PRINTER TECHNOLOGY:
HISTORY, HOW ITS WORK AND DEVELOPMENT
The printer is a hardware computer that serves to print writing, images, and other displays, as a result
of processing computer data into paper media or the like. The term printer
resolution is also called dpi (dot per inch) which means the number of points
in an area of 1 inch. The higher the resolution level, the better the quality
of the printer's prints. And vice versa, if the resolution gets lower, the
quality of the printouts will be less good.
In
today's modern era, there are many types of printers that are present to meet
human needs. The following is the initial historical review of the presence of
the printer along with how it works from the printer itself.
A. History of
Printer Print Technology
Print-printing techniques have actually been
done conventionally in China in the 14th century. The innovations made by
Chinese people to create ink and block printing greatly influence the writing
tradition. However, developments in China have not seen rapid developments in the
European region. This is indicated because the Chinese alphabet writing has
thousands of specific ideograms so it is very difficult to apply to typewriter
media. The impact is that there are almost no significant changes regarding
production efficiency in China as well as developments in Europe.
In the early 1950s, there was a very rapid
cultural development in the European region which caused the need for the
production of written documents to be very cheap and could be done quickly. A
German businessman and goldsmith named Johannes Guternberg succeeded in
developing revolutionary printing technology. This discovery was even
considered the most important discovery in that era, although the impact it had
on the global economy was not too large.
From time to time, printer technology is
growing. Even most people in all corners of the world consider the tool as part
of their needs. Now, many printers have been produced by well-known
manufacturers such as Epson, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Canon, Brother, Lexmark, and
many others. The types of printers are also very diverse, and of course the way
the printer works is also different. The following is a more complete review of
the types and ways of working of a computer printer.
• Dot-Matrix printer
This
dot-matrix type printer is classified as a type of printer that prints on paper
directly. That is, the printer head directly taps the ink ribbon that is facing
the paper section. The advantage is that this typewriter-like working method
can be applied also for printing multiple papers at once, with carbon paper
inserted on each page of paper.
Dot-matrix
printers have major disadvantages at a very low print resolution level. In
addition, when printing, this type of printer tends to sound loud and the
quality for printing images is not good because printed images will look like
interconnected dots.
Head
of this type of printer, consisting of 7, 9, or 24 needles arranged vertically
and forming a column. At work, the existing needle will form the character of
images through the friction of the needle on carbon and paper. This type of
printer is also a printer character. The speed is very varied, but for the
Epson LX-80, it is 80 characters per second. When the printer head moves from
the left to the right while touching the paper, then the letters that have been
patterned in an arrangement of needles will immediately appear. This letter
pattern is then received by the carbon band with the paper behind it, and
printing letter by letter occurs.
Each
character formed will create a unique pattern consisting of various points in
the dimensions of a matrix. The types of dot-matrix printers are very varied,
some are color types and some are non-color. In general, dot-matrix type
printers also only have one color, which is black. For color printers, special
bands are used that have 4 colors, namely black, blue, red and yellow.
This
printer is still widely used because it is known to be durable. Another
advantage of this type of printer is that dot-matrix printer ribbons are much
cheaper than toner (ink) for inkjet and laserjet printers.
The
famous dot-matrix printer manufacturer, Epson, with its products named Epson
LX-300, LX-800 and the like. The dot-matrix printer was first known in 1964. In
the 1970s, this type of printer industry was owned by Centronics and Digital
companies. Centronics itself prefers the low-end market compared to Digital
companies. At the beginning of the development of the type of dot-matrix
printer, several types that dominate the market namely LA30, LA36, and
Centronics 101. Within a period of about 20 years (between 1970 and 1990) this
type of printer is a printer that is excellent in terms of sales results and
prices . And in the 1990s, developing dot-matrix printers that could support
connection to a computer using a USB port.
• Ink Jet Printer
This
printer is a type of printer with a printing method using liquid ink. The
printouts produced by this type of ink jet printer are better compared to the
type of dot-matrix printer. Besides being better, ink jet printers can also
produce color prints.
The
workings of this ink jet printer spray small dots of ink on the paper through a
very small pipe nozzle. Because it uses liquid ink, the printout must wait a
few seconds for the drying process. The head in the printer regulates the
discharge of ink according to the desired mold, the head on the printer is
called the name of the cartridge. With ink jet printers and ink cartridge
printers, the task of printing documents and replacing ink cartridges is more
often used, more reliable with results that are cleaner than the tape or
filling of the toner cartridge.
In
1984, the acceptance of this system had not yet become as dependent as it is
today. Ink jet printers replace dot-matrix printers, which results in ribbon
replacement. Shortly thereafter, printer factories began to conceptualize ink
jet technology, according to the demands of progress. Some companies are
starting to become control behind the progress of ink jet. In the early 1990s,
the method was widespread. Currently the cartridge method is needed to print
both black and white or images and color photos. The development of ink
cartridges is to be proud of, because of their ability to produce prints on
paper of different types and sizes, factories, films, and others. This printer
is also used for schools, homes, and millions of people throughout the world.
