If you have a computer today, you usually have one too printer , The device is out of our everyday life almost impossible to think away. We need to print forms, the children’s essay or just a nice picture. This is usually lightning fast nowadays. Just pressed quickly on the right button and already the desired content on paper is banned. For home use, they are available with a laser or the good old ink cartridges. Common to all models is the low purchase price. Expensive it gets with cartridges and toner. But how did it all start? When did people actually start printing at home? And what development will the technology take in the coming years?

The development of the printer

The typewritercan be considered as the first forerunner of today’s prints. It worked with a ribbon. About this the letters were put on paper with a kind of stamp. Whenever a letter was pressed, a mechanism buckled against the belt. An impression was made. Later, there were typewriters that could store individual passages. Even very early developed were calculators that could create documents. They worked in a similar way in principle. The numbers were printed over a ribbon on a narrow strip of paper. The forerunners of our today printer were the Dot matrix printers, In them, as the name suggests, needles worked. They brought small dots to paper. In this way, numbers, letters and symbols could be immortalized on paper. However, no normal paper. Paper webs were used in the dot matrix printers. Only with them could the printer work. The technology is still used occasionally today. For example, in authorities and medical practices. Wherever documents need to be processed that can only be printed with these dot matrix prints. But even these are being replaced piece by piece by modern devices. Because it is very difficult to get spare parts for the mostly very old devices.

inkjet

With them stopped the printer Move into the German households. They work with ink. This is brought out of the medium via the print heads in very small and fine droplets. Since about the mid-1990s, this technology is making great progress. Into the households came the inkjetabout their comparatively low price. The cartridges were comparatively cheap. The first models could only produce very schematic illustrations. Quick results were much better. So soon photos could be printed on the domestic device. For this, however, a special paper was necessary. Also consumed the printer a lot of ink for photos. This still makes the printing of photos very expensive. Inkjet printers were able to print various media in home use. Popular are so-called transfer foils. Here a motif can be printed, for example with the Ironto a T-shirtcan be brought.
In the household, so-called multifunction devices are now standard. You also have one scannerand a USB interface. From this, photos can be printed directly from the camera. A computer is no longer necessary. With the scanner direct copies in small quantities are possible. For photographers meanwhile small mobile devices were developed. They can be taken along and connected directly to the camera.

laser

Are now laseralso to be found in the household. The reason is the steadily falling prices. However, laser printers started their triumphant advance in the offices of this world. Laser printers are photo-electronic printers that work with a color drum. It rotates and moves a laser beam. This hits the paper either point by line or line by line. On the laser becomes active in one place depends on the respective data. The color comes from the respective toner. The only difference between color and monochrome printers is the toner. The advantage of this technology is the high speed with which it works. In addition, the results are not blurred by moisture. This is an advantage that the laser has to the inkjet. For example, if printed pages with a Highlightermarked, it may be that the text blurs. Such a thing is not to be feared with the laser printer.
At the beginning, this technology was still very expensive. So she was only in offices and companies represented, where it came to fast and good results. Laser printers were also very inflexible. So it was only possible for most people to print paper in DinA 4 format. In the meantime, that has changed. The devices have now arrived in the consumer market. As with other printers, it is also here that the devices are very cheap. Expensive it is the accessories. For toner, the consumer has to reach very deep into the bag. This applies to Color Laser printersreinforced again. The household appliances are still very inflexible. They still manage to make a maximum of one DinA4 sheet, even today. For this, the technology of color lasers has evolved. The printers can print photo-realistic products on paper. However, that is also very expensive. This requires the high material usage. For a photo comparatively much toner is needed. If one color dominates, only one toner cartridge is worn out. The consequence: It must be replaced, although some colors are still sufficiently filled.

The future of printers

Over the next few years, printers will be three-dimensional. It will no longer be just paper that can be printed. 3D printerare already able to create objects today. Nozzles inject different materials into shape. This happens layer by layer. In a certain amount of time, a model that really can be touched arises. Which materials are processed, is irrelevant in principle. Classically, one is dealing with different plastics. But the development is progressing steadily. In medicine, there are already the first experiments with organic materials. Even food should be printed in the future.
Also for private use, the devices are now available. These all work with plastics. However, they are not widespread yet. The reasons are certainly the high costs for material and equipment as well as the complex handling. To print one must create a 3D model of the object. This requires special programs that can not be easily operated. Also, the computer needs a lot of computing power. If you want to work with photos, for example, this has to be reworked in a complex way. Also, this is not possible with every template. As a rule, there must be recordings from all sides. It remains to be seen where this technology is still developing.