Printers
This is a guide on printers.
Laser Printers
In this presentation we'll examine all of the physical components that are involved with producing a laser-printed image. But before we get to that, let's just take a look at what's known as the raster image processor. And this is a component that is, of course, responsible for producing the original image to be printed. And a raster image is simply anything that is converted into a sequence of pixels or dots.
Now in this graphic, the square colored pixels would be, essentially, what you would see on your screen, and we typically refer to that as a pixelated image. [Video description begins] A diagram is displayed. It includes two A's in lowercase, represented in both pixel and dot format on the left and right, respectively. [Video description ends] And pixel, by the way, stands for picture element. And on the right we see sort of round dots instead of colored squares. This would be what a laser printer would produce, and this is where the value dots per inch comes into play. So they're much smaller than what you would actually see here, but in either case, whether it's pixels or dots per inch, the more you have, the better the image. So higher values certainly are desirable when you want the best quality, but that's essentially, what a raster image is all about. Just taking that original input and breaking it down into these much smaller units.
So then, as far as the physical components are concerned with the laser printer itself, the imaging drum really is at the heart of the process. This is a rotating round cylinder that is photosensitive, so images are written onto the drum by shining that focused laser light onto it. And the primary charge roller, or what's known as the corona wire, is responsible for applying a negative voltage to that drum. And it's typically between negative 500 and 1,000 volts, but most commonly around negative 600. But the idea is the fact that, because there is an electric charge on that drum, toner is attracted to it. But it is only applied to the drum where the laser strikes it.
So, again, what happens is that the entire drum is charged by the corona wire. Since it's photosensitive, wherever the laser strikes it, it drains off the charge. Now the toner on this toner-coated roller also has a negative charge. So negative charges will repel each other. The toner will not come off the roller to areas of the drum that still have a charge. But where the laser strikes it, the charge is drained off. So the toner is attracted to the areas where there is no charge, and essentially this is how the image is produced.
So you could see that the laser scanning unit actually shines onto a mirror, and this is responsible for very tightly focusing the laser onto the drum in the appropriate places. [Video description begins] The presenter points to a diagram of the interior of a laser printer. A corona wire applies an even charge to the imaging drum. A laser scanning unit projects light onto the imaging drum via a mirror to negatively charge sections of the drum. A coated roller transfers toner to the imaging drum. [Video description ends]
So then the fuser assembly and the pick-up rollers are involved with, of course, moving the paper through and ensuring that the toner is quite literally melted onto the paper. The fuser assembly gets very hot and it quite literally melts the toner onto the paper. And the pick-up rollers are responsible for, quite literally, picking the paper up and feeding it through the printer.
So then the transfer belt and transfer roller are responsible for the toner being transferred to the paper. They apply an opposite charge, so it attracts the toner to the paper itself. Now a transfer roller is typically what you're going to find in a black and white laser printer. A transfer belt is typically what you would find in a color laser printer because it applies different colors to different areas of the belt. But that's not necessary with just black and white, so it only needs a roller.
And then there are separation pads and possibly a duplexing assembly, if it's capable of printing on both sides. Now the separation pad is purely for the paper. And these little tiny rollers at the top move in the opposite direction of the pick-up rollers to simply try to prevent two pages from going through the printer at the same time. [Video description begins] He points to a J-shaped pad with rollers mounted on one end. [Video description ends]
And the duplexing assembly, again, is a feed-through that could quite literally flip the paper over so that it can print on the other side. And again, this is a feature of the printer. Certain printers will have duplexing capabilities, some will not. [Video description begins] He points to a tray-like assembly, which includes levers and mounting brackets. [Video description ends] It might even be an attachment that you can add after the fact, so it could be a module.
But those are all of the components that are involved. And if you are servicing a laser printer, then many of these components are replaceable. So, whereas with an inkjet printer, if something physically breaks, in most cases it's less expensive to just replace the entire printer, than it is to service it. But most laser printers have many serviceable components, so you can usually just replace them, and essentially the printer is as good as new.
Laser Printer Imaging Process
So now that we've seen all of the physical components in the previous presentation, in this presentation, we'll try to put it all together with respect to the process of ultimately producing a printed page.
So step 1 is processing. And during this phase, the image itself is converted to a raster image, again, by the raster image processor. And it's stored in the printer's memory.
