About Printers - A Printer Tech

what are different types of printers

January 3, 2023 By mfarooq012012

What are different type of printers?

Every one of us has come across what are different types of printers, some of them are known to us and some of them are not.

Maybe you are confused in your next printer purchase,

So let’s find out what are the different types of printers available in the market and what they are used for!

There are 15 different types of printers available in the market:

Inkjet Printer
Laser Printer
Dot-Matrix Printer
Thermal Printer
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Printer
Electrophotographic (EP) Printer
Solid Ink Printers
Digital Light Processing(DLP) Printer
Material Jetting (MJ) Printer
NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) Printer
Multi Jet Printers
A3 printer
Dental Printers
Banner Printers
Drum Printer

1. Inkjet Printer

An inkjet printer is also a type of non-impact printer. It is one of the most common types of printers available in the market.

This category includes laser printers, LED printers, dye-sublimation printers and much more.

Inkjet printers make use of cartridges or refillable tanks for their ink to print documents or photos. The number of ink colours that are used in the process varies from printer to printer.

The inkjet printers work on the principle of Piezoelectricity. The Piezoelectric print head is used for ejecting drops of ink onto paper.

It is one of the most commonly used printers & they are available at affordable rates. These printers come in different models & brands, which can be chosen depending on your need and budget.

2. Laser Printer

A laser printer works on a similar concept as a photocopier and an LED Printer uses that of a digital camera but it uses toner rather than ink like an inkjet printer.

A laser printer makes use of heat-sensitive paper, drums, ultra-violet lasers and more so it can expose areas to be printed with light and then transfer the image to paper. Many laser printer works smoothly online if your midco internet speed test result are good.

A toner cartridge is used in this type of printer, which contains a fine, dry ink-powder & it is then fused onto the paper using heat. The laser printing technology uses an electrostatic charge to transfer toner particles from cartridges onto heated metal drums that are uniformly charged by means of corona wires.

3. Dot-Matrix Printer

A dot-matrix printer is also a kind of impact sublimation printer. This type of printer is the least expensive and they are available in most homes for their personal use.

The printer head in this type of printer consists of a needle dipped in ink, which strikes against the paper to print dots on it. The speed and quality of printing depend upon how quickly & close together the pins can strike or hit the ribbon.

The commonly used printers in homes & offices are Dot Matrix Printers, as they print quickly. This printer is most suitable for printing simple text documents and graphs or charts with line drawings.

4. Thermal Printer

A thermal printer is a type of non-impact printer that works on the principle of heat-sensitive paper.

It prints by using a heating element that rapidly heats up to empower thermal energy, which is then transferred onto a roll of special heat-sensitive paper. The image is directly imprinted onto this special film-coated paper using steam-filled ink-pads (similar to old dot-matrix printers).

In January ’09 Apple patents revealed it was looking into more environmentally friendly printer cartridges that would use air to push out their contents. These would be known as air impact printers or air-jet printers, which may only contain a cartridge of small dots of ink rather than the usual bulky cartridges with the specialized print head integrated within them.

5. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Printer

An FDM printer is also called a solid imaging printer. They are printing technology used in rapid prototyping and it produces 3D objects by building up many layers with consecutive extrusions of material.

The process starts with an STL (STereoLithography) file or CNC data which sends the instructions to the machine about where to move & what speed to use, this keeps on happening until the product is ready.

Once it reaches its final form then it makes use of support structures that usually break away easily after finishing the printing work. This type of printer has become very popular due to its quick print speeds and low costs.

And today we see many companies offering different types of printers for homes & offices, such as HP, Epson, Canon, Brother & other brands. And they target their marketing campaigns for specific printers to attract the broadest audience base possible.

And since people are more into printing online activities like 3D designs or 2D images then it’s very much essential for them to buy a printer that offers reliable performance and speed in printing work. So we can say that today’s world is all about printers and whether you love to do lots of printing work or not at homes or offices; printers have become a necessity of our lives.”

6. Electrophotographic (EP) Printer

An electrophotographic printer is also a kind of impact sublimation printer. They are the most common type of printers used for office printing work and they have replaced all other printing technology.

An EP printer makes use of powder or toner that contains tiny plastic beads mixed with pigments in order to create an image on the paper.

