Since the advent of the first Xerox printer at the beginning of 20th century, printers have been increasingly used not only in professional environments, but in everyday domestic life too. Whether you need to print out important documents or just your holiday pictures, there are several types of printers you can rely on to obtain the desired effect.
What are the types of printer available?
- Dot Matrix Printers: they're also called impact matrix printer, and as the name suggest they operate using mechanical pressure to strike up and down the pins on an ink ribbon. Their output is a series of dots closely space together, which allow more flexibility in creating the characters. While the design and mechanism might look out of fashion nowadays, dot matrix printers allow multiple copies to be printed thanks to the use of carbon paper, as well as minimal cost for their functioning.
- Inkjet Printers: probably the most used nowadays, they are cost effective and provide high speed in printing digital images onto paper, plastic and other supports. The output from an inkjet printer is similar to the one produced by dot matrix printers, but the dots are so close together that no space between them is detectable, so they are perceived as a standard image. Inkjet printers can come with integrated WiFi connectivity to allow prints from smart devices.
- Laser Printers: laser printers are the first choice when it comes to image quality. Their functioning is based on the power of static electricity: after a laser beam has scanned the data across a drum inside the printer, it build up a pattern of static electricity which attracts the particle of powdered ink (the toner) onto the page. The actual printed output is then obtained thanks to a fuser unit which sticks the toner to the paper.
- Portable Printers: they're also known as mobile printers, and they represent the best option when you need the functionalities of a printer on the go. They can fit into a backpack and they typically use inkless printing technology, meaning that their maintenance is limited to refilling photo paper.
- Label Printers: they are the best option when you need to print on self-adhesive tape or tags. They can work on impact, laser and thermal mechanisms, the latter being the most commonly used. Label markers are a kind of label printer which features an integrated display and keyboard set, so that no external computer is required to provide the input.
Printers Supplies and Accessories
We stock a great selection of accessories to make the most out of your printer. We work with top brands like Epson, Brady, Hewlett Packard and Dymo to provide you with a great range of printer supplies, such as cartridges, ribbons, toner, tapes, ink and printer paper.