The charging phase, then, is where we see that negative voltage applied to the drum itself, using the primary charge roller, or what's known as the corona wire. And typically, again, this is between -500 and -1,000 volts, most commonly around -600 volts. But again, this charges the entire drum as it rotates around.
The exposing phase, then, is where the laser actually shines on the drum, and because it's a photosensitive drum, as mentioned previously, this drains off the charge wherever the laser strikes it.
Then developing is the process of the toner being applied to the drum. Again, the toner has the same negative charge, so negative charges repel each other. But since the laser has drained off that charge in specific areas, the toner is attracted to those areas.
Then, during transfer, we see the toner being transferred from the imaging drum onto the paper itself. And then fusing is where we see the fusing roller applying heat and pressure to quite literally melt the toner onto the paper.
And then finally, the cleaning process is where an actual blade, very much like a wiper blade on a windshield, scrapes off any residual toner. And you may also see in some models a recharge, whereby there's a lamp that shines on the drum to reset the entire charge to neutral so that it's ready to go for the next job.
[Video description begins] A diagram displays the steps of the laser printing process. Step 1 is processing, step 2 is charging, step 3 is exposing, step 4 is developing, step 5 is transferring, step 6 is fusing, and step 7 is cleaning. [Video description ends]
So again, this is the same process that's followed for every print job every time any image needs to be produced onto the paper. And I would say it's fairly likely that you will be asked about this process on the A+ exam. So it's certainly worth a little extra study to understand each phase.
Laser Printer Maintenance
Now while laser printers do tend to be more expensive, they also tend to be much more serviceable than their inkjet counterparts. So, in general, you can get a much longer lifespan out of a laser printer. So in this presentation, we'll take a look at some of that standard maintenance that's involved with laser printers, beginning with replacing the toner cartridge.
Now just like an inkjet printer will eventually run out of ink, your laser printer will eventually run out of toner. So it's just a matter of accessing the existing toner cartridge, which is usually a matter of just opening a top panel or a front panel. And in some makes and models, you may have to remove the drum assembly to get to the toner cartridge. But usually, they're very easily accessed. They have handles - you just grasp the handle and just slide it right out. So just remove the spent cartridge, and then put your replacement cartridge in.
Once you have reinserted the cartridge, if necessary, reinsert the drum assembly. But I do want to point out that these cartridges themselves are much larger than your inkjet cartridges. Those are very small and will fit easily in your hand. The toner cartridges for laser printers tend to be maybe 10 to 12 inches long, maybe 5 inches deep or wide, whatever you want to call it. But it's a much larger unit, but it is still just a single unit. You just slide out the old one and insert the new one, and essentially, you're ready to go.
Now, there are also maintenance kits that you can purchase to try to keep things running as effectively as possible. And they tend to include additional components such as fusers, transfer rollers, feed rollers, pickup rollers, separation rollers, and separation pads. Essentially, the components that are moving most often and tend to wear out the quickest. So they will generally suggest that you replace these components after x number of print jobs or x number of months depending on how much you actually print. But they're very easily replaced as well. So you can just keep things from actually breaking by replacing these on a regular basis. [Video description begins] These kits are intended for preventative maintenance. [Video description ends]
Now you may also need some type of calibration from time to time to ensure that the printing quality is consistent with that being displayed on the monitor. But bear in mind, that could also be the monitor. So, from time to time, you may want to calibrate that as well. But typically, most models will come with software that includes diagnostics to, quite literally, tell you if there does appear to be something wrong with the device. And they typically have software calibration methods as well. So you can tweak this setting or change that value to try to get the color as consistent as possible with what you are seeing on the screen.
And you may also just want to keep things clean. There is, again, a very fine powder that is used as the toner. So it can tend to find its way into some of the other components, such as the corona wires, the toner guard, the paper feed rollers, and maybe even the fan vent. But the most likely problem there would be dust. So, like anything, if you just apply a little bit of cleaning, that of course, acts as preventative maintenance, and prevents it from building up over time, to the point where you may actually have to replace the unit. So a little bit of diligence there will help to extend the lifespan of your unit.
Inkjet Printers
In this presentation, we'll take a look at the characteristics and components of inkjet printers. And we'll begin with the two main types. And these refer to the way that the ink is, quite literally, ejected from the nozzles. We see thermal bubble and piezoelectric.
