Printers&PrintTechnology

PrintTechnology
Thisisagenerallookathowprintingisdone,particularlybycomputerbasedor"digital"printers.
Computerprintershavebeenratherdifferentfromthekindofmachinefoundinacommercialprint
workstherewasnorelationshipinthewaytheywereusedorthewaytheyworked.Mostofthe
distinctionisdissapearing:
Producinggoodlookingdocumentsmaystillbeanartbutitnolongerneedsspecialmachinery.
Computersoftwarecanproducegoodlookingdocumentsthatwouldmeritprofessional"offtset"
printing.EvenratherordinarysoftwarelikeMicrosoft"Word"andPowerPointcanpositionpictures
andpagefurniture.GraphicartistsaremorelikelytousePhotoshopandQuarkXpresstogetthelook
theywantratherthansomethingawizardprovides.Usingtemplatesandstylesheetscorporate
productscanallbegivenahousestyleevenwhentheauthorknowsnothingaboutlayout.Theremay
bemoredemandforthegraphicalartsthaneverbeforebutpeopleincreasinglywantthemtosupply
icons,GIFsandCSSorXLS.
Printtechnologyischangingaswell.Desktopprinterscanproducepagesthatnearlymatchwhata
commercialpressmightproduce.
Commercialprintworksareincreasinglyturningtodigitalprintsystems.Digitalprintersystemsare
industrialversionsofthelaserandinkjetprintertoproduceshortruns.Theyhavethecostadvantage
thattheydon'trelyonlittlecartridges.Professionalprintershavethequalityadvantagethattheyknow
allabouttheirindustryfromhowanintendedaudiencemightlikeadocumenttolookthroughto
howtooperatethemachineryforthebesteffect
Onethingtheprofessionalprintercandothatthedesktoppublishercan'tistofinishthedocument.
FiftypagesboundwithaspiraloraplasticstripisOKforasalespresentationoramanualbutitisn'ta
book.Theprofessionalprintercanmakeaproduct.

Therearelotsoftechnologiesthatchangethelookofthingspainting,platingandveneeringfor
instance.Printingprocessesnormallyproduceacomplexpattern,suchastextandgraphics,usuallyon
apapersurface.Cloth,plasticandmetalcanbeprintedaswell.PrintingCDsisawidespreadneed.
IrononTshirttransfersandvinylsignsforvehiclesareexamplesofsmallindustriesbasedon
computerprinting.
Printingpressespushacarvedandinkedsurfaceagainstasheetofpapertotransferanimagewhere
thetwotouch.Thesimplestmechanismusesawoodcut,oneunchangeableblockthatproducesone
unvaryingimage.Woodcutsmightbeusedtoproduceabook,buttheeffortofallthatcarvingto
makerowafterrowofrepeatedalphabeticcharactersisoffputing.
Moveabletypemakesprintingmuchmorepractical.Thealphabeticcharactersaremadeuponeata
timeonaletterformblock.Letterformsarelockedinaframetomakeupaplate,buttheycanbe
releasedandreusedonnewjobs.Theideaofprintingisnotjusttotransferapattern,buttodoit
usingaflexibletechnology.
Digitalprintingturnseverythingtopixelspictureelementswhicharesingledotsoflightorcolour.
Pixelsareusuallysmallonatypicalcomputerscreenthereareabout75to100dotsperinchand
mostprintersproducemorethan300dotsperinch.Thehumaneyeseestheoverallpatternmadeby
thepixelsandrarelynoticesthedotsthemselves.Acomputercansetanypixeltoanybrightnessor

colourmakingittheultimateflexibletechnology.
Whynow
Whynotkeepitinthecomputer
Atthemomentwemightdistinguishtwoorthreefairlydistinctbranchesofprinttechnology:
commercialprinting,computerprintingandindustrialprinting.

Commercialprintingislargelybasedontraditionalpressesatpresent.Printingisalargemarketthe
worldtotalisbelievedtobeabout$400bn.Theaimisusuallytoproducemanyidenticalcopiesofone
documentonpaperorcardatthehighestspeedandthelowestunitcostbooks,magazines,
catalogues.Likemanyindustriescommercialprintisundergoingabitofchangeduetocomputer
methods.Atpresent60%orsoofallprintingisbasedontraditionalmethods,butwithin5years
digitalsystemsareexpectedtobethebulkofproduction.
Thedefinitivetoolsaretheplatemakerandtheoffsetlithoprinter.
Platemaker
Diazoplatesarecoatedwithanorganicmaterialanddevelopedusingasolvent.Diazoplateshavea
productionlifeofaround150,000impressionsandashelflifeofaroundayear
Photopolymerplatesaresimilarbutmoreinnertandabrasionresistant.Photopolymerhasa
productionlifeofaround250,000impressionsandalongshelflife.
Ablationplates
Bimetalplates,WaterlessplatesandSilverhalideplates
Press
Printersalsouseformcutters,creasingmachines,guillotinesandbinderstogivedocumentsintheir
conventionalshapes..
Thereissomeoverlapbetweencommercialmassproductionpressesandcomputerprinting,bothin
technologyandintasks.
Printprocesseshavealongtradition:design,layoutandtypesettingwereallthingstheprinterdid.For
asimplelowcostprintjobtoday'sprintworkswantscamerareadycopyasaPDFwithuncompressed
TIFFimages.Thepageswillbe"proofed"onaninkjetplotterwithaspeciallycalibratedRIPthen
senttoaplatemakingmachine.Alargepartoftheprocessiscomputerisedandstandardised.Printing
onalargescaleisalmostalwaysdonebyaspecialistoperationthatcanaffordtheequipment.The
customerhastheoptiontodothedesignandlayoutthemselves,orcontractitout.
Infact,inthelastcoupleofyearsthecustomerhashadanoptiontodotheprintingaswell.
Photocopiersandcolourcopiershavebeenusedforshortprintrunjobsformanyyears.Recentcolour
laserprintersarejustaboutuptothejobofproducing100copiesofa50pagecataloguealthough
bindingmightbeanissue.
Obviouslythecommercialprinterdoesn'twanttolosebusiness,sotheyhaveequippedthemselves
withbig,fastcolourlaserprintersthatcancollateandbinddocumentsaswell.EmailthePDFand
youcancollectthedocumentinacoupleofhours.

