I Hate Printers

Line

-Prints an entire line at once, allowing faster output. -Depending on the type, an impact line printer might use a wide comb to produce dot matrix output, or it might have character glyphs arranged on a drum, chain, or bar -Text only

Vertical Lines on Page

- (Cause) Toner on the main corona or transfer corona wire: (Resolution) Clean corona wires or replace toner cartridge - (Cause) Low resolution image: (Resolution) Obtain higher resolution image - (Cause) Print resolution setting is too low: (Resolution) Increase the print resolution setting - (Cause) Dust and debris on heads and rollers blocking ink: (Resolution) Clean print heads and rollers - (Cause) Low ink/toner: (Resolution) Gently shake cartridge, or replace

Inkjet Output Settings

- Inkjet printers typically have three standard output settings measured in dots per inch (dpi) -Normal: 300 × 300 or 320 × 320 dpi -High quality: 600 × 600 or 720 × 720 dpi -Photo quality: 1200 × 1200, 1440 × 1440 dpi, 2880 × 1440 and up -The more dots per inch, the wetter the paper becomes. This can result in smudged images on inexpensive or non-inkjet compatible paper.

Print to file

-A printing option that creates the same data which would normally be sent to the printer, but saves it to a file instead. -You can then print the file to your installed printer or a compatible model later. -Used to be popular, especially with PostScript-compatible printers, but today PDF and XPS output are generally more useful. -Newer printers and drivers may not support print to file well, if at all.

Friction feed

-A series of plastic or rubber rollers move a sheet of paper through the printer. -Doesn't require special paper, and is the same method used by most inkjet and laser printers.

Print preview

-Allows you to preview a document before printing so that you can see if any layoutchanges are necessary prior to using resources such as printer ink and paper.

Printer maintenance

-Any printer will last longer and produce better output if you keep it cleaned and maintained.

Bonjour

-Bonjour is Apple's zero-configuration networking feature. -On Apple computers, Bonjour is the service that assigns IP addresses, resolves host names, and discovers network services, such as network printers.

3D printer maintenance

-3D printers accumulate plastic debris in the nozzles or extruders. -You can clean them with acetone and a razor or other sharp tool, but you might need to perform some disassembly to get to them. -In addition to cleaning, the rails and rods of 3D printers can seize up due to insufficient lubrication. -After cleaning them, lubricate them with a drop or two of sewing machine oil.

Cleaning

-A physical and electrical process cleans the previous image off the photosensitive drum -Excess toner is scraped off the drum by a rubber cleaning blade into a debris cavity called a hopper -Lubrication is applied to the heat roller to ensure an even transfer of the next image

3D Printers

-Build physical objects using raw materials such as plastic, metal, plaster, or even living tissue. -More recent technologies have made 3D printing much more versatile and affordable. -Is also known as additive manufacturing, since it uses an automated process to add source material to an object, building it from the ground up. -Can be used for industrial rapid prototyping or manufacture of custom parts, for models used by artists or engineers, or even for medical implants such as joint replacements. -Different printers are designed for different filament materials, each with its own melting point and physical properties. -Most use ABS or PLA plastics, but some use other materials such as PETG or nylon. Some even use wood or metal particles in a plastic binder. -You must only use materials supported by your printer.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

-Can be viewed and printed by a wide variety of applications. -Preserve the precise format of a document so that it will look the same on any display device as it would printed on paper. -One drawback compared to other document formats is that PDFs are difficult to edit, even if you have PDF creation software

Short-range wireless

-Communicates with client computers via Bluetooth or IR. -Once the printer is powered on and the device you want to print from is within range, you can create an ad hoc network connection between the devices and then print.

Image

-Creates a file in an image format such as JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, or BMP which can then be viewed in any compatible image viewer, or printed on a physical printer. -Unlike PDF or XPS, any text in the output is simply converted to graphics too.

XPS

-Creates a file using the XML Paper Specification format developed by Microsoft. -Has similar features and limitations to PDF, but is natively supported by Microsoft software and less widely supported elsewhere.

Printing Privacy Issues

-Devices may store private print jobs, scans, copies, and faxes in memory, that could be retrieved by others -Printed documents may be visible to others before you physically pick them up -Hackers can intercept data sent to a printer on public or unsecured network -Unsecured printer are susceptible to inappropriate use, setting changes, denial-of-service attacks, and installation of malicious code.