The process starts by using a halogen lamp attached to the machine, it then charges up the powder & paint inside the toner cartridge so that it sticks firmly onto the drum & paper when needed at the time of printing.

Once the image gets transferred onto the paper, it then uses heat and pressure to set everything into one piece completely which later becomes permanent. So basically we can say that these types of printers are also known as laser printers because they use lasers to transfer images onto paper.

7. Solid Ink Printers

Solid ink printers are the type of non-impact printers which are used for office printing work and it makes use of solid sticks of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow & black) in order to print images directly onto the paper.

They don’t require any cartridges or toner replacements as they have their specialized ink sticks that’s enough for them to print a single document.

The process starts by heating up these colours into a liquid form so that they become soft enough to transfer onto paper smoothly.

Solid ink printers offer very high colour quality with vivid colours and sharper text which makes things more beautiful when looking at printed pages.”

8. Digital Light Processing(DLP) Printer

The process starts by projecting an image onto the surface of photo-sensitive resin, this makes the non-cured areas exposed to oxygen & that’s why it becomes uncured so that we can easily extract the object out. And then we put it into water in order to wash away any excess uncured material.

So, in short, we can say that DLP printers have made 3D printing very popular due to its multiple benefits over other types of 3D printers. DLP Printers are a very old technology that is now being used for printing 3D objects by making the best use of digital light processing technology.”

9. Material Jetting (MJ) Printer

Material jetting is a new type of 3D printing technology which makes use of inkjet printers to create objects in three dimensions using different types of materials like plastic, thermoplastic & metals etc. It is also known as direct metal deposition and it uses CAD-CAM software to remove any extra material from an existing object or we can say that it’s the inverse process of the SLS method.

The main purpose behind creating this technology was to reduce costs & increase efficiency both; using less powder on larger objects and faster printing time in comparison to laser sintering machines.

10. NanoParticle Jetting (NPJ) Printer

If we talk about the ancient history of 3D printers, then it all started from 2D paper printers which later became dominant with new technology types like inkjet, dot-matrix & thermal sublimation etc.

And now after almost 50 years of 2D printing technology, a new printer has come up which makes use of nanoparticles i.e. a size 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair for 3D printing.” NanoParticle Jetting is one type of 3D Printing technology that not only creates objects but also creates them layer by layer.

Today, 3D Printing is something that has been properly utilized by many companies to bring their products into life. This technology can be used in the making of almost any type of object or we can say that it’s a versatile form of printing which offers huge benefits over other types of printers.

11. Multi Jet Printers

Multi jet printers are also called continuous inkjet printers. They work by spraying tiny droplets of CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow & black) on the paper just like standard office printers do.

Multi Jet Printers were made to improve the printing speed and it’s an inexpensive type of 3D printer which is very easy to use.

The best part about this technology is that the user can easily change its nozzle for different types of colors in order to print objects from various materials like wood, metal etc.”

12. A3 printer

A3 size printers are also known as large format printers which make use of huge roll paper for printing purposes. There are many types of A3 printers like bubble jet, inkjet, LED & Dye sublimation, etc.

They print very quickly and the best thing about them is that they offer high resolutions with vibrant colors which makes printed objects look very attractive.”

13. Dental Printers

Digital dental printers are used to make crowns, bridges and other metal parts for teeth using CAD designs. This technology has helped many dentists save time & money both; as well as bringing smiles back on many faces . Nowadays it’s mostly being used by dentists from all over the world.

14. Banner Printers

Banner printers are those types of 3D printers which print on large banners and paper in roll form. They can be used to print banners, flags & other promotional materials for companies.

15. Drum Printer

A drum printer is a type of non-impact printer as well and it works on the principle of rotating drums.

The paper is passed around a stationary drum that’s covered in toner, which sticks to the drum.

The paper then passes under another roller that transfers the image onto it.

The printing speed depends on how fast the drums can rotate & how close we can bring them together for transferring an image at one time.

Well, there are multiple other types of printers, but these are the common one’s, If you want to know about t printers in more detail, you are welcome to email me, I would love to share my knowledge about printers with you!