Now because of that term, thermal bubble, you may have often heard the term bubble jet printer, and that's fine. But they are both still inkjet printers. Now, thermal bubble is more common in Canon and HP printers, but Epson was the one that actually patented piezoelectric. But again, they're just two different methods of getting the ink out of the nozzles.
With thermal bubble, a little bit of heat is applied to the ink, which causes gas to form, and it produces a little bubble and that forces ink out of the nozzle. And the resulting vacuum that is created by that pulls more ink from the reservoir into the nozzle. And with piezoelectric, there is an actual crystal that has electricity applied to it. And as you apply electricity to a crystal, it vibrates. And as it vibrates down, if you will, it forces ink out of the nozzle; and as it vibrates back up, it pulls more ink from the reservoir into the nozzle.
Now, with thermal bubble, there is a potential issue since the ink is getting heated and then cooled and heated and then cooled. You can sometimes have the cartridges gum up a little bit, if you will, but this depends on how often you actually use it. If it sits there for a long time not being used, then it can tend to gum up a bit. So you might not get the full lifespan out of the cartridge. But piezoelectric uses a more continuous spray, and, as such, it tends to use a little more ink than is maybe necessary.
Now it actually does its best to try to reclaim that ink by literally pulling it back into the reservoir. But, very similarly to the thermal bubble, there can be scenarios where you just don't get as much of a lifespan out of the cartridge as you might have anticipated because it is using more ink than necessary in some cases. But again, they're both still inkjet printer types, and it really just depends on the make and model. You won't see much of a difference in terms of the quality when it comes to either type.
Now there are some several components, of course, with respect to the inkjet printers, beginning with the print head. And this is essentially what actually produces the image on the page. And, of course, the ink cartridges are the reservoirs that hold all of the ink. There's what's known as a stepper motor, which is responsible for the movement of the print heads back and forth. And that's attached to a belt, which actually moves the heads back and forth, just like a chain on your bicycle, for example. And the print heads themselves tend to move back and forth along a stabilizer bar to make sure that movement is as stable as possible. Sometimes if you're doing a fairly demanding print job with a lot of graphics, you can see it moving quite rapidly left and right. And that can even cause the device itself to shake a little bit. So the stabilizer bar, of course, helps to simply stabilize that.
And of course, there is the paper feed assembly, which is typically just a tray or a feeder where you just insert the paper and you just leave it there. Rollers, then, are responsible for picking up the paper and feeding it through, and this also has a stepper motor just to spin the rollers. And of course, there is the power supply where you plug in the actual cable itself. There are various control circuits for processing the image, and, of course, the physical interface ports, such as USB, where you actually plug in the device itself.
But, in contrast to something like a laser printer, really the only serviceable components on most inkjet printers are the ink cartridges themselves. It's not that you can't get these components to replace them, it's just not usually cost-effective to do so in almost every case with an inkjet printer, unless it's a very high-quality model, it's less expensive to just buy a new printer than it is to service the existing one. And in fact, even the ink cartridges themselves can often cost as much as the unit.
For example, it's not uncommon to find an entire printer, let's say, for $100. If you then have to replace all of the cartridges, including the black and the colored cartridges, and, let's say, you go with the high capacity cartridges, you could easily spend $100 right there. So again, with respect to replacing other components, it's usually just not worth it, just buy a new printer.
Inkjet Printer Maintenance
Now, as mentioned in the previous presentation, when it comes to inkjet printers there really aren't any serviceable components other than the cartridges. If something breaks on an inkjet printer, in most cases, you're better off just buying a new one. But the printer heads are literally where the ink comes out onto the paper itself. And they certainly can benefit from regular maintenance.
So you can perform a nozzle check, a head cleaning, and usually, a head alignment, typically, right from the software of the device itself. So, in most cases, this is just a process that you invoke through the driver interface and it will do it internally. But, with respect to the head alignment, that's something that you might want to do regularly each time you buy new cartridges. Because, in many cases, the printer head is a component of the cartridge. So with new cartridges you get new heads, in which case it's not a bad idea to go through the alignment process.