Computerprintinggenerallyaimstoproduceone(perhapsseveral)copiesofadocumentona
standardisedtypeofpaperletterintheUSAandA4inEurope.Speed,appearanceandcolourmight
allbeimportantsoiscosttobuyandcosttorun.
Paperseemstobeessentialtocomputerworkbutannoying.Afewyearsagoalotofpeoplewere
aimingtohavepaperlessofficesbutsofarithasn'treallyworkedout.Peoplecan'tjustinteractwitha
computerwherevertheyarekeyboardsandscreensarebig,clumsythings.Screensdon'tconvey
enoughinformation,andpeoplearen'tasgoodatabsorbingitastheyarewithpaper.Somostpeople
usecomputerstogeneratedocumentswhichtheythenprintandfileduplicatingpartoftheeffortand
consuminglargeammountsofpaper.
Readyavailabilityofwirelessmobilecomputing,emailandthewebmightreducetheneedforpaper
buttherehavebeenfewsignsofitdoingsoyet.Verylittleofthecomputertechnologyisfriendlyin
thesenseofbeingeasilyfixedwhenthingsgowrong.Alotofthetechnologyispronetomisusethe
floodofspamemailisjustoneexample.
Twoprinttechnologiesmeetingthemaindemandforbasiccomputerprinting:laserandinkjets.
Laserprintersusuallyhavethelowestownsershipcoststheyarefaster,morereliableandthe
materialischeaper.Thelaserprinterisacloserelativeofthephotocopierandthebasicjobistoputa
fineplasticpowdercalled"toner"ontothepaperandthenadhereitusingheatandpressure.Laser
printermechanismsarequitecomplexandexpensivebutcanproduceprintrunsquickly.Theyare
mainlyusedforbusinesspurposes
Inkjetprintersareusuallycheapertobuythemainmechanismisquitesimple.Theinkjetusesliquid
inkdropletsforcedthroughnozzlesandsoakedintothepaper.Inkjetprintheadsscanacrossthepaper
ratherslowlybutthenozzlescanbeverysmallsoacolourprinterwiththerightgradeofpapercan
producematerialmatchingphotographicquality.
Theconcentrationofsolidcolourmaterialintonerprobablymakesitaninherentlycheapermaterial
althoughliquidinkisanolderthechnologyandtheoneusedincommercialprinting.Theissuesthat
preventlargescalelowcostinkjetoperationaretheneedforacomplexprintheadwithveryfine
channelsandforverypureinkthatwillnotblockthechannelsNeitherlasernorinkjetcanmatch
commercialprintingtechnologyforcost.
Thereareothercomputerprinttechnologies.Bandprintersweretheindustrystandardforfastlowcost
printingofthingslikeinvoicesformanyyears.Dotmatrixprintersarestillcommoninthingslike
pointofsaleterminalswheremultipartstationeryisused.Thermalprinterscanbeverysimpleto
operateforfaxmachines,tillrollsandlabelling.Thermalprintersusingtransfertechnologycangive
verybold,sharpbarcodes.Dyesublimationprintingcanbeusedtogivephotorealisticimageson
ordinarypaper.

Industrialprintingincludesagreatvarietyoflabellingmachinesandticketprinters.Thiscanoverlap
withcommercialprintjobsmakingbottleandpacklabelsforinstanceareeloflabelsmightbe
printedwithaserialnumberintheprintworksratherthanontheproductionline.Industrialprint
tasksalsooverlapwith"consumer"technologyCDlabellers,badgemakersandsoforth.
Acommonindustrialrequirementistoprintthedateandtimeofmanufactureontoproducts.Printers
thatdothistrendtobespecialinketdevicesmountedonaproductionlineandpoweredby
compressedair.
Awholenewrealmofmicromanufacturingmachinesisbeginningtomerge.

Micromanufacturingmachinesareoftenrelativesofprintertechnology,butwithaspecialrole.Laser
engravers,vinylcutters,clothsampleprinters,embossingandembroideringmachines.Thereisalso
anemergingmarketof3Dprinters.

Atthemomentthereisn'tmuchoverlapbetweencommercial,computerandindustrialprintmarkets.
Offsetlithoreproduceslargequantitiesofidenticalcolourpagesataslittleasapennyeachand
below.Thetechnologycandothiswithnearlycompletepagecoverongoodqualitypaper,boundand
guillotinedinbookform.Howeverbecausethereareallsortsofsetupcostsplatemakingandthen
mountingtheplatesinthemachinesaminimumrunisseveralthousandpagesandatypicalbudgetis
5,000rightthroughtohundredsofthousands.Costsfallastheprintrungrows.
Industrialprintmechanismstendtoarealmoftheirownofinteresttofactoryproduction
engineers.Ifanythingbeyondproductnumberinganddatestampingisrequiredthemostreliable
technologytendstobethermallabelprinters.
Computerprintersincludepenplotters,dotmatrix,inkjets,lasersandthermalprinters.Nonofthese
technologiescurrentlycomesclosetocompetingwiththeoffsetlithointermsofgettinglarge
quantitiesofbright,neat,colourfulmaterialtopeopleinaformtheyareusedto.
Laserprinterscanproducesomethingthatlooksverylikeacommerciallyprintedbrochureata
muchhigherpriceperpage.Asinglepageinfullcolourcanesilycost10p.Howeverthelaserprinter
doeshavetwoadvantagesoveroffsetlitho
Pagequantitiescanbeoneoff.Soacataloguecanbeproducedtailoredtoaspecificcustomerwith
theirownpricingandterms.
Smallorganisationscanownandruntheprinterinhouse.Inafreneticbusinessenvironmentthe
abilitytoproducenewdocumentsovernightcanbevital.

Inkjetprintersarecheaptobuybuttendtoberelativelyslowandexpensivetorun.Iftheoutputis
onepageofphotographicqualitymaterialthenasuitableinkjetwithspecialpaperisrightforthejob.
Ifprintingisararerequirementtenpagesaweekforschoolessaysthenthelowcosttobuyan
inkjetmakesitrightforthejob.

Thermalprintersaremechanicallythesimplest.Themostfamiliarthermalprinterisprobablythe
olderfaxmachine(whichtendstobecheapertorunandmorereliablethaninkjetmodels).Thermal
printingisalsocommoninindustriallabelling.Mostpeoplethinkofthermalmechanismsascheap,
robustbutnotaccurate.Thermalprintingusingdyesublimationalsoworkswellforphotography.

Printbureauserviceshelpfillthegapbetweenthemassproductionoftheoffsetlithoandthe
individualtailoringoflaserprinters.Theyalsoofferthegraphicdesignandlayoutskillsthatmany
businessesdon'thaveinhouse.

PenPlotters

Penplottersareoneoftheearliestandmostobviouswaysforacomputertoputinkonpaper.A
humanarmisreplacedbyapairofmotorswhichcanmoveapenoverthepagetowriteanddraw.
Flexibilityisakeyvirtuethecomputergetsalltheabilitiesahumanwouldgetusingapen.Itcan
write,draw,shadeandstippletoproducetext,diagramsandmaps.
Colourispossibletherecanbeseveralarmswithseveralpens,oraholdercanselectbetweenseveral
pensinadockingstation.
Papersizeislimitedbythelengthoftheplotterarms,butmakinglongarmsisjustamatterof
metalworksomachinescanbebuilttohandleverylargepages.
Howeverthereareseveraldisadvantages
Writingisnotsimpletheplottercontrolcircuitswillneed10or20instructionstodrawone
alphabeticcharacter.
Theprocessisslow.Makingtheshapesofcharacterstakestimeusingpowerfulmotorsandalight,
reliablepenaplottermightmanage3or4characterspersecond.Apagemighttakeseveralminutes.
AbigpenplottermighttakeseveralhourstocompleteacomplexA0diagram.
Thecomputercan'teasilytellwhenthepenrunsoutorblotchesreliablepensthatdon'tneed
constantattentionarequitearecentinvention.
Greyscaleisn'treallypossiblethepeneithermakesadotoritdoesn't,sophotographscan'tbe
reproduced.