Laser printer maintenance

-For laser printers, make sure it's a toner-certified vacuum when .vacuuming out dust and debris -Use an activated toner cloth to wipe the toner cartridge head of a laser printer -If your laser printer has accessible corona wires, clean them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. MECHANICAL STRESS -When the printer hits its preset maintenance interval, you can install replacement parts from a manufacturer maintenance kit. -A typical maintenance kit might include a fuser assembly, transfer roller, pickup rollers, separation pads, corona assembly, and fan assembly.

Inkjet Printer Maintenance

-Inkjet printers should be calibrated or aligned after replacing cartridges or print heads. -You may be able to perform routine cleaning of inkjet nozzles with the printer's software utility or with rubbing alcohol swabs MECHANICAL STRESS -Inkjet nozzles become clogged due to ink buildup, causing inconstant output and blank areas. -If software or physical cleaning doesn't fix the problem, you might be able to replace the head. -Some inkjets have print heads built into the cartridge which are replaced whenever you replace the cartridge.

Continuous form paper

-Instead of individual sheets, impact printers typically use continuous form paper arranged into a roll or folded stack. -It might have perforations at standard intervals which allow you to separate the paper into individual sheets, or the printer might have an edge that you use to tear the paper into individual sheets along a straight edge -Two methods of moving paper through the printer are: Friction feed and Tractor feed

Virtual Printers

-Is actually a piece of software. -They send output to a file, a software application, or a device other than a printer. -Typical outputs for a virtual printer include: Print preview, PDF, XPS, Image, Print to file, and Fax

Network

-Joins the printer to the LAN using an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi connection. -Users' network credentials determine whether they have been authorized to connect and print to a network printer.

Exposing

-Laser projects the image on the photosensitive drum -Where the light hits the drum, the negative charge is dissipated to the grounded center of the drum -Results in areas with a lower negative charge than the rest of the drum -These areas create an electrical image of the print data on the surface of the drum

Multifunction printers

-Many laser and inkjet printers have additional technologies incorporated in them, so that the device can do more than just print on paper. -These printers may be referred to as all-in-one printers, multifunction printers, or multifunction print devices. -Three common technologies incorporated into a multifunction printer include: Scanner, Fax, and Copier -It doesn't matter if the printer is mono-chrome or color, it can have some or all of these additional technologies.

Drop On Demand (DOD)

-Method in which the print driver software specifies which nozzles squirt small droplets of ink onto paper at speed of approximately 5,000 times a second -Uses thermal or piezo-electric technology to disperse ink through the print head nozzles -Thermal technology: tiny heating elements heat the ink to create a bubble. Pressure forces the bubble to burst and eject ink droplets onto the paper from the print head's nozzles. Most thermal inkjets have print heads containing between 300 and 600 nozzles. After the bubble collapses, the element cools, which causes a vacuum to form drawing ink from the reservoir to replace the ink that was ejected. -Piezo-electric technology: a current is applied to a Piezo crystal at the rear of the ink reservoir. The current causes it to flex and force a drop of ink out of the nozzle. This is an Epson's proprietary inkjet technology.

Transferring

-Pickup rollers grab a single sheet of paper from the paper tray or manual feed slot and move it into the printer. -A separator pad (commonly two or three inches wide) placed in the middle of the paper path keeps the pick up to one paper at a time. -Once the paper moves into the printer, it receives a positive charge as it passes through the secondary corona wire or transfer roller. -The negatively charged toner is attracted to the positively charged paper and transfers from the drum to the paper.