Cheers!

what printer can i use with a chromebook

January 3, 2023 By mfarooq012012

what printer can i use with a chromebook

What printer can I use with a Chromebook? A question that is raised in every Chromebook user’s mind. Here, we’ll solve this query of yours by giving you information related to the compatibility of Chromebooks with printers.

Most of the latest technology printers are compatible with Chromebooks which was not possible few years ago. Still, you must make sure whether the printer that is fitting all your demands can print from your Chromebook or not. Otherwise, your purchase will be nothing more than a waste.

Hence, here we’ll guide you on what printer is compatible with Chromebook and how you can connect your Chromebook with the printer.

What printer is compatible with Chromebook?

Printers that are compatible with ChromeOS can print from Chromebook. You can even make some old printers compatible with your Chromebook by updating it and installing some software.

One of the most common and easy way to print from Chromebook is through Google Cloud Print which was introduced in 2001. Today, there are several ways to print with or without using Google Cloud Print.

Canon Printers, Brother Printers, and HP printers are mostly compatible with Chromebooks.

How to connect Chromebook with the printer?

There are three ways to connect Chromebook with Printers. It includes Google Cloud, Wireless (Automatically, Manually) and Wired Connection.

Connect Chromebook Through Google Cloud Print

The most commonly used method of printing from Chromebook is through Google Cloud Print. Therefore, follow these steps to be able to print via Google Cloud Print.

Make sure your computer and your printer are connected to the same Wifi Network.
Launch Google Chrome and make sure that you are logged in with the same account on Google Chrome as on Chromebook.
On Google Chrome, click on the menu button represented by 3 dots.

4. Then select the setting option.

5. In setting, search ‘Cloud Print’.

6. Select ‘Manage Cloud Print Devices’

7. Click on ‘Add Printers’

8. The following Window will appear. Click on ‘Add Printer(s)’.

9. Click on ‘Manage your Printers’ to go to Google Print.

10. From the menu on the left, select Printers to see a list of printers connected to your computer. Thus, when you’ll print from your Chrome browser from your Chromebook, these printers will produce the prints.

Connect Chromebook Through Wireless Network Connection (Detected Automatically)

Latest Printers enable you to connect directly to Chromebook using Wireless Internet Connection.

Here, you’ll also get to know how to print from Chromebook to hp printer. Follow the steps below to be able to connect the printer wirelessly with your Chromebook in few easy steps.

Click on the clock at the lower-right corner of your Chromebook. Then click on settings.

2. On the settings panel, type ‘Print’ and select ‘Printers’.

3. Click on ‘Add Printers’.

4. Select your printer’s name from the list and click on ‘Add’.

5. A successful wireless connection of your printer with your Chromebook has been made.

Connect Chromebook Through Wireless Network Connection (Adding Manually)

If your printer is of older technology or is not appearing automatically in the printer’s list for wireless connection, then you can follow these steps of manual connection.

Follow steps 1-4.
If your printer’s name is not appearing in the list, click on ‘Add Manually’.
Type the Printer’s IP address (You can find it in the printer’s display menu or settings) and leave the other two fields unchanged. Then Click on ‘Add’.

4. Type the Manufacturer and Model name. Then click on ‘Add’.

5. A successful wireless connection of your printer with Chromebook has been made.

Connect Chromebook Through Wired Network Connection

In this part of the article, your query that ‘can a Chromebook print to a USB printer’ will be addressed.

In this era, it is now possible to connect Chromebook with a printer using a USB cable. If you’re having trouble connecting a printer to Chromebook using the Internet, then you don’t need to worry! You can easily connect via a USB cable by following these steps:

Connect one side of a USB cable to Chromebook and the other end to your printer. You might have to use an adapter depending on the type of cable you are using.

2. Turn on your Chromebook.

2. Go to Settings.

4. In the search box, type ‘print’.

5. From the search result, click on ‘Printers’ and then on ‘Add Printer’.

6. Select your Printer’s name and click on ‘Add’.

7. Now, you’re ready to print anything from your Chromebook.

These few easy steps will enable you to print from your Chromebook using a wired connection. However, if you encounter any issues with your printer such as a printer validation failed problem, then check your printer manual for help.

What printers are compatible with Acer Chromebook?

Acer Chromebook is just like any other Chromebook having ChromeOS. Therefore, you can connect your printer to Acer Chromebook in the same way as you’ll connect it to any Chromebook.