Now, again, this is something that you typically invoke through the software interface. And it will print out a page with several different samples of lines or shapes. And then you have to specify through the software interface which one looks the best. And based on that result, it will align the head appropriately to give you the best results. So it doesn't hurt to do this at any time, but it can use a little bit of ink so it's not something that you want to do every day by any means.
Otherwise, the type of maintenance that you'll typically find yourself doing with your inkjet printers really is just replacing the cartridges and clearing paper jams. Again, you know, any other component that breaks - just probably not worth it.
So, as for replacing the cartridges, this is usually fairly consistent on almost every inkjet printer. There's some kind of door that you open to access the internal cartridges. Usually it's maybe lifting a top panel or a front panel. And as soon as you do that, those cartridges will slide out so that you can access them easily. And you, quite literally, just pop out the old ones and pop in the new ones. They usually just click into place. They only fit in one way so there's no question with orientation. And as soon as you pop them in and close that cover, they'll slide back into place. And, in many cases, you'll find the alignment process may actually be invoked automatically. Or maybe a popup will appear in your computer asking you if you want to do it. You can certainly say no, but, again, it doesn't hurt.
And when it comes to a paper jam, this clearly is just the paper itself that twisted up or folded and it just can't get through the rollers. So you, generally, just have to manually clear that. But some devices might have just a feed option, where it just spins the rollers and it just tries its best to spit that paper out. But sometimes it's just a matter of literally grabbing it and pulling it out of the unit so that, of course, new jobs can be processed.
Thermal Printers
In this presentation, we'll take a look at the primary components of a thermal printer, beginning with the feed assembly. And this is simply what moves the paper through the printer. And I would imagine there has probably been a point in your life where you have been at a point of sale or a cash register, and they quite simply have needed to change out the paper.
Now, that may have been for a dot matrix type, but its really still the same type of assembly or thermal. You just feed the paper through it, typically there's a button maybe you press to just spin the roller so that you get a reasonable amount of paper through the printhead. And then you just short of tear it off, and that make sure that there's enough paper in the printer head assembly to begin the next print job.
So, once the paper is fed through, the other key components include the thermal printhead itself; the thermal sensitive media, which is of course is just the paper; the thermal heat element; and a pressure roller. And again, this is simply how you produce the image with thermal printing. The printhead is what is actually producing the characters but it's the heat elements that, of course, applies the heat to the paper. And since the papers is thermal sensitive, wherever it's exposed to that heat, it changes color. And the pressure roller is just to make sure that the paper stays tight up against the thermal printhead itself. But again, it's just a matter of exposing the paper to heat in the appropriate places that produces the image.
[Video description begins] A diagram displays the key components of a thermal printer. Thermally sensitive media is sandwiched between the thermal printhead and the thermal heat element. A pressure roller ensures the heat element contacts the paper as it passes through. [Video description ends]
So, the paper itself really is one of the key aspects of the thermal printing process because it has heat sensitive pigments embedded within the paper and they quite simply change color with heat. Now, most commonly, it's just black and white, but there are some that can produce usually one other color, maybe red or blue. And it's just a matter of varying the temperature; with a different temperature, you get a different color. But the paper itself has a little bit of a waxy feel so that's how you can kind of tell that it is thermal printing paper.
And as mentioned, it's of course sensitive to heat, but also to light in some cases. And in fact, you may also notice that if you just use your finger and press down, and trace a line on the paper, this will actually produce an image as well. So it's not uncommon to maybe circle an item on a receipt just by using your finger. But essentially, it's just the fact that it is sensitive to heat and light that allows it to produce an image, and it's usually very lightweight paper as well. So it is easy to tear, but otherwise, it's a very convenient, very simple, and very fast printing process.
Thermal Printer Maintenance
In this presentation we'll take a look at some of the basic maintenance involved with a thermal printer, and most commonly, it will really just involve replacing the paper.
Now heat sensitive paper is relatively costly, at least when compared to what we'll just call regular paper. And it cannot be substituted for other paper types. So if you run out and you don't have any more, you can't just put regular paper into a thermal printer.
Now, it might come in difference sizes, with respect to the width of the paper and the overall size of the roll. So make sure you are getting the correct sizes for your particular device. But once you have the extra paper, replacement is really a simple process. You generally just open up a lid and just pull out the spent roll. Just drop in the new roll and, generally, just feed the paper through the print head. And there's usually a button that you can press that will spin the rollers to help pull it through. And once it is, you just close the lid and tear off the excess. So it doesn't take very long to replace.
