What Computer Printer Characteristics Should Be Considered

A typical computer should have a printer on hand. There are all sorts of computer printer characteristics to look into first. The type of printer that is used is one of the characteristics to consider. This includes the printing quality and the speed of the printing. Multiple services, including scanning and faxing, can take place from a printer too. Here is a look into these computer printer characteristics.

The type of the printer is one of the computer printer characteristics to follow. The dot matrix printer is still used in some places. This is where pixels are printed to form a single image. However, more advanced technologies are being used. For instance, the toner based printer uses static electricity to move the toner into the paper for printing and then heat is applied to keep it on the paper.

The inkjet printer is the most common printer on the market today. This is where small bits of ink are printed onto a piece of paper. Each bit of ink will be attached via a small electric charge.

Laser printers are becoming popular too. These can work with toner in that the LEDs in the printer can get the toner to stick to the paper. Inkless printers are currently in development as well. Dye crystals are used to be heated into the area between the two layers of the paper. This is a process in development though, as the print has been known to fade quickly in trial tests.

The first of the computer printer characteristics to consider is that of the quality of the printing. The quality that a printer will be capable of handling will be measured by its dpi, or dots per inch. The dpi readout will be based on the ability of the printer to be able to print high quality images. For instance, a typical printer on the market will have a dpi readout of 600x600. This means that there will be 600 dots per inch on both the vertical and horizontal parts of the page. 4800x1200 is becoming a standard on some of the higher end printers these days, and some will even go as high as 9600x2400 in quality.

The speed of the printer is another of the computer printer characteristics that is important. The number of pages per minute that it will be able to print measures the speed. This speed will be different based on whether or not black and white pages or color pages are going to be printed. Some printers can handle up to thirty black and white pages in a minute and eight color pages in a minute, for instance.

The multiple features on a printer are the last of the computer printer characteristics to look into. Some printers are able to handle scanning or fax technologies. Some will also be able to copy pages right from the printer without a connection to anything. CD and DVD label printing is also featured on some of these newer printers.

Those are the computer printer characteristics to think about when buying a new printer. The type of printer, its quality output and the speed of the printer are all important. Additional services may be considered too. By using these considerations, it will be easier to find a printer that is right for one’s specific needs.