• Laser Jet Printer
The
laser jet printer was first discovered at Xerox by Gary Starkweather in 1969.
This printer is a type of printer with its printing method using powdered ink
or commonly called toner which is supported by infrared devices. The printouts
are better than the dot matrix and ink jet types. In addition, the speed of
this type of printer is very fast and the drying process is shorter. The
working method of a laser jet printer is almost the same as a photocopy machine
that is using a photographic drum.
In
1953, a high-speed printer was first developed by Remington-Rand which was used
at UNIVAC. In 1938, Chester Carlson introduced a wet printing process called
electrophotography which was later called Xerox, which later developed into the
invention of laser printer technology. The laser printer, which is actually
called EARS, which was developed at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, began
in 1969 and was completed in November 1971. Xerox expert Gary Starkweather
adopted Xerox copy technology into a laser printer. Xerox 9700 is Xerox's first
laser printer product with xerographic laser technology which was launched in
1977. IBM itself started this technology with the IBM 3800 which was installed
first at the accounting headquarters at FW Woolworth's North American Data
Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1976. IBM 3800 is the industry's first
high-speed printer system, combining laser technology and electrophotography.
• LCD printer
This
printer uses the concept of LED or LCD as an ion shooter on photoreceptors.
This type of printer has a higher speed than other types of printers because
ions are shot directly thoroughly onto the surface of the paper. The way the
LCD printer works is similar to the type of laser jet printer, and the
difference is only using laser. The LCD printer produces excellent prints with
high-quality graphics.
It
Turns Out Like This Is How The Inkjet Printer That We Often Use
Today
there are many types of printers that we can choose from in the market. This
type of inkjet printer is widely used especially for home printers such as
Canon IP2770. The ability of the printing machine is in accordance with the
need to print not too much effectively and efficiently and at an affordable
price. The workings of inkjet type printers use technology called dor or
demand.
It
Turns Out Like This Is How The Inkjet Printer That We Often Use
Today
there are many types of printers that we can choose from in the market. This
type of inkjet printer is widely used especially for home printers such as
Canon IP2770. The ability of the printing machine is in accordance with the
need to print not too much effectively and efficiently and at an affordable
price. The workings of inkjet type printers use technology called dor or demand.
This
technology makes the printer work spraying ink on paper. For lightweight
printing needs, this type of inkjet printer can be his choice. Here is how the
printing machine or inkjet printer works.
B. How the Printer
Works
The
way the printer works can be understood by using the printer itself. Here are
some options regarding how printers work in general and specifically Inkjet
printers, as we are discussing on this occasion.
1.
Preparation and arrangement
The
first stage begins with connecting the printer to a power source and also a
computer. Like how printers work in general, for this type of inkjet paper must
also be prepared first. The print media is placed in the paper tray and then
adjusts the desired output. Inkjet printers are equipped with settings to
choose paper position size, color selection, and paper size.
2.
The stage of transferring computer data to the PCB printer
After
the print out settings are complete, the computer sends to the printer data and
settings. The way the printer works in transferring data uses a USB cable that
connects the printer to the computer. Information is sent in the form of binary
numbers via the USB port. All parts of the document that will be printed and
also the print out settings that have been made. All information will be
continued to the PCB. PCB is one part of the printer that contains information
that comes from a computer.
3.
The PCB phase sends commands to the stepper
The
next way the printer machine works is to send commands to the stepper. A PCB
printer that has received all data information from a computer will regulate
the movement of the printer. The command to the stepper will move the paper. In
addition, the way the printer works on the stepper will also move the printer
head. Paper will be drawn to enter the data to be copied to the paper. There is
a roller that will roll or pull the paper that has been prepared. The paper
will enter the print section of the printer.
4.
Step print data to paper
Apart
from the paper being pulled, the printer also works on the cartridge part for
ink. How this inkjet printer works is different from dot matrix which uses tape
to print on paper. In inkjet printers, a cartridge containing ink will spray
its contents by spraying. The ink will be sprayed onto paper used for print
media. The printer head also moves right and left to print data. There is a
microchip that functions to convert information in the form of binary numbers
into ordinary letters. The results of these changes are what can be seen on
paper.
5.
Stage of finishing printing
The
next way the printer works is to return the paper that has been pulled into the
roller. After the ink has been sprayed onto the paper, the printer head will
pull back the paper to return to the same position in the paper tray. In some
printers, the withdrawal of the paper is strong enough so that the paper can be
thrown away. This can also occur when printing in large quantities. Pulling
paper by a roller to return to a paper tray that is too strong can sometimes
make a mess of paper that has been arranged. After the paper returns to the
paper tray, the printing process is complete.
Caring
for and maintaining the cleanliness of the printer is important so that it does
not interfere with the way the printer works and so the results are also good
and maximum. The work of the printing press can be seen on the document or
paper. For good conditions, the printout is clear and neat and in accordance
with expectations. But sometimes the print results are not good, like curly
paper or striped writing.