But you might need to maintain the heating element. It does require periodic cleaning, and preferably, this should be done with Isopropyl alcohol, quite simply because, of course, this evaporates very quickly. So, in many cases, you might find that there is actually a cleaning pen that may even come with the device. But this makes it easy to reach the heating elements. But you do still want to be careful that you don't damage anything while you are cleaning it. And in some cases, there may actually be a cleaning card which really is just usually some type of a pad that you can dab alcohol on. It's just more rigid than, let's say, a piece of material, so that it lasts longer.
But when it comes to removing any residue within a thermal printer, it's not like a laser printer where there's any kind of toner. And it's not like an inkjet printer where there's any kind of ink. So, what you'll typically find is it, there is a collection of debris from the moving paper itself, and/or a collection of dust.
So in terms of cleaning that, you can maybe use compressed air, which they sell of course, in cans. You can use a damp cloth, but be sure to let everything dry thoroughly before you use the device again. So it's probably preferable to use alcohol, but you may also find that there are special attachments or special vacuum cleaners for cleaning these types of devices. And they just have very small nozzles, and they can reach into the very tight areas of a thermal printer.
So, one way or another, just a little bit of maintenance will help to extend the lifespan of the device. But they certainly do tend to get dusty. And again, just the paper moving through, ultimately creates a little bit of extra dust. So periodic care will certainly help to ensure the device lasts as long as possible.
Impact Printers
In this presentation we'll take a look at the main components of impact printers, which are perhaps more commonly known as dot-matrix printers. But it's referred to as an impact because there are pins in the printhead that strike an ink-saturated ribbon. And essentially, this is exactly how a typewriter works, but, of course, this can operate much faster than a typewriter. But the paper is marked by the pin strike. Wherever it hits the paper, it leaves a mark from the ink-soaked ribbon on the paper. And again, these do tend to remain quite common today, because of their ability to make copies at the same time.
Now, of course, you can print more than one copy of any document on any type of printer, but you have to print them separately. With dot-matrix printers, the paper is usually at least two pieces back to back. Maybe they're different colors, maybe one is yellow, maybe one is pink. But they're held together by what's known as the tractor feed on the edges. And you just tear that off once you're finished and you have two copies. The paper is treated, so it acts like carbon paper. So, to this day, impact printers are the only types of printers that can produce two copies at the same time.
Now it's usually much better suited for text. They don't really produce graphics very well, but they do remain a very cost-effective type of printer.
Now the printhead is, of course, the primary component of an impact printer. And this is something that is to a degree serviceable because there's a lot of wear and tear on the printhead because of the fact that it is impacting the paper. So, in most cases, you can replace the printhead. But really, this is what's going to get the most wear and tear out of just about any other component in the printer. But there are other components that are also replaceable.
The ribbon of course will eventually run out, so you just won't really see an image after a while. The tractor feed is what moves the paper through the printer. And, typically again, its wheels on one or both sides that have little nubs on them, if you will, that align to the holes in the side of the paper. And that's how it moves the paper through those little nubs, fit through the holes, and they just rotate. And, of course, you need the paper itself.
And again, typically, with impact paper, it's one very long sheet that's perforated. So it just keeps printing this one single long sheet, but you tear it along the perforations once you have your document. And again, usually the sides are perforated as well. And you tear those off, and then that's when the two pieces separate. And you get one copy for you and one copy for, let's say, the vendor.
So again, it still is very useful in those situations. Point of sales systems very commonly use this so that you get a copy of your invoice or receipt, and of course, the vendor keeps one. But essentially those are the main components that are required for impact printers.
Impact Printer Maintenance
Now in this presentation we'll take a look at the maintenance involved with impact printers. And, beginning with the ribbon itself, this of course is what's responsible for providing the ink so that you can produce an image. So it's not just that one single piece that stretches from edge-to-edge. The ribbon is in fact one long circular piece, if you will, that moves through that cartridge which contains ink. So this re-inks the ribbon. But sooner or later you will run out of ink, so this will require replacement when you notice the quality starting to deteriorate.
