolution color prints by spraying ink droplets on paper. When the paper passes through this printer, ink droplets propel, and create a structure on the paper.

What makes an Inkjet printer a popular choice, is its cost and high-resolution color printing. They are affordable, and you can purchase them for amazing color prints in the comfort of your home.

Thermal printers

Thermal printers also belong to the non-impact category. They are different because they use electrically heated pins for printing.

Thermal printers, as the name suggests is a printer that operates on heating and electric current. It uses electric current to heat hot pins. When hot pins get thermal energy, the thermal printer form dots on paper. 

The dots on paper join the matrix and create printing characters, images, and text. Thermal printers print in character form, and the process is step by step.

3D Printers

3D Printer is a new addition and works on 3D design computer software. The best thing about it is its versatility, precision, and printing capabilities.

You can use 3D printers for complicated textile, plastic, and 3-dimensional printing models. 

These printers use slicing and layering mechanisms to print objects and materials in three dimensions. It is a good option for people working in textiles, design, architecture, and other art fields. 

All in one Printers

The All In One printer is like a blessing in disguise. It is a solution for all printing issues. You can use it for black and white, and colorful prints.

All-In-One printers are multifunction printers because they can work like laser and inkjet printers. 

They are portable, and you can keep them in both home and office. They have an adjustable size, so you can transfer them from one place to another comfortably.

Most people think that All In One printers are expensive because of their multitasking features, but they are not. They are affordable and can carry out multiple printing tasks in a small space. 

Dye Sublimation Printers

The Dye Sublimation Printers are not traditional printers. They produce long-lasting printing outputs, with the stress of fading, or color disappearance.

The Dye Sublimation Printers are convenient for printing different objects and materials. People use them for printing ID cards, banners, clothes, plastic objects, water bottles, and mugs. 

They are a bit different because they work on thermal printer technology. The Dye Sublimation Printers ink deeply embeds into printing material and gives long-lasting results. 

They are not for regular use but for industrial, and non-traditional printing purposes. They are expensive, durable, and reliable printing sources.

Conclusion:

Printers are helpful machines, and they exist in impact and non-impact forms. Based on it, they are classified into various types and categories. There are different printers for different purposes, and you can choose the best among them through exploration.