Computercontrolledpenplottershavelargelydissapeared.Theywerewidelyusedinarchitectural
andengineeringoffices,buttheyhavebeenreplacedbythefasterandmoreflexibleinkjetplotter.
Onethingintheirfavourhasn'tbeenmentionedtheywereoneofthefewpiecesofcomputer
machinerythatwasgenuinelyinterestingtowatchinaction.
Thepenplotterconceptdoessurviveintoday'svinylcutters,CNCroutersandengravingmachines.
Engravingmachinesareoften"printers"theyplugintoacomputersprintinterfaceandreproduce
drawingsfromCorelDrawandtheycantakeadocumentfromWord.Alaserengravercanproduce
averynicelookingwoodcut,whichmightbeusedasaprintingblock.

Therearefourcommonprintermechanisms:impact,inkjet,laserandthermal.Thesefourvery
differentprinciplesareallinwidespreaduse.
Theimpactprinterwasthemostcommonparticularlyinit'sdotmatrixform.Dotmatrixprintersare
stillusedfor"robust"commercialactivitieslikeprintingdeliverynotes.
Inkjetprintershavebeenthefastestgrowingproducttheyareanalmostuniversalchoiceforthe
"SmallOffice/HomeOffice"or"SOHO"sector.Onebigattractionofinkjetsisthattheymake
colourprintingavailableatlowcost.Themainproblemwithinkjetprintershasbeenthehighpriceof
consumeables,butcompetitionmightchangethat.
Laserprintershavebeenthechoiceforgeneralofficeworkfairlyfast,andnottooexpensivetorun.
Historicallytheywereusuallymonochromebecausecolourmechanismsareexpensiveandslower.
Fastlaserprintersintendedforbulkuseusuallystillaremonochrome.
Thermalprintersarenormallyforgotten,buttheyareoneofthecommonestmechanismsinindustry

becausetheyarequitefastandveryreliable.

Impactprinterscrushaninkedribbonintothepapersothatsomeoftheinktransfers.Ribbonsare
fabricorplasticandinksaretypicallyapigmentinagreasycarrier.Impactprintingusesstraight
forwardmechanicalprocessesthatderivefromprintingpressesandtypewriters.Themechnical
processmeansprintingisnoisy.Themain"consumable"partisjustinkedribbonsotheprocesscan
belowcost,justfractionsofapennyperpage.Theprintmechanism(aheadorband)alsowearsout,
butmoreslowly.Thecostofprintheadsisoftenforgottenincalculatingpagecostsbutitcanbe
significant.
Typewritermechanisms
Impactprintertechnologyhasseveralsubdivisions.Someearlycomputerprintersused'flyingkey'
typewritermechanisms,butthesewerefartooslow.Typecylindersand"Selectric"golfballswere
fasterupto16characterspersecond.Inthe1970'smicroprocessorcontrolled"daisywheel"printers
andtypewritersbecameverypopular,usedinaprinterthemechanismcanprint3040charactersper
second.
Typewritermechanismshavetheformoftheletterscastinplasticormetal.Thelettersareselectedby
sendingbinarycodes.Itwouldbeexpensiveandimpracticaltohaveapowerfulsolenoidunderevery
keysothemechanismsusedinteleprinterswerewidelyadopted.Severaldifferentmechanismwere
usedforteleprinters.Thesimplestmechanismtounderstandhasamatrixofcharacters.Thematrix
printheadisonacarriagewhichscansacrossthepageandhaltsateachprintposition.Whenthehead
ispositioneditmovesalonganduptoputthecharacterinposition,thenthecharacterisstruckbya
hammer.Arefinementofthismechanismwrapsthecharactersaroundasolidlycastcylinderoraball
andusesthattostrikethepage.TeleprintertypecylindersandIBM"Selectric"golfballprint
mechanismssuitautomationquitewell,thecodesselecttherowandcolumnbyrotatingandlifting
thehead,thenthewholeheadmovesforwardandstrikesthehead.ThecodesusedinTeletypes
becametheASCIIcodestillusedtoday.
Typewriterspeedsarelimitedbecausethekeyhastoflyalongwayforwardtostrikethepaper,then
return.Selectricgolfballsandteletypemechanismsareheavierbutonlyneedtomoveacoupleof
millimetreswiththetorqueofamotorbehindthemtogiveadequatestrikingpowertosqueezeinkout
oftheribbonandontothepaper.BoththeSelectricandtheteletypepeakedatspeedsofabout16
characterspersecond.
Daiswheelprintersarrangedthecharactersassomethingvalguelyresemblingpetalsarounda
wheel.Themachinespinsthewheeltopositionandahammerstrikesit.Daisywheelmechanisms
themselvesarequitesimplebutneedsomefairlycomplexcontrolelectronicssotheydidn'treally
catchonuntilthe1970swhenmicroprocessorcontrolbecamepossible.Thedaisywhellwaslightso
printerscouldachievespeedsupto40characterspersecond.
Thecastingsfortheletterscanbemadeveryclean,polishedandprecisesoawelladjustedtypewriter
mechanismcangiveverygoodlookingprint,althoughthiswasoftenspoiledinpracticebycoarsness
andunevennessintheribbon.Inthe1970scarbonfilmribbonswereadoptedbecausethesegavea
verycleanimageonthepage.
Typewritertypefacesarenormallyfixed.OneofthebenefitsoftheSelectricanddaisywheeldesigns
wasthatthetypefacecouldbechanged.Adifferentfontcouldbeusedbyputtinginanewtype
element.
Ordinarytypemechanismscan'tproducemuchinthewayofgraphicsalthoughsomeentertaining

maps,graphsandpictureswereprintedusing"ASCIIart".ASCIIartisstillsometimesusedinemail.
Daisywheelprinterscanmanagetoproducemapsandchartsbypickingoutthepatternrequiredin
dotsusingthefullstop.
Typistslikedthecontrolabilityoftypewriterssomuchthatsomeofficesstillhaveoneortwoforodd
jobsspeciallabels,ortypingalettertheywanttolook"handcrafted".
Manypeopledidn'tliketypewritersitreallywasaskillgettingapageofcleancopysomostpeople
stucktolonghandwriting.Itiscertainlyarguablethatthefrustrationofwritinglonghandorerror
pronetypingactuallyproducedbettermaterialortoputitanotherway,peopledon'tseemtobe
celebratingarennaisanceinliteraturesincewwordprocessorstookover.
Howeverthereisnolongermuchrolefortypewritermechanismsincomputerprinting,theyaretoo
slow.