Conclusion

Chromebooks are one of the advanced technology but getting them to connect with printers could be really difficult at times.

With the advancement of the era, each technology gets easier and convenient to use. Thus, Chromebook is also now not much difficult to connect with a printer.

In this article, you must have got your answer to ‘What printer can I use with Chromebook?’ Therefore, now you can print from your Chromebook using any printer in few minutes without facing any difficulty.

How To Make Any Printer Wireless

January 3, 2023 By mfarooq012012

How To Make Any Printer Wireless

One of the biggest hassles of owning a printer, especially if you own more than one, is that all of them need to be connected to your computer by means of a USB cord to print anything. If you are used to connecting a xerox printer to your computer then it’s fine. However, you can’t always go through the hassle all the time.

And you’re struggling with how to make any printer wireless!

This can be particularly annoying when it comes to laptops because most printers are very large and bulky.

It’s even more frustrating when you want to print something on a printer that’s located in another room.

Luckily, there is a way around this problem and you can make any printer wireless easily.

Here are some methods from which you can easily make your printer wireless.

Have Wireless Adapter For Your Specific Model
Connect Your Printer To Router Via USB
Connect Your Printer To Router Via Ethernet
Use Ethernet To WIFI Adapter

Now let’s dig into it and discuss each method in detail.

1. Have Wireless Adapter For Your Specific Model

This is the easiest method of all of the above methods.

All you have to do is purchase a wireless adapter for your printer.

This adapter plugs into the back of your printer and it will connect wirelessly to your computer or laptop so that you can print from anywhere in the house or office, even if you’re on the other floor!

Many companies make these adapters, but generally the most popular are Belkin and Linksys.

Linksys manufactures adapters that allow multiple printers to be connected to it at once so you don’t have to purchase another one for each device.

There are also third-party manufacturers that make wireless adapters like TP-Link and Zyxel.

So if you don’t own a wireless printer, this might be your best option to make your printer wireless.

2. Connect Your Printer To Router Via USB

If you have a wireless router in your home, then you can connect your printer to it via USB.

This allows you to print from the computer that’s connected wirelessly to the router just as if your printer was wired directly into it.

In order to do this, here are some simple steps:

Locate an empty USB port on your wireless router.

Plug the USB cable into an open port on your printer and router.

Your printer will be listed as a shared device on your computer screen and you can print from it just as if you are connected to the same network.

Make sure that you set your wireless router to share the printer, otherwise, this won’t work.

This is a very popular method among many people because it’s a simple and direct connection between the computer and printer.

3. Connect Your Printer To Router Via Ethernet

If you want to connect your printer directly to your router, then you’ll need an ethernet cable.

This allows you to connect both devices at once and print wirelessly from any computer in the office or home even if it’s located on another floor!

The steps to do this are simple:

Plug one end of the ethernet cable into your printer and the other end into an available port on your router.

Make sure that you use a spare ethernet port and not a USB port for this connection, otherwise, it won’t work.

You should see your printer listed in the available devices list on your computer.

From there, you can print directly to it like if it was physically connected.

This is also a very easy method to make any printer wireless and works well for most homes or offices.

4. Use Ethernet to WIFI Adapter

In order to make any printer wireless using this method, you’ll need two things:

An Ethernet cable
A WIFI Router that’s capable of sharing a connection

The good news is that many routers have the ability to do this, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to find one or purchase another one if your current one doesn’t allow this feature.

After you have these two things, follow these steps:

Plug the cable into an available port on your current router and plug the other end into your printer.
Next, visit the control panel of your WIFI Router and locate a section that says “sharing” or “ad hoc network” and you should see a list of all the connected devices.

In this section, select your printer from the list and click the “share” button.

Now, go to your computer or laptop and connect wirelessly to the new ad hoc wireless network that your router created for your printer.

Go to Control Panel and then Network and Internet. From there, click on the network that you just connected to.

You should see your printer as a shared device now. Just select it from the list and you can print directly to it without any wires!

This method allows you to make any wireless printer work with WIFI router because you are using an Ethernet cable to connect both devices.

Many people struggle with making their printer wireless because they don’t know where to start or what steps to take.

Luckily, there are several ways that you can make any printer wireless and it won’t cost you much money or take too long to do.

