What are the Different Types of Printers?

Even though most of the world has gone completely digital, there are still occasions when you need something distinctly physical to hold in your hand or offer to others. In other words, the majority of individuals still require a printer at home. The goal of this page is to provide a general overview of the many printer kinds.

Fortunately, there is a printer for the home, home office, or genuine business for just about every budget. There is a model for you, whether you want low-cost inkjet photo printers, premium full-color laser printers, or multifunctional all-in-ones. To help you focus your search based on your needs, here are the various types of printers.

1. Inkjet printers

The industry de facto standard for consumer/home use printers is the inkjet printer. They use liquid ink, which is reasonably cheap to replenish, and inexpensive. They can generate prints in either high-quality color or monochrome (often known as B&W) that are fairly quick. If you don't require the highest-quality prints or only sometimes print, inkjet printers are a good option.

Although the ink is less expensive than the toner in a laser printer, its useful life is shorter. The ink may be a headache, as anyone who has owned an inkjet printer can attest. Even if you don't require that color, certain models won't print anything if it's unavailable. Others won't print until you use their proprietary ink cartridges to replace the old ones.

However, inkjet printers are the most popular kind of home printer for a reason since they often provide an excellent combination of quality, speed, and cost.

2. Laser printers

As their name implies, laser printers heat a toner substance that embeds itself onto the paper using a laser beam. Although colour laser printers are also available, business-oriented versions are typically monochromatic. Toner cartridges normally cost more than ink cartridges but last longer.

Inkjet printers typically produce lower-quality prints than laser printers, which typically print more quickly. Even inexpensive inkjet versions cost more than even the most affordable models, but for many frequent printers, the advantages outweigh the extra cost.

Although laser printers are more widespread in offices than in homes, they are still not all that much more expensive than inkjet printers thanks to recent price reductions. In general, laser printers will be easier to use with toner than inkjet printers with ink for that price difference. Additionally, they will print more quickly and with higher-quality results.

3. All-in-one printers

A multifunction printer that performs all three tasks simultaneously is known as an all-in-one printer. Documents can be copied, sent and received, saved on your computer, and of course, printed out. Laser or inkjet multifunction printers are available.

Although all-in-one printers are larger than many standard printers, they are more affordable and take up less room than a separate printer, fax, and scanner, making them the perfect choice for a tiny office or small business. They are excellent backup equipment for any home office.

4. Supertank printers

Supertank printers are more of an inkjet and all-in-one printer subtype. Instead of using consumable ink cartridges, they have sizable, refillable ink tanks. A supertank printer can be a better choice for you if you have high-volume printing needs or don't like the environmental impact of using numerous disposable cartridges.

5. Dye-sublimation printers

Printers for dye-sublimation, or dye-sub, are made to print on particular materials, such as plastic. A dye-sub printer can create a large number of ID cards quickly, for instance, if you need to print them in colour.

6. Dot matrix printers

Dot matrix printers, the first of the vintage computer printers, push an ink ribbon against a sheet of paper using a pin or wire print head. Dot matrix printers are the ones that produced reams of paper with tear-off perforations on the side.

Dot matrix printers are often highly durable and dependable, although being much less widespread today. They work better in circumstances when a lot of printing is necessary but the quality is not crucial. Additionally, they have a reputation for enduring in harsher commercial settings where more consumer-level printers wouldn't.

7. 3D printers

Although the technology behind 3D printers can be somewhat complex, it has grown tremendously in popularity with DIYers and hobbyists who want to get their hands dirty with their own creations. Basically, they stack and slice computer models made in your preferred software to manufacture 3D items, usually in plastic. If you're interested in learning more, we have a detailed page about 3D printing.

8. Plotter

A plotter is a vector device that does not require a raster scan device in order to directly access particular locations on printer paper. The carriage of a colour plotter can hold several pens of various colours and widths. The combinations of the colours cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in the 5-pass print mode produce a variety of various colours.

9. Electrostatic Printer

The entire 36 medium widths is really covered by the several print heads of an electrostatic printer. Thus, multiple print heads can move over the width of the media instead of just one. The page width is printed by the electrostatic printer all at once.

10. Line Printer:

A line of type is printed at a time using a line printer, which is a sort of high-speed impact printer. A fixed typeface character set is carved onto the outer edges of numerous print wheels in a typical design. The amount corresponds to the number of columns (letters in a line). Paper and an inked ribbon are transported past the print position while the wheels spin rapidly. many kinds of printers

Typically, line printers are more affordable and speedier than laser printers. It is employed in accounting for medium volumes. other significant corporate applications where print quantity and speed are more important than quality.