BandPrintersanddrumprintersmeritabriefmentionhere.Bothweredesignedfor"industrialscale"
continualprintrunsatratesabove20pagesperminute,usuallyonmultipartgreenlinedcomputer
paper.
Drumprintersweregiantrelativesoftheprintcylinderidea.Theheartofthemachinewasa14inch
pagewidedrumabout10inches(250mm)incircumferencewiththealphanumericcharacterset
formedroundit136times.Nexttothissatahammerbank,onehammerforeachringofcharacters
andprintposition.Thepaperandribbonsatbetweenthehammersandthepaper.Thedrumspan
rapidlyandhammersstruckthepageasthecorrectletterpassedunderneath.Inprinciplethe
mechanismwassimpleandreliable.Drumprinterscouldbefastifthedrumspanat3,000rpmthen
itcoulddo3,000linesor60pagesperminute.Ontheotherhandthedrumswereexpensiveahuge
precisioncasting.Atypicaldrumprintercouldn'tprintinlowercasebecauseaccomodatinglower
casecharactersaswellwouldhavemeantandevenbiggerdrum.Thedrumprinterideaseemstobe
extinct.
Bandprintershaveonethinmetalbandoftypecharactersusuallyrepeatedthreeorfourtimesin
successionaroundasteelbandabout3feetincircuference.Thesteelbandismountedonpulley
wheelsandrunshorizontallyunderthepage.Ontheothersideofthepageandribbonisahammer
bankwith136hammers.Asthebandspinsasuccessionofcharactersgoesunderneatheachprint
positionandthehammersstrike.Bandsaremoreemphemeralthandrumssotheycan'tusuallyspinas
quickly,but1,000linesor20pagesperminutewastypicalforadenselyprintedpage.Lightlyprinted
pagescouldmovemorequicklystill.
Bandprintershavebeeninuseuntilrecentlyinbanksandgovernmentofficeswherelongrunsof
monthlystatementshavetobeproduced.Theyarebeingreplacedbyhighspeedlaserprinters.

Serialdotmatrixprintersformtheimageonthepaperusingatechniqueresemblingthatusedfor
TVpicturestheyusearasterscanonpaper.
Thepatternispickedoutbysmallpinsthatmovebackwardsandforwardshittingtheribbonagainst
thepage.Printheadscouldhaveasinglepin,butscanningthisbackandforthwouldmakeprinting
slow(itwouldbelikeprintingeverythingusingthefullstoponadaisywheel).Basicdotmatrix
printershave9pinprintheadsandtheninedotsareusedtoformcrudebutreadabletextasthehead
scansacrossthepage.Recentprintersoftenhave24pinprintheadsbecausethisgivesbetterlooking
print.48pinpritheadsweretried,butreliabilitybecameaproblemthepinsweremadeoffinewire
andeventoughenedsteelwastooeasilydamaged.A24pindotmatrixprinterwithpowerfulmotors
canprintatupto1,000characterspersecondon5partpaper.Bulkprintspeedsareusuallyabout10

secondsperpageor6pagesperminutemuchfasterifprintdensityisquitelight.
Thedotmatrixprinterisalwaysactuallyproducingagraphicalimagebutitisdesignedwiththe
expectationthatitwillmainlybeusedforalphanumericinformation.AtypicalprinterisfedASCII
teletypecodeandtheprinter'scontrolmicroprocessorlooksupthepinpatternstouseinamemory
table.Adotmatrixprintercanproducedifferentfonts,boldletters,underscoredandallsortsof
variantsbyusingdifferentinternaltables.
Graphicscanbeproducedbyfeedingdatadirecttothepins.Howevertherewasnoindustrystandard
waytodothis,ortoselectfonts,somanufacturerslikeEpson,FacitandTallymadeuptheirown
codestodothesethings.Thevarietyofcodesand"emulations"causedallsortsofproblems.
Graphicaloutputfromaserialdotmatrixmechanismtendstobeslowandratherdissapointing.
Printheadpinsarequitebigsooutputistypically100200dotsperincheachdotisquitevisible.
Dotmatrixprinterswereanindustrystandardinthe1980'sbutweredisplacedfromofficesandhome
computingafewyearsago.Theyaretooslowandusersfindthemdifficulttolookaftertheyget
paperjams,theribboncomesofforgetsworn.
Serialdotmatrixprintersarestillquitewidelyusedforproducingdeliverynotesandinvoices.Special
shortcarriagemechanismsareusedintallyrollandticketprinters.
Shuttleprinters(orparalleldotmatrix)arrangeamuchlargernumberofpinshorizontallyacrossthe
paper.Thelargenumberofpinssimultaneouslyworkingonthepatternallowsashuttleprinterto
workquickly.Tomatchtheoutputofa9pindotmatrixprintersuchamachinewouldneed1360pins
acrossa14"pageandthiswouldbedifficulttoarrangeandexpensive.Amorepracticalarrangement
places136pinsona"shuttle"thatvibratesthroughabout1/10thofaninch,soeachpinprintstenor
moredotpositions.Shuttleprintersarefasterthanserialdotmatrixmachines,buttheyarecomplex
andexpensive.
Graphicaloutputfromashuttleprinterhassomeofthesamelimitationsintermsofcodeselectionand
bignoticeabledots.Howeverwithawholebankofpinsworkingatonceagraphiccanbeproduced
quitequicklysotheseprinterscanproduceoutlinepicturesandbarcodes.
Shuttleprintershavetypicallybeenusedindistributionwarehousesbothtoproducelabelsandto
createreports.Themechanismisinherentlyrathercomplicated,butitisquiterobustandmostfaults
canbeclearedbycleaning.

ImpactPrintCosts
Theonlydirectconsumeableinimpactprintingistheribbon,whichisjustafabriccarrier
impregnatedwithathickprintingink.Theprinterisn'treallysuitedtoproducinglotsofink
consumingimagesorwhiteonblackprint.Abigribbononaspoolwithnoplasticcartridgecanbea
verylowcostitemrunningcostsunder0.1pperpageofprintarepossibleInpracticeusersdon'tlike
handlingspoolsofribbontheinkgetsontheirfingersandclothes,somanufacturerswrappedthe
ribbonupinfancyproprietarycartridgesandpricestendtobequitealothigher.
Anotherissueistheprinthead.Printheadstendtolastalongtime,butnotforever,andareplacement
partmaywellcost200ormore.Fittingaprintheaddoesn'tstrictlyneedsatechnician,butmostdo
requirescrewdriverskills.Thecostofprintheadscomesasashocktousers.Evenwiththis
disadvantagethecostperpagecanstillbeunder0.3pperpage
ImpactPrintLimits
Theheartofadotmatrixprinteristhesetofpinsandthelimitsonprintspeedandqualitycomefrom

