Printers

  • Allow to generate hardcopy documents
  • Modern printers can be categorized into several types
    • Impact, ikject, dye-sublimation, thermal, laster, 3-d, and virtual

All-in-one printer

  • Wireless
  • Print in color
  • Usually Print fast

Types of prints

  • Dot Matrix - not used anymore
  • Inkjet - Most common for home
  • Laser - most common for office
  • All in one- small offices and sometimes homes

Inkjet cartridges

  • There is a black cartridge

Network Printer

  • Directly connected to an internal or external network
  • Printer runs a server listening for connections to run print jobs
  • Provides cloud access to print directly to a printer

Dye-Sublimation Printers

  • High printers
  • Use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black method of color print
  • Cost more money
  • Slower than most printers

Thermal Printers

  • Mostly used for black and white printing
  • Thermal wax printers require a special kind of paper to print on

Laser Printers

  • Laser printers use elctro-photographic imaging to produce high-quality and high-speed output of text and graphics They use photoconductive compounds - when exposed to light will conduct electricity
  • use toner cartridges
  • Toners have several mechanical parts that usually get a lot of wear and tear
  • The black toner used in the laser printers is typically carbo mixed into polyester resin
  • Color toner trades carbon for the other pigments

3-D Printers

  • Home use printers use
    • use plastic filament to create 3-D models

Virtual Printers

  • Print to PDF
  • Print to XPS
  • Print to Image
  • Cloud and Remote Printing

Printer Languages

  • ASCII
  • PostScript
  • HP Printer Command Language (PCL)
  • Windows CDI and XPS
  • XPS

Scanners

  • Can make digitial copies of existing paper photos, documents, drawings, etc.
  • Flatbed scanners are the most common variety of scanner
  • Some scanners and multifunction devices have an automatic document feeder (ADF)
  • The scanning software that controls the hardware can be built into applications or stand alone
  • Default driver are the traditional TWAIN drivers
  • GNU Image manipulation Program (GIMP) is open source image editor
  • Some scanners offer a feature called optical character recognition
  • Scanners convert the scanned image into a grid of pixels (dots)
  • Max number of pixesl or resolution dtermines how good an image it can scna
  • Optical resolution is native and softwrae based resolution is useless
  • The color depth of a scan defines the number of bits of information the scanner can use to describe each individual pixels

Troubleshooting

Configuration

  • Paper
    • Type
    • Size
    • Quality
    • Manual/auto feed
  • Layout
  • Scaling
  • Reverse (inver or mirror)
  • Duplex: One side or both sides, collate

Tools

  • Cleaning supplies
  • Extra cartridges
  • Mutlimeter
  • Basic tool kit, screwdrivers, pliers, forceps, magnets
  • USB drive with test print documents and generic drivers/documentation

Common Issues

Not Printing

  • Check obvious issues
  • Check spooler and print queue

Unexpected size/color

  • Check settings

Garbled characters/misaligned

  • Calibrate the printer/cartridge
  • Check drivers

Display Screen Issues

  • Could be due to wear/tear or freeze up
  • Firmware updates

Power on

  • the initial powering up requires more power than when operational
  • Laser printer - turn on the printer first, wait for the warm up before turning on computesr

Smudges or partial prints

  • Check th eprint head (esp. if it’s a inkjet printer) adjust if necessary

Injket printer issues

  • Inkjet printers are failry stable and good for sustained use these days
  • Most come with some manintenance software you can download from manufacture site
  • Clean clogged nozzles with water Check if the manufacturur approved ink cartridge is being used, calibrated and has ink inside
  • Humidity and environmental factors

3D Printers

  • Stringing issues
  • Overheating and melting of products
  • Clogged extruders - can be cleaned with rubbing alchohol
  • Layer shifting