subject: Printer Has Proven To Be A Popular Peripheral [print this page] Printing is a process where in we are able to verbalize our ideas to the mass in a one single blow. It has been a significant means of advertisement, announcement or any other mass communication mode. Initially, talking about the ancient times, it was done using wood stencils on clay sheets. Later paper was invented followed by ink which brought about a huge change the print media industry. But when computers came into existence there was a complete paradigm shift in the printing process. Everything became electronic and only the printed paper was the physical form we got in the end. But as we all know that even computers, processors and other important gadgets have undergone huge advancements how could an essential peripheral like printer be left behind.
First computer goes back to the days of 1953, where the first printer was specifically developed for the first computer, the UNIVAC. But later on when general computers came into market, printers were introduced for them. Initially, the printers constituted either a set of alphabets or other printable characters already embossed on print heads or on wheels or in the pattern similar to type-writers and on basis of electronic signals they used to hit the paper and print the characters. The drawback with these peripherals was that it couldnt print anything except the pre-installed set of characters or shapes or designs. Also different colors were not possible to be used as they worked on single ink only. But then the dot-matrix printers were introduced where the print head had a matrix of dots and each dot was provided with the signal so that could print lots of characters and also some of shapes. But that too didnt prove to be an efficient mode of printing.
Later on inkjet printers were introduced and also laser printers came into the market. These two types of printers were very versatile and could be manufactured in various types of formats for cheap and conventional home printing to large scale professional printing. In inkjet printers, as its name suggests, it has a jet filled with ink which can form any shape or even image necessary. While in laser printers, there is a laser beam which projects the image to be printed on electronically charged paper on the drum and thus printing takes place. These are quite expensive and are used where high quality graphical printing is necessary.
Printers have evolved to the extent that companies like HP, Canon, etc made millions just by making printers. They are an essential component today in business and in life.