howbigtheyneedtobeandhowfasttheycanmove.Bigpinstendtoberobust,butproducecrude
lookingimagesandcan'tmovequickly.Littlepinsmakeanicerlookingimage,butwearquicklyand
breakeasily.
Thepinsinatypicalprinterneedtobeabout0.2millimeterormoreacrossortheyaretoofragile.
Sincethepinscannotbeverysmalltheimagetheyproducewillbecrudethebestresolutionis
typically250dotsperinch.Afurtherlimitonprintqualityistheweaveoftheribbon.Acoarse
grainedribbontendstoholdalotofinkbutcannotproduceagoodimage.Afineribbonisneeded
wherefinepinsareinuse,otherwisethepinsgettrappedinthefabricandtheprintheadiswrecked.
Theotherlimitingfactorisspeed.Pinscannoteasilybemadetooperatemorethan23thousands
timespersecond,sothisspeedfactorandthenumberofpinsinuselimitsthespeedoftheprinter.The
pinsarenormallydrivenbymagneticsolenoids,sotheycouldbemadetomovefasterbutonlyatthe
costofgreatlyincreasingthecurrentusedwhichwouldmeantheprintheadgettinghotveryquickly.
Iftheneedlesgettoohottheywillexpandandjam,thenthenextmovementwillwreckthem.Many
printheadshaveheatsinkstotrytolimitthetemperaturerise,someevenhavebuiltinfans.A
printheadwithaheatsinkandfansatrtstogetheavysoeitherthecarriagemotorshavetobemade
biggertocopeorcarriageweightbecomesalimitonspeed.
Impacttechnologyinvolvesalotofmechanicalactionsoitisnoisy,aneedlevibrating3,000times
persecondagainstapieceofpaperproducesanunpleasantshrieksoahundredormoreinashuttle
printerproduceareallyunpleasantnoise.Shuttleprinterspeedscanbe5,000charactersperseconda
solidlyprintedpagein2to3secondsandalightlyprintedforminunderasecond.
Inkjetandlaserprintershavereplacedimpactprintersinmanycircumstanceshoweverimpact
printingisstillthebestmethodtoproducelargequantitiesofprintingatlowcost.
Onelimitationisthatmostimpactprintersaredesignedforcontinuousfeedstationerynormally
fanfoldtractorfeedpaper.Impactprinterscannotproducereallygoodlookingpages,sodesignersopt
forthesimplestpaperfeedmechanisms.Cutsheetfeedersareoftenavailablefordotmatrixmachines,
buttheyarefairlycostlyoptionalextras.
Pricesofimpactprintersarerising.Dotmatrixprinterswereoncemassmarketitemswithhugescale
economiesofproduction.Pricesfellsolowthatabasicmodelcouldbeboughtfor50.Fast,robust
dotmatrixbusinessprinterswere2,000shuttleandbandprinterpricesrangedabove5,000to
10,000.
Productionvolumesarenotsufficienttomaintainlowprices.Somemanufacturershavedotmatrix
printersintheircatalogues,thosestillproducedareaimedatspecificbusinessusesinwarehousing
anddistribution,orfordatalogging.

Inkjetprintersshootabubbleofinkoutofhairthincapillarytubesontothepagenormallyusing
heatorvibrationasanactuator.Aninkjetprintheadismadeupofcapillarynozzlescontaininga
simpleresistororpiezoelectriccrystaltofirethedrops.Aprintheadusuallyhasalargenumberof
nozzlesthetechnologyhasimprovedtothepointwheretherecanbeahundredormoreinasingle
thumbnailsizedhead.Theonlyconsumableneededinprinciplecouldbeliquidink,andifthiswere
allinkjetscouldbequitecheaptorun.Inpracticetheprintheadstendtohaveshortlivesthe
capillarytubesblock.Manyinkjetprintersusecartridgeswithprintheadandinkbuiltintoasingle
throwawayunit.Theneedforlittlecartridgesoftenwithabuiltinheadmakesinkjetprintingthe
mostexpensivetechnology,abasicpageofprintingmaycost34p,butafullcoloursolidlyprinted
pagecancost50pormore.
Atypicalinkjetprinterbodyisalightweightversionofthoseusedfordotmatrixprinters.Onemotor

pushesthepagethroughvertically,andanotherscanstheheadacrossthepagehorizontally.
Thelimitonprinterspeediscreatedbyhowmanynozzlesthereare,howrapidlytheycanfire,and
howoftentheheadcanpassoverthepage.
Aninkjetprintergenerallyscansthepageinthesamewayasadotmatrixprinter.Therateofdot
productionissimilaraswell,23thousandpernozzlepersecond.Inkjetmechanismsarealmostsilent
becausetheonlyrapidmovementisthatoftheinktinydropletsofliquid.Themotorsjustsweepthe
headbackwardsandforwardsacrossthepage.
Inkjetprintheadmanufactureiscloselyrelatedtosemiconductorssounitcostsdependonnumbers
made.Amassmarketprintheadwillbeverycheaptoproduceperhapsacoupleofdollarsperunit.
Unusualcartridgescostmuchmorebecausethecostofdesignandproductionmachineryhastobe
paidfor.
Colour
Oneofthebigadvantagesforinkjetprintersisthatmakingcolourmodelsisrelativelysimple.
Inkjetcartridgesareconsumeables,soprinterscaneasilybefittedwithseveralcartridgescontaining
differentcolouredink.AbasiccolourprinterhasthreeheadsprintinginCyan,MagentaandYellow
ink.Mixingthethreeprimariesasonoffdotsonlyproduceseightcolours,soeitherthedotsizehasto
bevariedoraditherpatternproducedatascalesmallerthantheeyecansee,socolourinjetsareoften
ratedtoproducethousandsofdotsperinch.Anotherissuewiththe"CMY"processisthatitisan
expensiveandimperfectwaytoproduceblackallthreeinksareusedandtheresultactuallytendsto
lookbrown.Blackprintonwhitepaperisaverycommonrequirement,somostprintershaveafourth
blackinkheadandtheprocessiscalledCMYK.Somerecentprintershavehalftoneinkstogive
reallyaccuratecolourrenderingusinga7colourprocess.
Designinganinkjetprintertoholdextracartridgesisnotamassivechange.Essentiallyallthatis
differentisthatthecarriagehasmorepositions,andtheprocessorhastogeneratesignalstocontrol
theextracartridgesiftheyarepresent.Itisuptotheusertodecidehowmuchcolourtheyuse.Since
eachcartridgeisaconsumeableitdoesn'thavemuchimpactonthepriceofanewprinteronlyonits
runningcost.
Usersfinddealingwithfourormorecartridgesfiddly,soinkjetprintermanufacturersmay
incorporatetheCMYinksintoasingleprintheadandthe"k"intoanother.Thiskindofprinterisabit
morecostlytooperatebecausesomeinkreservoirswillonlybepartusedwhenanotherisexhausted
andtheheadisthrownaway.
Inkjetnozzlescanbeverysmallanddensepackedinthehead.Oldermachinesgivearesolutionof
300dotsperinchgoodqualitytextbutpoorgraphics.Printspeedsfromoldermachinesareaslowas
100characterspersecond2pagesperminute.
Recentinkjetsachievebetween1,500and4,500dotsperinch.Thenumberofnozzlesinthehead
allowstheprintertoproducequiteabroadbandofprintforeachscanoftheheadsoprintspeedsup
to10pagespersecondcanbeachieved.Manufacturersquotedspeedsforinkjetscanbevery
misleading.Mostinkjetprintersrelyheavilyonthehostcomputerfortheprocessingtocreatethe
page,andthiscanslowprinting.
Highresolutionnozzlesallowaninkjetprintertoproducehighqualitytext,colourgraphicsand
photographs.Printersareusuallydesignedtousecutsheetstationerybecausethismatchesthe
expectationsforhighqualitycolourprint.Usingpaperswithapolishedsurfacecangiveoutputthat
looksverylikephotographicprinting.