Why Would You Recommend A Dye Sublimation Printer

January 3, 2023 By mfarooq012012

Why Would You Recommend A Dye Sublimation Printer

When there’s a need to print highly detailed graphics on a piece of fabric, rubber, or polyester, that’s when the dye sublimation printer comes into role.

If you’re wondering that why would you recommend a dye sublimation printer, then here you’ll find the answer to your query.

Some Inkjet printers also have the capability to turn it into a dye sublimation printer. But first, let us tell you what is a dye sublimation printer.

What is a dye sublimation printer?

Sublimation printing is a process in which the design is first printed on heat transfer paper and then permanently tattooed on the material you want the print to be on.

When the ink on transfer paper is heated, it solidifies by turning into vapor. These vapors then permeate the fabric, rubber, or polyester material and produce high-quality graphics.

Why would you recommend a dye sublimation printer?

In the textile industry where printing on t-shirts or other fabrics takes place, a dye sublimation printer is used. Here are some reasons for it being recommended:

High-Resolution Graphics – Dye

Sublimation prints have a continuous tone and incredible high-quality as each dot of ink can have a different color.

Doesn’t Fade Away

It gets soaked and becomes a part of the material. Therefore, it doesn’t fade and doesn’t get destroyed by water.

Dries Quickly

In sublimation printing, the ink on the material dries up in no time. Thus, you don’t have to worry about ink smearing or wait for it to dry. Moreover, there’s no liquid ink. So, there’s no mess.

Prints Seam to Seam

It allows to print the whole fabric without any trouble.

Although on natural textiles like cotton, sublimation inks don’t work because the vaporized ink of the dye sublimation printer passes through the fabric and doesn’t print on it.

Conclusion

Why would you recommend a dye best sublimation printers? The main answer to this is that it does not get damaged by water unlike the Inkjet printer and maintains the quality and design.

Thus, for small batches of fabrics and plastics, a dye sublimation printer remains the most cost-effective and high-quality printing solution.

How to fix printer jam

January 3, 2023 By mfarooq012012

How to fix printer jam in Jan 2023?

Ouch! printer jam?

I can understand how it feels, but don’t worry, I am here to help you out with your paper jam.

There are multiple reasons that can cause a paper jam, here I am gonna discuss 13 main reasons why printer jams and their fixes.

1. Paper is stuck inside the printer. How to fix printer jam

This is one of the most common reasons that can cause your paper jam, especially when you use thicker paper.

Here is how you can fix this, open up your printer and remove all the papers that are stuck inside it. Now take out some thinner paper strips and stuff them in between gears and rollers.

2. Paper misfeed, or Feed roller problem. How to fix printer jam

If your printer jams while feeding paper then there is a possibility that the feed roller needs to be replaced so unplug your printer and replace your feed roller with a new one.

3. The problem with your feed gears. How to fix printer jam

If your paper jams while printing, then it might be a feed gear problem, so open up your printer and clean the dirt from the gears. In case there is a proper paper jam solution given by the manufacturer of your printer, follow those steps. Otherwise using compressed air would work as well to clean out dust from the inside of your printer.

4. Your print head is clogged. How to fix printer jam

Some printers have a print head that consists of sponge-like material which absorbs ink. So if this part becomes dirty or clogged with dried ink, then you can end up with a serious problem like a paper jam. So keep an eye on the condition of that part and clean it every 2-3 months.

5. The problem with your paper tray. How to fix printer jam

Since this is an important part of a printer, always handle it with care. If you feed the paper roughly then its teeth might get damaged which can cause multiple problems like misfeeds and jams.

6. The problem with the paper rollers. Jammed paper

If you have an older printer, then there is a chance that its paper rollers are worn out. So what you can do in this case is replace them with new ones because it’s better to spend some money on new parts rather than buying a whole new printer.

7. The problem with your software. Paper jam error

It might be possible that if your computer isn’t able to communicate properly with your printer then it can cause various problems like jamming or misfeeds, so make sure that both of them are compatible with each other.

8. The problem with the fuser unit. Jammed paper

So if your printer keeps on jamming at the same place or you can hear a weird noise from inside, then it might be a problem with the fuser unit. So stop using your printer and check for any loose parts, broken gears, or something that is blocking the entrance to remove the paper. Also, make sure that there isn’t much dirt inside as well.

