Computer printer

A computer printer is a device that produces hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics usually on paper) from data stored in a computer connected to it.

Most general-purpose printers currently sold to individuals and businesses are either laser printers or ink jet printers. Dye-sublimation printers are used by those who work with high-quality color graphics professionally.

A number of other sorts of printers are important for historical reasons, or for special purpose uses:

• Impact printer- All impact printers have certain advantages, such as the ability to make multiple copies using carbon paper, and the use of familiar typewriter mechanisms such as ribbons.
• Ballistic wire printer (dot matrix- often used in cash registers)
• Stored energy printer (dot matrix- lowest cost of ownership)
• Teletype
• Lineprinter (Often used in older cash registers)
• IBM Selectric typewriter
• Thermal printer

Some more generic terms used to classify printers:

• Character matrix printer- prints a matrix of dots that's a character high
• Line matrix printer- prints a matrix of dots that's the width of the printer
• dot matrix printer:Prints by making dots on the paper in a square array. Most are character matrix printers. High-end dot matrix printers are line-matrix printers. Any printing technology can be used.
• Page printer- Prints a page at a time.

Often the Razor and blades business model ia applied. That is, a company may sell a printer at cost, and make profits on the ink cartridge, paper, or some other replacement part.

See also: PostScript, PCL, color, multifunctional