Theinkjetconcepthasalotofpotential.
Tomakeafasterprinter,buildabiggerheadspecificallymakeapagewidthhead.Usingcutsheet
paperonejust8inches(200mm)widewouldbeadequate.Pagewidthinkjetmechanismshavenot
beencommon.Theprobabilityofanozzlefailingriseswiththenumbersinvolvedandthismeansthat
verylargeprintheadscouldbeunreliable.

Inkjetprices
Pricesforinkjetprintersarethelowestavailablethecheapestprinterswithcolourcapabilitycost
under70.Atit'ssimplestaninkjetprinterisjustonemotordrivingthepaper,anotherscanningthe
printheadbackandforwardsacrossthepage.Theuser'scomputerdoesthemainworkdeterminingthe
pixelpatternonthepage.Asignificantpartoftheworksareinthedisposablecartridge.
Consumeablesareadifferentmatter.Oncetheuserhastheprinter,theyhavetobuycartridges.Itis
commonlythoughtthatmanufacturersdon'tmakemuchprofitoninkjetprinterbodies,butdomakea
goodprofitonthecartridges.Obviouslythereisalimittohowwellthiscanworkifprintersare
cheapandcartridgesexpensiveamanufacturercouldpushacustomertobuyacompetitorsprinter.
Anotherlimitissetbyclonecartridgesandrefilling.
Refillingcartridgeshasbeenenthusiasticallyadoptedbysomeusers.Thecartridgeisaplastictank
filledwithawellfilteredink,usuallywithaprintheadbuiltintothebottom.Theprinttheadwilloften
workreliablythroughseveralrefillsofthetankwithcheapink.Obviouslymanufacturershave
learnedtomakerefillingdifficultengineeringtheplasticbodiessothereisnoreadilyavailablehole.
Somehavegonesofarastoputmemoriesontheprintheadsothattheheadcutsoutafterit'ssellby
date.Refillingcartridgesdoesusuallymeanawillingnesstosufferbadprintandinkspillsandthe
coloursaren'tlikelytobequiteright.
Clonecartridgesareanotherlimitonprintermanufacturerprofits.Withabitofanalyticchemistrya
clonecartridgemakercangetthetheinkformulationrightsomethingnoamateurrefillingislikely
toachieve.Plasticmouldingsareeasilyimmitated.Printheadcircuitryobviouslyneedsabitofwork,
butthereareseveralfabricationfacilitiesthatcouldmakethem.
Thereisnowahugemarketforinkcartridges.Originalmanufacturersrelyonusers:
notcaringaboutcartridgecostsfairlynormalinalargeoffice
feelingnervousthatclonecartridgeswillproveunreliable.Normalinasmalloffice
Bybeingaspecialistproducerofcartridgesacrossabroadrangeofprintersthereisnoreasonwhya
clonemanufacturercan'tproducecartridgesthatarebetterthanprintermanufacturersoriginals.
Recentlytheprintermanufacturershavetriedtoerradicateclonesusingthecourts.OneUScourtcase
hasruledthatclonecartridgedinfringeEpson'scopyrightoncartridgedesignandthecopiersmustpay
afeetoEpson.Theeffecthasbeenthatacoupleofclonecartridgemakershavewithdrawnfromthe
marketsolowcostoptionsmaybeclosingdown.
Inkjetprintermechanismscontainacetainamountoftrulyoriginalintellectualpropertyforinstance
Epson'spiezoelectricheadsarequitedifferenttoHPandCaonon'sthermalheads.Ontheotherhanda
lotoftheprincipleareverywellknownandthepatentsarebeginningtoexpire,soperhapstherewill
beaburstofnewcreativityinafewyearstime.

Laserprintersrelyonthesamephotoelectrostaticprinciplesusedformanyyearsinphotocopiers.
Thebasicmechanismofthelaserprinterisrathermorecomplicatedtooutlinethandotmatrixor
inkjetprinters,butthetechnologyhasbeenrefinedovermanyyearsandisreliable.Thelaserprinting
processneedsseveralconsumablesandtheseallcontributetothecostofoperation:
toneristheequivalenttoink,soithastobeusedupinoperation.
developertransfersthetonertothephotoconductordrum,tonerultimatelydegrades
photoconductormaterialtransferstonertothepaperitdegradeswithtimeaswell
themachinemakessomewastetoner,andabottletocollectthishastobeprovided.
thefuserrollersultimatelywearoutandhavetobereplaced.
Themainrunningcostsforalaserprinteraretonerpowderandwearofthephotoconductor.These
typicallyaddupto12pperpage.
Laserprintertonerisafinedustofplasticpowder.Tonerdustcanbegivenastaticchargeanditwill
beattractedtooppositechargedsurfaces,andrepelledfromlikecharges.
Photoconductormaterialscanbegivenastaticchargeinthedark,whentheyarenonconducting.Ifa
photoconductorisexposedtolightitwillreleasethechargeintoanunderlyingmetallayer.
Laserprintersandphotocopierscombinethesetwoprinciples.Ametaldrumorbeltcarriesalayerof
photoconductor.Thephotoconductorischargedinthedark,thenapatternispaintedonitusing:
lightreflectedfromasourcedocumentinaphotocopier
orlightscannedbyalasergenuinelaserprinters
lightfromarowoftinyLEDssome"laserprinters"usethistechnique.
Thephotoconductorthenmovespasta"developer"whichmovesthechargedtonerpowderintoclose
proximity.Whereverthereisadifferenceinchargethetonerstickstothephotoconductor.
Nextthephotoconductormovesoverthepapertobeprinted,andatransferchargepullsthetoneronto
thepaper,stillheldinthepatternofthescannedimage.
Thepapernowholdstheimageasdrytonerpowderonitssurface.Thisisnormallyfixedtothepage
byrunningthepaperthroughthehotrollersinthefuser.
Alaserprinterslistofactionscanbearrangedasonenearcontinuousprocess,alloftheminvolving
rotarymotions.Amachinerunninglikethiscanbeveryfasttherearelaserprinterscapableofmore
than100pagesperminute.Thelimitsonlaserprinterperformanceare:
toner,developerandphotoconductorhavetobeveryfinegrainedtogiveahighresolution
image.
ifasinglelaseristhelightsourcethenimagescanningrequiresrapidonoffmodulationofthe
beam.Itsohappensthatrapidmodulationoflaserlightsourcesisalsoneededfor
communicationscables,andvideodiskrecorderssoitisarapidlydevelopingtechnology.
thelaserscannercontainsamotorwhichmustspinrapidlytogivehighresolutionpagesathigh
speed.Asithappenslaserprinterssharetheneedforhighspeedlowpowermotorswithdisk
drives.
apowerfulprocessorandalotofmemoryareneededtoturncomputerinformationintoapage
layout.Thewholethrustofsemiconductormanufacturingandcomputingisaiminginthis
directionsolaserprinterdesignwinshereaswell.
Thedevelopmentoflaserprintersiscloselyrelatedtoothertechnologiesthatcansharethesame
advances.Sincealotofeffortisbeingdevotedtoovercommingthelimits,laserprintertechnology
canadvancequiterapidly.

