| er printer and an inkjet printer offer advantages | | | | can produce one hundred twenty full-color pages |
| and disadvantages in printing jobs. | | | | per minute (120 full-color pages / minute). |
| The laser printer and the inkjet printer have | | | | However, this speed of the newest piezoelectric |
| significant differences in their mechanisms and | | | | inkjet printer is slower compared to the laser |
| technology behind them. Their capacities and | | | | printers released in the market. |
| limitations are dependent on their individual | | | | The laser printer uses laser beam and dry ink |
| characteristics. | | | | called toner to produce printed copies. The laser |
| The contemporary inkjet printer uses three | | | | beam projects an image of the page to be |
| technologies that vary from printer to printer. | | | | printed onto the electrically charge rotating drum |
| They are the thermal technology found in the | | | | coated with selenium. The photoconductivity |
| thermal inkjet printer, the piezoelectric technology | | | | removes the charge from the areas exposed to |
| found in the piezoelectric inkjet printer (also | | | | the light. Then, the toner particles are |
| known as piezo inkjet printer) and the continuous | | | | electrostatically picked up by the charged areas of |
| technology found in the continuous inkjet printer. | | | | the drum. |
| The thermal inkjet printer uses photolithography. | | | | After that, the drum prints the image onto the |
| The print cartridges are heated electrically to print. | | | | paper by heat and direct contact. This procedure |
| Heat runs through the current until steam forms | | | | fuses the ink to the paper. The laser printer can |
| and cause bubbles. | | | | print much faster than the piezoelectric inkjet |
| This bubble propels a droplet of ink onto the | | | | printer, considered the fastest in the inkjet group. |
| paper. The ink’s surface tension and | | | | The fastest laser printer can print twelve |
| condensation lead to the contraction of the vapor | | | | thousand monochrome pages per hour (12000 |
| bubble. Ink further travels through a narrow tube | | | | monochrome pages / hr) and six hundred |
| to an ink reservoir. This process enables the | | | | full-color pages per hour (600 full-color pages / hr). |
| thermal inkjet printer to form an image | | | | In terms of prices, the laser printers are more |
| commonly called printed copy. | | | | expensive than any inkjet printers. However, the |
| The continuous inkjet printer is one of the oldest | | | | dry ink or toner or cartridge used by the laser |
| technologies used in inkjet printers. The continuous | | | | printer has longer life compared to the liquid ink or |
| printer uses a pump with high pressure. This | | | | cartridge that is used by the inkjet printers. That |
| high-pressure pump pushes the liquid ink from the | | | | is why ink replacement in laser printer is cheaper |
| reservoir through the gun body and then through | | | | than in inkjet printer. |
| the microscopic nozzle. This process creates a | | | | In terms of maintenance, the cartridge of the |
| continuous stream of the droplets of ink via the | | | | laser printer normally includes the photoreceptor |
| Plateau-Rayleigh instability. | | | | or the photoconductor unit, the toner, the waste |
| The piezoelectric inkjet printer uses a piezoelectric | | | | toner bottles, and the various wiper blades. |
| technology. Droplets of ink produce the printed | | | | Conversely, most inkjet cartridges often require |
| copy. | | | | replacements for just a short period of use. |
| Piezoelectric inkjet printer supports broad variety | | | | The inkjet printer with fixed print heads also |
| of inks compared to the thermal inkjet printer as | | | | requires replacement of the whole unit if the print |
| well as to the continuous inkjet printer. The | | | | heads are damaged. For inkjet printers using |
| piezoelectric inkjet printer also provides the | | | | replaceable print heads, the replacement of ink |
| fastest printing rates, the highest volume of | | | | cartridge is more expensive than the replacement |
| outcome, and the lowest costs of printing. In fact, | | | | of the regular ink cartridge. |
| the newest release of piezoelectric inkjet printer | | | | |