9. The problem with the laser lens in laser printer

If none of this works, then it means that you have to replace your laser lens in your laser printer because this is a serious issue. And only an expert technician should deal with this matter because improper replacement will burn out your whole printing mechanism, so if you are not 100% sure that you can do it then ask an expert technician to replace this part for you, or drive your printer to the nearest service center.

10. The problem with the support rollers

If you notice a jam occurring again and again at one specific location on your paper, then there is a chance that it can be due to worn-out support rollers situated near the ink cartridge.

So if the issue is from those parts, then replacing those rollers will solve your problem without any hassle.

But if they are clean and fine still, jams occur again and again at one specific place, then there is something more serious than just worn out rollers so don’t try this method by yourself because only an expert technician would know how to fix this problem.

11. The problem with the gears

If there isn’t an issue with rollers and your printer no longer creates a proper paper path through the input tray then probably some gear has gotten loose inside due to age or heat damage.

So you need to check all of its gears properly and then re-align them in the right position. But make sure that you are dealing with this issue on your own because improper alignment can cause more damage to your printer, so don’t try this method unless you are sure of what you are doing.

12. The problem with the carriage. Paper jams

This is another serious problem if it occurs due to which your printer won’t be able to move its heads over paper thus creating a jam inside the mechanism. So don’t touch anything without checking for loose parts, ink cartridges, broken gears, or any other issues that might be blocking the paper path.

13. The problem with the power supply

Last but not the least, there is a chance that your printer is facing an issue with its electrical components. So if it isn’t able to supply power properly to different components due to low voltage or some other reason then it can cause various problems like paper jams or misfeeds so make sure that you are checking for this problem as well.

So these are the most common reasons behind paper jams in printers which you should keep in mind before attempting any DIY method because only an expert technician would know how to fix them without causing any further damage.

And always remember that replacing parts might be costly for you but it’s better than buying a whole new printer, so don’t try DIY methods unless you are 100% sure about what you

These were some of the ways you can fix your printer paper jam, sometimes even restarting your printer can do the trick. But if these steps don’t solve your issue then feel free to contact me here or comment down below for further help.

FAQs: How to fix printer jam

How do I fix a jammed HP printer?

To fix a jammed HP printer, follow these steps:

Turn off the paper tray and carefully remove any paper jammed inside the printer. Check for any torn or stuck paper and gently pull it out, avoiding any force.
Once the remaining paper is cleared, check the printer’s rollers for any debris or obstructions, and clean them if necessary. Afterward, restart the printer, and it should be ready to use again. If the issue persists, refer to the printer’s user manual or contact HP support for further assistance.

How do I restart my printer after jam?

To restart your printer after a paper jam, follow these steps:

First, turn off the printer and unplug it from the power source.
Wait for a few minutes to allow the printer’s internal components to reset. Then, plug the printer back in, turn it on, and it should be ready to use again. Ensure there are no more paper jams before attempting to print.

Why is my printer jammed?

Paper jams can occur due to various reasons, including:

Incorrect paper loading: Using the wrong type or size of paper, or improperly loading paper into the tray, can lead to jams.
Worn-out or dirty rollers: Over time, printer rollers can accumulate dust and debris, causing them to lose traction and leading to paper jams. Regular maintenance and cleaning can help prevent this issue.

How do I stop my printer from jamming paper?

To prevent your printer from jamming paper, follow these tips:

Use the correct type and size of paper recommended by the printer’s manufacturer.
Ensure the paper is loaded properly in the paper tray and avoid overfilling it. Regularly clean the printer’s rollers to prevent dust and debris buildup. Additionally, handle the paper with care to avoid bending or tearing, and keep the printer in a clean and dust-free environment.

Conclusion: How to fix printer jam

In conclusion, paper jams can be a common and frustrating issue, but they can be easily resolved with the right knowledge and troubleshooting steps. By following the guidelines provided in this article, users can tackle printer jams effectively and get their printers back to smooth and efficient operation.

Remember to practice regular printer maintenance, use high-quality paper, and handle the paper trays with care to minimize the occurrence of paper jams and maintain optimal printing performance.