The Evolution of the Printer
Years ago dot matrix printers were all the rage and commonly the only thing available for personal and office printing needs. Using ribbons to get ink to paper, these printers made distinctly loud sounds while printing and printed slowly. Everyone remembers the paper with the ticker tape on the sides to help the paper feed through the printer properly. How many times did you sit trying to get the little teeth in the correct holes? Did you ever try to get the ribbon replaced just to have it jam immediately? These printers functioned, but were extremely frustrating at times.
In 1984, inkjet printers and therefore, printer cartridges full of ink became the next best thing available. Now, it was easy and faster to print documents. The ink cartridges lasted long periods of time and changing ink cartridges was easy. Ink cartridges were available in color and black and made it easy to print color documents right on the desktop. By 1990, these types of printers were widely accepted as the best way to print documents and blueprints from your computer. Most of these printers can now print 5-10 pages per minute and cost less than $100.
Inkjet printers made printing easier and more convenient for the user. Ink cartridges allow ink to be squirted onto the paper through tiny nozzles and this is called drop on demand printing. How much ink and where and how fast it gets on the paper is all controlled by software that comes with the printer and must be installed on the computer. These printers can print on any size paper or even fabric and film. They can be small enough to be kept on any desktop and quiet when printing.
Ink cartridges for these printers now come in many brands and colors. Each ink cartridge has an identification number and lists the model numbers it can be used with. The manual that comes with the printer should also list exactly which cartridge is appropriate for the printer.
The big problem is that ink cartridges can be expensive if you are doing a lot of printing. The more economical way is to have the cartridges refilled after each use. Refill kits can be purchased on drug and office supply stores. However, some people claim that the cartridges sometimes fail to work after they’ve been installed and reinstalled. Also, the print quality can be compromised with refill ink. Recycled cartridges are also available for a lower price at some retailers. These cartridges have been revamped and refilled by the manufacturer. Discounted printer ink cartridges can be purchased in bulk online if you plan to have a lot of printing needs, such as in a business situation.
Compared to earlier printers, inkjet printers have a number of advantages. One of the biggest is the idea of the inkjet printer cartridge being easy to install and refill. These printers print quietly and smoothly with finer details and higher resolution. Some inkjets even have photographic quality printing available. The evolution of printers has come along way since the dot matrix printer of the 70’s and 80’s.