Alaserprintermechanismgenerallyhasabitmore"substance"thananinkjet.Theelectronicscan
"rasterise"theimagewithoutrelyingonthehostPCtodoit.Laserprintersarebuiltforacommercial
environment,sotheytendtobemorerobustandrathermoreexpensivetobuy.
Colourlasers
The"CMYK"processcanbeusedinlaserprinters,butthereisnodesignwhereincludingcolourdoes
notmeanamassivechangeinchassisdesign.Inkjetdesignersfindcolourprintingarelativelyeasy
optiontoinclude.Laserprinterdesignershavetomakeaspecialdesigntodealwithcolour.
Colourprintingwithalaserprinterinvolveshavingfourtoner/developermechanisms,eachlaying
downanimagebeforethepagegoestothefuser.Thisismoredifficultthanitsounds.
Obviouslytherecouldbefoursuccessivemechanismsbuteachisquiteexpensivetomakeandthe
resultingprinterwillberatherlarge.Someprintersdoworkthisway.
Mostlowercostcolourlasersarrangefourcolourtonerdeveloperunitsonacarouseloveradrum
whichwilltakeanimagefromeachinsuccession.Thedrumtransfersthepowderimageontoabelt
forintermediatestorage.Finallythebelttransferstheimageontothepage.Oneofthemain
difficultiesistoavoidthesuccessiveimagesblurringinstaticfieldsleftoverfromthelastimage.
Colourlaserprintersoperatingat600or1200dpiproduceverygoodlookingpages,butthecarousel
mechanismisinnevitablyquiteexpensivetobuildandcanbequiteslowtooperate.Howeveracolour
laserprinterwillgenerallybemuchquickerthananinkjetatproducingapageofequivalent
complexity.

LaserConsumeables
Everybrandandalmosteverymodeloflaserprinterhasit'sownsetofcartridgesinspecialshapes,
usingslightlydifferentprocessesandgradesoftoner.
Evenlowendlaserprintersareabitmorecomplexthaninkjets.Fastlaserprintershavecomplex
gearchainstodrivethedrum,paperpathandfuserandafairlypowerfulcomputerasarasterimage
processorsotheyaren'tallthatcheap.
Manufacturershavethesamepressuretosellprintersatalowcostthenmakemoneyonthe
cartridges.Laserprintercartridgescanofternproducealotofpagespercartridge5,000to15,000
pagesdependingondesign.Thepriceofcartridgescanbequitestartling30to150for
manufacturersoriginalsdependingonsizeandmakeobviously.
Laserprintertonercartridgesareoftenavailableinseveralkinds
manufacturersoriginalcarryingtheprintermakersbrandname
refurbishedoriginalcartridgeswheretheplasticassemblyhasbeenstrippeddownandrefilled.
Becauselasercartridgesaresoexpensiveitcanbeeconomicallyworthwhilerecyclingthem.Some
refurbishedcartridgescancarrythemanufacturersnameandlogo.
clonecartridgesdesignedtofunctionlikethemanufacturersoriginal.
Laserprinterusershavethesameconcernsasinkjetusersaboutusinganythingotherthan
manufacturersoriginalcartridges.Originalsareexpensive,butclonesmightnotworkverywell.
Actuallyitsabitmoreproblematicbecause:
Clonesandrefurbsaresignificantlycheaper,butstillasignificantexpense.

Somecartridgerefurbsarebadlydonetheyleaktonerandcauseengineercallouts.Thisproblem
tendedtobeparticularlyprevalentintheearlydaysofrefurbishment.
Manufacturersmightrefusewarrantyserviceifanengineerfindsanythingbutamanufacturer
badgedcartridgeinaprinter.

Thetonercartridgesarejustonepart.Oldermonoprintersoftenhaveaseperatedeveloperunitbut
thisbecomescomplicatedwithcolourprinters.Manufacturersdiscoveredtheideaofresindevelopers
whicharemechanicallysimpler.Mostcolourcartridgesaretonerandresindeveloperinoneunit.
Otherconsumeablesincludetheimagingdrumandoncolourprintersanimagingbeltaswell.Finally
theimageisbondedtothepageinthefuser.Mostfusersarebasicallyahotpressurerollerand
constantcontactwiththepaperwearsthemout.
Stripalltheconsumeablesoutofacolourlaserprinterandthereisn'tmuchleftjusttheimaging
electronics,amotorgearchainandthelaserscannerunit.Basicallytheprinterisaspinewhichthe
cartridgeshangfrom.
Lasercosts
Laserprintersaren'tlikelytocompetedirectlywithinkjetsinthehomecomputingmarket.
Themechanismissimplymorecomplicatedsoevenifthemanufacturercanmakemoneyonthe
cartridgestheymightnotbepreparedtoriskgivingtheprintersawayvirtuallyforfreeassomedo
withinkjets(ietheprintercostslessthanapairofcartridges)
Thelasermechanismtendstobeinherentlyfasterthananinkjet.Ratherthanrelyingontheuser's
computertomakeuptherasterimage,laserprinterstendtohavetheirowndedicatedprocessorforthe
job.AfourcolourCMYKimageonA4at1200dpicaneasilyrequireacoupleofhundredmegabytes
ofmemorystillasignificantamount.
Thedifferentlivesoftoner,drum,beltandfusermightbetooconfusingforhomeusers.Furthermore
togetlowrunningcostsimpliesbigcartridgescostingmorethan50each,whichwouldseem
hideouslyexpensivetoahomeuser.
Electrostaticimagingmechanismcan'tprovidesuchsmalldotssoinkjetsarelikelytobebetterat
thingslikephotoreproductiononspecialpaper.Lasersarebetteratphotoproductionwithoutneeding
specialpaper.