Dot matrix

-Prints one character at a time using a print head made up of small pins. -The pins are individually struck against the ribbon to create a pattern of dots which can form characters or pictures. -Faster and more flexible than daisy wheel printing, but it produces lower quality text. -Print heads typically have between 9 and 24 pins. Higher pin counts create sharper output. -Prints text and images

Common Printer Issues

-Problems with ink and images, such as streaks, incorrect colors, or faded output. -On laser printers you might also see ghost images of past print jobs, or toner not fusing properly to the paper. -Problems with the laser printing process, such as ghost images of past print jobs, or toner not fusing to the paper. -Problems with paper, such as creasing, jams, or feeding -Blank or garbled page output. -Inability to install a printer, or connect to one that's been installed. -Failure to print, with or without a backed-up print queue -Error messages from the printer or operating system, such as "low memory" or "Access denied" -No image on the printer display

Direct thermal printing

-Requires heat-sensitive paper. -The paper is moved by a feeder roller to the print head. -The print head applies heat to the paper to form letters and images. -Requires the print head elements be in direct contact with the thermal paper as it is pulled across the print head. -The overall effect is very much like dot matrix printing, but it's quicker and quieter. While it requires special paper, it doesn't need a print ribbon.

Fax

-Sends a paperless fax by sending document contents to a fax server, just like if you'd printed and faxed it conventionally.

Duplexing assemblies

-Single-sheet printers might contain a duplexing assembly. -Automatically reverses a piece of paper after the first side has been printed, allowing the printer to print on both sides of a single sheet of paper. -Are easy to find, but they're not universal. -Duplexing is a more common feature in high-end printers than entry models and is more common on laser printers than inkjets, but if it's a feature you want make sure to check before purchasing a printer

Calibration

-Sometimes your inkjet cartridge nozzles may become misaligned to each other and to the paper, you will notice fuzzy lines or images that start or stop before they should. -It may need to be realigned or calibrated

3D Printing process

-The 3D printing process begins with a file created in a 3D modeling program, such as AutoCAD, Blender, or even Paint 3D included with Windows 10. -The printer then replicates that model using one of several techniques, such as: Melting or softening a solid material such as plastic filament or clay Combining powdered metal, polymer, or plaster with a binding material Using a laser or other light source to photopolymerize a special liquid into a solid plastic Cutting, shaping, and gluing thin sheets of material such as paper or foil

Fusing

-The paper passes through a set of rollers that apply heat and uniform pressure to the paper and toner, curing the image onto the paper. -As the paper passes by a static eliminator strip, it neutralizes any remaining electrical charges on the paper. -This prevents the paper from jamming in other areas of the printer.

Charging

-The primary corona wires applies a negative charge to the photosensitive drum as the surface of the drum rolls across the surface of the conditioning roller -Removes any electrical charges that might remain from the previous print image

Shared printer

-The printer is installed as a local printer on a client computer or a designated print server. -The computer then shares the printer via its operating system software. -When you share a printer, you can control which users can connect and print to it. -A shared printer is only accessible when its host computer is powered on and connected to the network.

Printer device sharing

-There are several methods for sharing a printer or multifunction print device among multiple computers. -Some methods are: Network, Short-range wireless, and Shared printer

Cloud and Remote Printing

-There are several services that allow you to print to an Internet-connected printer from a remote location -The latest incarnations of the technology allow you to connect to your printer through their service, from anywhere you have an Internet connection. -Many of these services are printer specific and provided through the printer's manufacturer, such as Hewlett Packard's ePrint service. -Other services, such as Google's Cloud Print, use any Internet-connected printer.

Thermal Printer Maintenance

-Thermal print heads accumulate build-up. You can clean them with rubbing alcohol swabs, cleaning pens, cleaning cards, or thermal ribbons with print head cleaners MECHANICAL STRESS -Thermal and impact print heads face the most mechanical stress, and wear can cause quality degradation even after a ribbon replacement. -To replace the head, look for a lever or button that pops the print head out.

Thermal printers

-Thermal printers work by using heat to create images on paper. -You'll find this technology used in many point-of-purchase sales receipts and label printers. -There are multiple variations of the technology: direct thermal printing, thermal transfer printing, and solid ink printer

Traction feed

-Two sprocketed wheels are mounted on either side of the printer. -Has perforated holes on each side which fit over the sprockets so that they can feed it through the printer. -Most tractor feed paper has perforations at the side so that you can remove the feed holes after printing.

Color laser printers

-Use multiple colored toner cartridges: cyan magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) instead of a single black toner cartridge that a monochrome laser printer uses -Because the printer is transferring toner from multiple cartridges, slight misalignments (called registration errors) between the application of different colors onto the drum can occur. -This can cause color fringing, blurring, or streaking along the edges of the printed colors. -Some color laser printers use a TRANSFER BELT to prevent registration errors. In these printers, a belt passes in front of the toner cartridges and each toner layer is applied to the belt. The combined layers are then applied from the transfer belt to the drum in a single step.

