Computer printers are all around us today. They are found in many homes, in most businesses, and can even be accessed in libraries and other public buildings. They provide a convenient and reasonably inexpensive means of publishing a wide variety of documents, ranging from simple text documents to full-color reports and even photographs.
While you can pick up a printer for just over £ 30 and cartridges are available for less than £ 10 each, for some models this has not always been the case. When printers were first introduced, they were prohibitively expensive for home users, and only the most advanced and well-off businesses could really afford to invest in a printer.
Dot matrix
The first consumer printers were based on daisy designs, which were very similar to the working mechanism of a typewriter. However, these were slow and line printers were introduced as a more up-to-date and faster printing alternative. Dot matrix printers could print a combination of text and images, but the final quality was poor.
The LaserJet
HP launched the LaserJet laser printer in 1984. It was available for roughly the equivalent of £ 2,000, which would be considered expensive by today’s standards, but was considered a breakthrough at the time. Apple released the Laser Writer a year later, and this competition saw prices start to fall and quality start to rise. Inkjet printers were replacing the now obsolete dot matrix and daisy printers and in 1990 good quality desktop printers were available for less than £ 100. By today’s standards the quality was poor, but Paper brochures, flyers, and similar designs were being created on desktop computers and printed at home for a relatively small outlay.
3d print
3D printing can be considered the next evolution in printing, although strictly speaking it is a means of additive manufacturing and not of printing. It is also still considered highly specialized, and while home 3D printers are available, the industry has yet to really flourish.
Today’s Printers
In today’s printer market, the two most widely used variants are monochrome laser printers and color inkjet printers:
- Laser printers – Monochrome laser printers produce high-quality text and graphics by passing a laser over a negatively charged drum. The drum collects electrically charged ink, called toner, and transfers it to the paper, which is then heated to create a long-lasting rendering. These devices, once considered cutting edge and very high priced, are not only affordable, but readily available and commonly found in homes and offices around the world.
- Inkjet printers – Epson, HP and Canon were the pioneers in the development of inkjet printers in the 1970s, and these three manufacturers, together with Brother, are responsible for the production and manufacture of most of these types of printers until the today. Ink droplets are propelled onto paper or other types of print media with print quality that varies depending on the cost and quality of the printer. There are inexpensive models available that offer reasonable printing at a low cost, while the more expensive models can produce attractive, high-quality prints, but not only do the printers cost more, but also each page printed.
In addition to improvements in the quality of the printers themselves, the market has also seen an improvement in the quality of printer ink and a reduction in the costs of printing supplies. Buying ink and toner is easy, fast and convenient, and it means that consumers and businesses can enjoy continuous printing solutions, whatever their specific requirements.