If you are choosing a printer, you always wonder which to buy. Producers make models with different print qualities and speed, different built-in memory. It is also important to know if the printer is compatible with your computer and necessary operating system.
Dot-matrix printer
The choice of dot-matrix printer is usually based on the low price of materials for it. The only minus is the low quality of printing. That’s why dot-matrix printer is used only for text printing.
The principle of its work is based on the stamping dots on the paper through special coloring ribbon, with a help of needles. Printhead can consist 9, 18 or 24 needles. The quality of printing depends on their number. Most of the printers have 24 needles (print density up to 180 dpi). The choice of ribbons for such printers is not various, they are usually black. During the printing the ribbon is constantly moving from one reel to the other. So the printhead doesn’t use the same place on the ribbon twice. Speed of printing makes up to 6 pages per minute. But the printing is noisy. Though these printers are very durable and can print almost on every paper. Dot-matrix printer has programmed prints, which can be changed with a help of buttons on the case. It is recommended to connect it to the computer with a help of LPT cable, which is absent in the older models.
The choice of dot-matrix printer is recommended when the requirements to the speed and quality of printing are not very high. They are used in banks, firms, where a lot of paper is constantly printed.
Inkjet printer
If you need color prints for low price, you should choose an inkjet printer. The price of such printers is not very high, but you should be ready to high expenses on the materials. Depending on the model, new cartridge will cost as a half of the printer itself.
The work of inkjet printer is based on the application of ink drops on the paper. Printhead consists of the big quantity of nozzles, through which the ink comes to the paper. Depending on the number of nozzles, the printer can make the corresponding quality of print. For example, the choice of a printer with 400 nozzles on the printhead will provide the resolution of 1200 dpi (that’s enough for black and white prints). Modern inkjet printers can print with the resolution up to 4800 dpi. The resolution over 3000 dpi is enough to print a qualitative photo.
The way of ink storage will influence the price of the servicing. First, ink can be stored in the separate tank. Second, the cartridge and printhead can make one whole thing. The advantage of first variant is that when the cartridge is replaced, you don’t have to pay for the printhead. But if the printhead breaks, then the repair will cost as a new printer. If you choose a second variant, then the cartridge costs more, but it can be refilled few times. The ptinthead can be changed with the cartridge.
Inkjet printers can be black-and-white, or can have 3, 4 or 7 colors. Black-and-white printers, of course, are used for text printing. The choice of color printer has its details. Three color models are the cheapest. As for the ink consumption, everything is against such choice. Three color inkjet printers use pink, blue and yellow inks. All the tints are made from the combination of these colors in different proportions. Black color uses a lot of ink. That’s why the best choice will be four color printers, where the black color is used. Seven color printers are used for better color rendering. Usually, these are photoprinters. The disadvantage of inkjet printers is that even with highly qualitative paper and inks, the printed image is not water resistant. Besides, every inkjet printer require qualitative paper.
Another criterion in the choice of printer is the printing speed. The minimal speed for inkjet printers is 10 black-and-white and 5 color prints per minute. The printing speed depends not only on the print resolution, but also on the built-in memory, where the information about printed image is stored. If the volume of memory is not enough, then printer will periodically stop to get the next piece of information. So when you are buying a printer, ask about the sizes of memory (in some models it can be enlarged).
The best connection of inkjet printer is USB-port. Many models have such connection and the cable is free, so it can be used for the work with computer through LPT-port.
So inkjet printers make a good choice for home, where you don’t need a lot of prints. Inkjet photoprinters are also very good for printing photos.
Laser printer
If you need to print a lot of texts with good quality, you should choose a laser printer. The difference in price compared with inkjet printers is large, but laser printers can print more pages per month.
Laser printer has high printing speed from 15 to 40 pages per minute. It is recommended to stop printing after few hundred pages, so that the printer will cool. The minimum resolution is 2400 dpi. It provides qualitative printing. Servicing is not very expensive and one cartridge has big resources, so the cost of one page is lower then on inkjet printer. That’s why laser printers are used in the offices and printing offices.
Time before starting is also important. It can be from 10 to 60 seconds. Another technological feature of laser printer is paginal information output, that’s why the large built-in memory is necessary (minimum 8 Mb). If you need to print large files (for example, graphic images), you should choose a printer with large memory volume.
These printers are connected through USB-ports, but in some models you can find LPT-port for connection to old computer models. Most of the laser printers are not compatible with different operating systems. They usually work with Windows. You should ask about DOS or Linux.
Sublimation printer
Sublimation printer is popular among photographers. With a help of this technology you can print photos on different materials (photopaper, ceramics, fabric, plastic). But it is more expensive then its inkjet analogues. Besides, the materials for it are also very expensive.
The work of sublimation printer is based on the creation of image with a help of paint evaporation from three color tapes. First, the printhead is heated. Then it moves along the tape evaporating the paint. At high temperature paint fumes penetrate under the surface of the material. These prints are resistant to different effects (moisture, sun beams). Some printers can laminate the image at once. Besides, they have high printing speed. For such printers it is known beforehand how many images can be printed with one refill, i.e. how many copies can be printed from one tape. Another plus of sublimation printer is it’s small sizes, you can take it with you.
Sublimation printers are used in the agencies, where a lot of photo printing is needed (model agencies, design studious).
So, you have chosen a printer type, but the choice of exact model will depend on the . The same producer makes a lot of different models, to correspond to customers wishes.