Three Business Printers Explained

Whether you’re a writer, a graphic designer, or a shipping/tracking manager, you no doubt realize the importance of printers in the workplace. An on-screen display is nice and all, but sometimes there just isn’t a substitute for a physical object you can hold in your hand. But as with any technology, there isn’t just one printer which is perfect for all printing applications. As the three examples provided above prove, for each application there is a unique and exact nature for each type of printing project. In the business world, there are three main classes of printers which, in general, cover most professional needs. These three classes are: Inkjet Printers, Plotters, and Thermal Printers. Provided below is a short explanation of each class and an example of a printer within that class.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are the most common, and you are probably already very well aware of and familiar with these printers. Inkjet printers are an excellent implement at home and in the office, and are great for the printing of documents and low quality images. Inkjet printers vary in size, from desktop models which print a few pages a minute to industrial models (mostly used in offices) which print hundreds of pages a minute. Inkjet printers work by transcribing data from a computer, laying out the space of paper media into a grid. A printer head moves across this grid and “jets” ink onto the paper in the corresponding areas of the grid.

Plotters

Plotters are a type of printer which is used primarily by visual media professionals such as architectural designers, graphic designers, and advertisers. Plotters are great for professional photographic prints as well as large-scale poster prints. Plotters normally range from 24 inch print widths up to 60 inch print widths. Plotters operate differently than an Inkjet printer. Whereas an inkjet printer sprays ink onto the media, a plotter works by moving a pen across the paper and “drawing” out a picture. Plotters are great for printing vector images, and in general are capable of much higher-quality prints. Whereas an inkjet breaks a printing job into a grid, a plotter calculates the shortest route for the pen to travel, resulting in an apparently erratic (although mathematically correct) printing path.

Thermal Printers

Thermal printers are unique in that they operate entirely without ink. Thermal printers work by producing a reaction in the paper they print on. The paper is treated with a thermochromic chemical which, upon exposure to heat, changes colors (usually to black or red). Thermal printers feed paper under a thermal print head which heats an element to produce an image by exposing the thermal paper. Heated areas turn black, allowing for an inkless print to appear. Thermal printers are utilized quite often in thermal barcode printing. As an example, the Datamax R42-00-18000Y07 is utilized often in the production of shipping/tracking/inventory tags, printing two to four-inch tags for business applications. Each printer has its own area of precise application. Knowing which printer is best for you will greatly increase the efficiency of your future printer purchases.