Which is the best printer? Types of printers and their differences

Nowadays, whether it is in companies, enterprises, schools, or even families, printers are indispensable. There are different types and styles of printers on the market. So, what types of printers are there? Which office printer is the best? Below, I will give you a comprehensive analysis of several common office printers, and explain their respective characteristics, uses, and purchase guides, so that you can work more worry-free!



Printers are divided by technology type

01. Dot Matrix Printer
Definition: The carbon paper is struck by 24 needles in the print head to form Fonts can be divided into micro-, flat-push, report, general-purpose roller and other needle-type printers for different purposes.
Advantages: The dot matrix printer has the characteristics of uniqueness, low cost and durability. Disadvantages The printing speed is relatively slow and the noise is relatively large.
Purpose: To be used for printing receipts, invoices and other bills, suitable for people in financial, ticketing and other positions.
Purchase points: The flat-push needle type printer can greatly reduce the probability of paper jams and paper jams while ensuring high-speed printing; to print small tickets or 58mm invoices, micro needle-type printers can be used.

02. Laser printer
Definition: It consists of laser, acousto-optic modulator, high-frequency drive, scanner, synchronizer and optical deflector, etc. It is a combination of laser scanning technology and electrophotography. Technology combined print output device.
Advantages: Fast printing speed, stable printing effect, high image quality, and batch printing of documents. Disadvantages: The price and consumables are expensive, you cannot use carbon paper to print multiple copies at the same time, and the requirements for paper are high.
Usage: Most of them are suitable for the company’s office staff to print a large number of documents.
Purchase points: For companies or enterprises with a large number of prints, it is recommended to purchase a laser printer with a printing speed of more than 20 pages per minute.

Color Laser Printers
Black and White Laser Printers
03. Inkjet Printers
Definition: Different voltages are applied to the printing port by the circuit, so that the printing ink is vaporized and then sprayed on Complete the printing purpose on paper.
Advantages: Small size, affordable price, low printing noise, good image imaging effect.
Disadvantages: slow printing speed, poor batch printing ability, difficult to meet the heavy load of printing jobs.
Usage: It is more suitable for small companies or families to print documents, pictures and photos, etc.
Purchase points: For high-quality color output or printed pictures, it is recommended to purchase an inkjet printer with a resolution of at least 1200DPI or more and a color of more than 6 colors.

04. 3d printer
Definition: It is a digital model file based, using powder metal or plastic and other adhesive materials to construct objects by layer-by-layer printing Technology.
Advantages: Safe printing environment and high reliability; long service life and high stability of industrial nozzles.
Disadvantages: It has the weakness of high cost and long working hours, and it has no advantages in large-scale production.
Uses: Industrial manufacturing, cultural creativity and digital entertainment, direct manufacturing of parts, DIY works design and manufacturing.
Purchase points: Generally, the larger size of the machine will cost more. Only by knowing the size of the machine can you choose a suitable 3D printer according to the actual and reasonable. In addition, there is also the issue of accuracy to consider.

05. Thermal printer
Definition: A semiconductor heating element is installed on the print head. After the print head is heated and contacts the thermal printing paper, the desired pattern can be printed.
Advantages: Thermal printing has the advantages of fast speed, low noise, clear printing and easy use.
Disadvantage: Can’t print double pages directly, and the printed documents can’t be saved permanently.
Application: Thermal printers have been widely used in POS terminal systems, banking systems, medical instruments and other fields.
Purchase points: The quality of thermal paper directly affects the printing quality and storage time. We can smear the printed paper with a highlighter and put it in the sun. Which kind of paper will turn black fastest, explain The shorter the time that can be saved.

06. Ink tank printer
Definition: It refers to the support of large-capacity ink tank, which can achieve ultra-high printing volume and ultra-low printing cost for a single set of consumables, and users can enjoy the printing head Printers with original full machine warranty service inside.
Advantages: With wireless connection function, it can realize cloud printing, wireless direct printing, printing using mobile app.
Disadvantages: The printing speed and color will be slightly inferior to laser printers, and the nozzle will be blocked if not used for a long time.
Uses: Suitable for small print volumes, households or small-scale companies.
Shopping Points: Dye ink prints better and more vivid photos. If you have high requirements for black documents, such as the requirement that there should be no problems in storage, and you cannot see clearly because of being wet with water, choose pigment ink.

Printers are classified by usage
01. Barcode printers
Barcode printers are a type of machine that specializes in printing barcodes and are a type of printer. When printing barcodes, barcode printers need to heat the printing head, and use this heat to move the toner from the ribbon to the paper, so that the barcodes are printed.

02. Photo printers
There are two common types of photo printers: inkjet photo printers and dye-sublimation photo printers. Limitations, its print resolution is not too high, so it can only meet the needs of ordinary users.

03. uv printer
The working principle of UV printer is that one nozzle is responsible for one color, and at least four basic colors are required to print a beautiful pattern, and the gradient effect can be requested according to the color of the picture. and color fineness to increase the number of nozzles to meet the requirements of beautiful and realistic patterns. Equipped with UV lamp, it can make the printing pattern dry immediately after printing, and take samples immediately.

04. Receipt printer
A printer for printing various special receipts, such as printing receipts and invoices in shopping malls and supermarkets, as well as printers for printing VAT invoices for financial purposes of various companies, etc. , In addition, there are portable ticket printers for traffic police to issue tickets on the spot, and check printers for financial use.

05. Portable Printers
Portable printers are compact and easy-to-carry printers, mainly designed to meet the printing needs of users on the move. Widely used in multi-office fields such as traffic police law enforcement.

Mini Printer
Mini Printer
Printers are divided by connection method
01. Wireless bluetooth printer
Apply bluetooth technology to the printer, get rid of the printer connection The inconvenience brought about by wireless printing can reduce unpleasant cables on the desktop, and the printer can be moved away from the host and placed in a suitable location in the room.
02. usb printers
Most new printers work through the USB printer port. The name is only used to identify the specific USB port in use, not a special design.
03. Wired printer
Wired network printing is the way to print directly when the printer is connected to the computer. It can also realize network contribution through network sharing to realize that multiple computers share a printer. In this way, users on the network can share the printing device of the computer through the connection with the computer.
04. Mobile app printer
The mobile app printer can help you get rid of the shackles of traditional printers, edit documents online at any time, and remotely control the printer to start printing, bringing you a more convenient and efficient office experience. 05. Cloud printer
Cloud printing refers to the Internet-based, integrating the resources of printing service providers, building a shared printing platform, and providing users with quality-standardized printing services anytime, anywhere. Users with printing rights can log in to the (software) platform through mobile phones, cameras, computers and other devices. After simple settings, they can use various printing devices to print text, pictures and other information.

Printer selection points
Determine the type of printer
If you need to print receipts, etc., you should choose a dot matrix printer; if you need to print quickly and a large number of content, you should choose a laser printer ; If it is used at home, the number of prints is limited, and generally you can buy a cheaper inkjet printer.
Determine printer performance
For example, in terms of resolution, for text printing, 600dpi is already quite good print quality, and for photo printing, higher resolutions can print higher Rich color gradations and smoother mid-tone transitions typically require resolutions above 1200dpi.
Determine the brand of the printer
Well-known brands of printers have guaranteed quality, generally good after-sales service, usually for one year, and consumables are relatively easy to buy.