What is printer?
Printer is the output device that allows the user to print the data on paper. The output that is produced by the printer is also called as hard copy. it is the physical version of the electronic document. These electronic documents can be printed in both black and while as well as in colour as per the requirement of the user.
Today, with the advancement in technology, various types of printers are available in the market. These printers vary in size, speed, interfaces, quality, sophistication and cost. When a person goes to buy a printer, he should check the following features in a printer:
Speed: It signifies the number of pages that the printer can print per minute. It is measured in Page Per Minute (ppm). The speed of the printer becomes vital when it is required to print a huge number of pages. Generally, colour printing is slower than black and white printing.
Colour: Colour is a very important feature of a printer. When a person requires to print a page for presentation, maps, or any page where colour indicates a part of information, colour printing becomes very necessary. Colour printers are generally costlier than the black and white printers because colour printers have two ink cartridges, one colour and the other black ink. Colour printer can be used for both colour and black and white printing.
Resolution: Resolution indicates the sharpness and clarity of the images. It is measured in dots per inch (dpi). Generally, for a monochrome printer (i.e., printer that prints using blank ink only), the minimum resolution is 600 dpi whereas the resolution for coloured printer starts at 1200 dpi.
I/O Interfaces: Interface means the various ways by which a printer can be connected to a computer. Various types of interfaces like Cat5, Firewire, IMP-1150, Parallel port, SCSI, serial port, USB and Wi-Fi are used to connect the printer to a computer. However, the most common types of interface used now-a-days are USB and Wi-Fi.
Paper handling Capacity: Paper handling capacity means the type and amount of paper that can be loaded and handled by the printer. A printer should be able to handle various types of paper like labels, envelops, card stocks, acetate, etc. Similarly, the amount of paper that can be loaded into the printer tray is also very important because if it is overloaded then it may cause paper jams. So, high capacity output tray is always preferable if you need to print a lot of pages at a time.
Multifunctioning Capacity: Now-a-day many printers are available in the market that can perform multiple functions like scan, photocopy, fax, print, etc. Such multifunctining printer may be a little costlier but are effective.
