When we need to buy a printer for our home or office, we often cannot decide which kind of printer would be the most suitable. There is a huge market for all types of printers in our country as well as all over the world.
So it is very inevitable that you will get confused among so many models and brands. This is why we should have a good concept of the different types of printers available in the market.
If you have prior knowledge about the different types of printers, it is extremely good. But, in case you do not know anything about it, do read this article.
Because this article includes different types of printers with their different features. So it will be easy for you to know the various advantages and disadvantages of different types of printers and choose the perfect one.
Different Types of Printers and Their Usage
There are so many different types of printers that have different features as well as different pros and cons. In this article, we will discuss the most popular 5 different types of printers.
They are Laser printers, Inkjet printers, Ink Tank printers, Dot Matrix printers, and Thermal printers.
1. Laser Printers
Laser printers are mainly office printers. Because these printers are eligible for mass-scale printing. The method of printing of a laser printer is almost similar to that of a photocopier.
In a laser printer, a laser reflects off the printer drum which makes the ink stick to the drum and prints the image or text of whatever you are going to print.
Pros
- Deliver prints quickly.
- Cost efficient printers.
- Provides accurate texts and images with each print.
- Ink cost is not high.
- Efficient for commercial printing.
Cons
- Initial price is quite high.
- Not suitable for home printing.
2. Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are very inexpensive printers as the ink they use is of low cost yet high quality. These printers are absolutely perfect for printing high-quality monochrome as well as color images.
Inkjet printers, unlike laser printers, are efficient for home printing. These printers use sublimation technology for printing in which pigments melt into tiny drops and emerge through a nozzle to print images on paper.
Pros
- Unlike laser printers, inkjets do not require heat source.
- Do not require special quality papers.
- Save time and energy.
- Low cost of ink.
- High quality printing.
Cons
- Require regular cleaning.
- Cartridges often come at high cost.
3. Ink Tank Printers
Ink tank printers are basically a modified version or a subcategory of inkjet printers. These printers do not use ink cartridges, rather, they use ink tanks with separate ink bottles that are refillable.
From this tank, liquid ink is supplied to the separate printhead. Then the printhead distributes Ink droplets onto the paper to print images.
The ink tank is so large that it can hold a huge amount of ink that making ink tank printers capable of high-volume printing.
Pros
- Deliver high page yield.
- Best quality prints with high accuracy.
- Fast printing.
- Efficient for home as well as office printing.
- Low cost ink.
Cons
- Ink clogging occurs in case of irregular printing.
4. Dot Matrix Printers
Dot Matrix printers or Impact Matrix printers are one of the oldest models of computer printers. These printers have a pin or wire print head that creates small dots on papers to create images pressing an ink ribbon onto the paper.
Though this type of printer is not commonly used nowadays, they are still categorized as one of the most reliable printing devices.
Pros
- Suitable for bulk printing.
- Eligible for harsh printing environment of commercial fields.
Cons
- Print Quality is not quite good.
5. Thermal Printers
Thermal printers, no need to mention, are those printers that use heat to create images on papers. This type of printers are popular for fast and high-quality printing.
These printers do not use ink or toner for printing. Instead of that, they depend on the sensitive thermal papers. They do not include many buttons or software, so it is very easy to operate a thermal printer.
Pros
- Less expensive printers.
- Very useful for banking sectors, grocery stores, airline, ATMs, etc.
- Use advanced technology for printing.
Cons
- High cost printing.
- Not efficient for high volume printing.
Bottom Lines– Different Types of Printers and Their Usage
This is just a shortlist of 5 different types of printers. You can find many other types of printers available in the market apart from those mentioned in this article, such as – 3D printers, Line printers, Daisy Wheel printers, Dye Sublimation printers, LED printers, etc.
But, we have only discussed the printers which are popularly used. We hope this article will help you select the best option.
Prabir Mandal is the editor-in-chief of Printer Guru. He is in love with productivity devices, especially printers. His love for printers has made him open this blog where he can share all his knowledge about printers and the experiences he has gathered while using them.