Daisy-wheel

-Uses a wheel-shaped printing mechanism containing predefined character glyphs arranged like petals on a flower. -A mechanism moves the wheel across the paper and a hammer strikes one petal against the ink ribbon, leaving an imprint of the character on the printer. -Can produce high-quality text output, but they're slow and are limited to the specific glyphs (typically 96) on the wheel. -To even change the font or text size, you must change the wheel. -Text only

Inkjet Printing Process

-Uses ink-dispersion and wet ink to transfer an image onto paper -The printers motor assembly moves the paper through the print area' -A high-pressure pump or a piezo-electric crystal generating acoustic waves creates a continuous stream of ink droplets sprayed on the paper -The print head is moved back and forth across the paper -The ink droplets are deposited on the paper to form text and images one line at a time

Thermal transfer printing

-Uses ribbon printer cartridges containing waxy ink. -The print head heats the ink on the ribbon and transfers it to the paper. -Unlike direct thermal printing, it doesn't need special paper.

Solid Ink printer

-Uses solid blocks of waxy pigment which are melted and dispersed onto the paper in a method very similar to inkjet printing. -Solid ink printers are typically used much like inkjet or laser printers; unlike inkjets, they don't wet the paper and won't streak due to moisture.

Developing

-When the drum passes by a developing roller covered in toner -The toner is a negatively-charged combination of plastic and metal particles. -Areas of the drum where the laser hits lose their electrical charge, this attracts the negatively charged toner from the control blade of the roller. -Areas on the drum that still have a negative charge repel the toner. This creates a mirror image of what is to be printed in toner on the drum.

Impact printers

-Work by banging a print head or needle against an ink ribbon to make a mark on the paper -There are three main types of impact printers: Daisy-wheel, Dot matrix, Line

6 stages of the laser printing process

1. Cleaning 2. Charging 3. Exposing 4. Developing 5. Transferring 6. Fusing 7. (sometimes you may see Processing)

Inkjet Printer components

1. Control Circuitry 2. Ink Cartridges 3. Pint head stepper motor 4. Stabilizer bar 5. Paper advance rollers 6. Paper feed stepper motor 7. Print head assembly 8. Belt 9. Ribbon cable

Direct Thermal Printer Components

1. Thermal print head 2. Heating elements 3. Thermal paper 4. Feeder roller 5. Image on paper

3D PRINTERS

3D PRINTERS

Duplex print formats

Duplex print devices offer a variety of print format options including: -Single-sided page to single-sided page (1:1) -Double-sided page to double-sided page (2:2) -Single-sided page to double-sided page (1:2) -Double-sided booklet formats (2:2 with a centerfold)

IMPACT PRINTERS

IMPACT PRINTERS

Inkjet vs. Laser Printers

INKJET - Better quality for graphics and photos -Usually smaller, less expensive, and more energy efficient -Slower printing -Ink price per page is high LASER -Better quality for text -Large, expensive, use more electricity -Extremely fast printing -Toner cost per page is low

INKJET PRINTERS

INKJET PRINTERS

LASER PRINTERS

LASER PRINTERS

MULTIFUCTION PRINTERS

MULTIFUCTION PRINTERS

THERMAL PRINTERS

THERMAL PRINTERS

VIRTUAL PRINTERS

VIRTUAL PRINTERS

Printer consumables

When selecting paper to use in your printer, be sure to select a paper type that is made for printing with your specific printer technology -Type: Using paper designed for your printer type will give the best results, and some printers such as tractor feed or direct thermal require special paper -Finish: The paper's smoothness and surface. Coated paper is covered with a sealant that allows crisper printing, especially for photos; it might have classifications such as gloss, satin, and matte. -Weight: The thickness of the paper. Thicker paper not only feels more substantial, it produces less ink bleed and crisper output -Brightness: Measures the contrast between the ink and the paper. In general, a high brightness gives you a better print output. However, each printer is unique, so the true test is how your output prints on a particular paper with your printer.