Thermalimageprintingusespaperwithacoatingofchemicalsthatchangecolouronheating.The
materialsusedaresensitivetoinfrared.Theprintheadisarowofresistororsemiconductorheating
elementsembeddedinapieceofceramic.
Thermalprintermechanismscanbeverysimple.Theprinterholdsarollofpaper.Atonguefromthe
rollpassesthroughthegapbetweenaprintheadandarubberrollerwhichkeepsthepaperpressed
againsttheheadanddrivesitthroughthemachine.Theonlycomplexityisintheprinthead.
Thermalprintheadsaregenerallyaceramicbarmountedonanaluminiumheatsinkwithfilmresistors
alongoneedgeandafewcontrollerchips.Thecontrollerturnsresistorsonandtheyheatuprapidly,
offandtheycooldownrapidly.Wheretheresistorsturnonthereisadarkpixelonthepage.

Themostfamiliarthermalimageprinterisafaxmachine(whichisaprinter,scanner,modemand
computerallboundupinaneatmassmarketbox).Thefaxmachineillustratesseveralimportant
featuresofthermalimageprinting:
printmechanismsaresmalljustamotortofeedthepaperandtheceramicbaroftheprinthead
itself.
printingisnearlysilenttheonlysoundisthepaperfeedmechanism.
speedcanbeupto4inchesofpaperpersecondnotfastbutacceptableforalotoftasks
simplicitytherearenoconsumablestochangeexceptthepaper,noprintheadgaptoset,no
cleaningprocedurestoworryabout.
Specialcoatedpapertendstobesuppliedonrollsandtocostrathermorethanordinarypaper,butitis
producedinsuchhugevolumethatthecostmaynotbeallthathigh.Somefaxrollsworkoutatabout
1ppersheetofA4.
Themainproblemswiththermalimageprintingare:
coatedpaperfeelsodditcouldbeprintedon80gmpaperandcutintoA4,butmostpeoplestill
wouldnotliketheoddshinylookofthepages.
imagesfadeawayiftheyareexposedtolightandthepaperturnsbrown.
Mostpeopleclaimthatthecostofprintingisaproblem,butthermalprinterscannowbeamongstthe
cheapesttorun.Paperat1ppersheetmayseemexpensivebutalaserprintercosts1pormoreto
printasheet,andaninkjetcostssignificantlymorethanthat.
Althoughmostpeoplearefamiliarwiththethermalprinter'sroleaspartofafaxmachinetheyare
verywidelyusedinindustry.Labelprinters,chartrecorders,ticketprinters,andpointofsalereceipts
allcommonlyusethermalmechanisms.Thevinylcuttersthatmakesignsoftenhavethermalprinter
mechanismstoproducecolourfulimages.Thermalprintingcostsmorethanotherprocesses,butthe
costsofoperationareoftenconsideredtobejustpartofaproductionorsalesprocess.Thebigbenefit
isflexibilityandreliabilitytryproducingvaryinglengthrunsofinkjetorlaserprintedmaterialina
dustyfactoryenvironmenttheprintercan'tcope.Athermallabelprinterjustgetonwiththejob.
Therearetwodifferenttypesofthermalprinting:
Directtheimageismadedirectlyonheatsensitivepaper.Thepaperwillfadetobrownoverayear
orsoandthecontrastwillbecomepoor.Directprintingisthesimplestsoitisleasttroublesome.One
problemwithdirectprintingisthatbarcodesbecomelessreliableifthingsarestoredforayearorso.
Indirecttheimageismadeusingaheatsensitivewaxorresinonathinfilmcarrierandthen
transferedtoplainpaperortoavinylmaterial.Thepaperandtheimagedon'tfade,andthereare
scuffresistantpapersaswell.Theproblemisthatthereisbothapaperandaribbontoconsider.
Colour
Directtransfermoreorlesshastobemonochrome.
Indirectprintingcanusecolouredwaxesandresinsandproducerathernicevividshinycolourimages.
Someofthefirst"consumer"colourprintersonthemarketwereproducedbyFargo,andcouldusea
backingfilmwithfoursuccessivecolours.Obviouslythecostperimagewasratherhighalthough
sincethepagecouldbe100%coveredifthatwasneededitmayactuallyhavebeencheaperthanan
inkjetinsomecircumstances.Usingspecialpaperandadomesticironthermalimagescanbe
transferedtomateriallikeTshirts.
Consumeables

Directthermalprintinghasoneverynicefeatureasinglenonproprietaryconsumeable.Faxand
printerrollscanbevariouswidthsanddiameters,inprincipletherecouldbedifferentchemical
propertiestothepaperandthecoating,inpracticeanysuitablesizewillprobablyworkwellenough.
Moreorlessthesameholdsforrollsoflabelsbutthereareadditionalthingstowatchoutfor
labelscanbeonthetopsideorundersideofthebackingpapersandsomeprintersdocare.
printershavetosensetheendoflabels.Somedothisbysensingthereflectionfromawhitelabel,
somebysensingachangeinthelightpassingthroughthepaperatthestartofalabelandsomebyan
optosensorshiningthroughaslotinthebackingorbeingblockedbyablackmarkontheedgeof
thebacking.Onsomeprintersyoucanchooseamongstseveralpossibilitiesinamenu.
LowcostlabelprintersfromDymoandothersworkonthesameprincipleaslowcostinkjets:youpay
verylittlefortheprinterbutagreatdealforlabels.Theseprintersarecarefullyengineeredsothat
onlythemanufacturersownlabelsfit,andthedesigniscopyright.Ifallthatiswantedisaquickway
toproduceafewneataddresslabelstheseprintersareafinesolutiontothejob.
Largerthermalprintersusuallytakelabelstationeryinstandardsizes.Actuallytherearen'tmany
"standards"whatgenerallyhappensisthatpeopleorderlabelsandribbonsfromtheprintermaker.
Howeveritispossibletosavemoneybyorderinglabelselsewhereatthecostofmoretroublewhen
thingsdon'tworkquiteasexpected.Althoughthematerialsusedinlabelprinterslooksimpleprint
speeds,headtemperatureandcontactpressuresneedtobeadjustedcorrectlytogetflawlessprint/

ColourSupport
Coloursupportforinkjets:MonoInkjet.SwappableCMYCartridge.SeparateCMY&KCartridges.
Coloursupportforlasers:Mono.CMYKcartridges.
Speed
Characterspersecondusuallydotmatrix
Linesperminuteusuallybandandshuttleprinter
Pagesperminutelaserandinkjetprinters
Inchespersecondthermalprinters
PaperSize
80,132or136columndotmatrix
A4,A3lasersandinkjets
A0plotters
4inchthermal
AlsoTractororCutSheet