Now, like most printers, it is a fairly easily replaceable component. You generally can just snap out the old ribbon cartridge and replace it with a new one. There may be some kind of a release lever somewhere, but the whole thing just pulls out, then you just snap a new one into place and close everything up, and you're ready to go with the new ribbon.
Now, the print head, as mentioned, is something that is susceptible to wear and tear. It's moving back and forth quite a lot and it is actually impacting the paper, so this can certainly wear out. But do be mindful, if you are going to change out the printhead, that you just test to make sure it's not too hot. Now, there's no heat involved with an impact printer, it's just because of the friction. It is moving back and forth very rapidly in some cases, so it can just heat up due to friction. So let things cool down before you change the printhead. And again, there's usually some kind of release mechanism that allows you to just pull out the old one and insert a new one. So, for best results, typically, replace the printhead and the ribbon, perhaps at the same time. This will help to ensure the best quality.
Now, of course, you also have to change the paper from time to time, but typically you do get a fair amount in one long continuous piece. And it's usually folded up in accordion style in a box, and then it's perforated at the point where you just tear each individual copy off. And in most cases, again, there are two pieces of paper that are attached together back to back. So the graphic here is kind of indicating that one page is being folded back. [Video description begins] The presenter points to an image of a ream of paper with feeder holes along opposite sides. The top sheet is partially folded over. [Video description ends]
But it also has what's known as a tractor feed, and those are those holes along the sides. Now there's also perforations there. And those are torn off once the paper is actually printed, so that you can separate those two copies and you can keep one for yourself and give one to the customer. So, when you are replacing the paper, you do need to make sure that those wholes line up perfectly to the feeder itself.
Now, when the paper advances through, those rollers tend to have preset increments. So if you move it forward, let's just say the paper will move, I don't know, half a centimeter with each increment, so sometimes that can result in misalignment if what you're trying to print is a form with predefined printed areas. So, in other words, you start getting printed text on the lines of the box or something like that. So, generally, there is a release: you can just press a button and you can very slightly adjust the position of the tractor feed so that you can get those to line up. So that's just something that you want to make sure is lining up, because it can get a little out of whack the more you print.
And you also have to ensure that the paper feed itself is unobstructed. So, usually, you want the box of paper right underneath the printer in most cases, so it can just pull it straight up. And then just make sure that nothing is getting in the way of that because it might tear the paper and that could obstruct it from going into the feeder correctly.
Virtual Printers
Now, in this presentation, we'll talk about what's known as virtual printers, whereby you do produce another copy of a document, but it's not a hard copy of any kind of printed document, rather the output is just a digital document.
Now, you might think, well, this doesn't make a lot of sense. You would be working with a digital document in the first place. Why do you produce another digital document? Isn't that just the same as making a copy? Well, it really isn't because generally what you're doing is producing another copy in a different format.
So let's say, for example, I'm working on a computer using Microsoft Word to produce a document, then I want to send this document to you. Now you don't need a hard copy printed on paper, you just need the document. But maybe you are working on, let's say, a Mac, and you don't have Microsoft Word. So what I can do is print it to a virtual printer in a different format that, essentially, can be viewed on your computer.
So it does depend, of course, on what format you want to produce, but that's the essence of a virtual printer. It really is just conversion of a document to a different type. But in many cases conversion has difficulty with preserving the format, it just might not look right when you convert it. So this, essentially, prints it exactly as if it were a piece of paper, but it is still in digital format. So you get much more reliable copies of the document.
So with this, no printing hardware is required at all - there's no physical printer, there's no paper, and, of course, there's no ink. And it makes it every easy to manage the documents with respect to storing them and sharing them again with other people, who may not have the same type of applications.
So one of the most common approaches is to print to a file. So you take your original and then you just, essentially, go through the same process of printing it, but you choose the virtual printer to simply save the file to your hard disk. So it still processes it very much like a printer. There is a device that shows up typically in something like your Control Panel, if it's a Window system, where you do see it showing up as a printer. So you would still save it as a print job to that particular system, but then you just give it a different file type and select where it's going to be saved.
So, again, the output format is going to be specific to that type of virtual printer. And, in most cases - now I won't say that this is every time - but in most cases, the output format cannot be edited. And that, of course, is very much like an actual hard copy. You can't make changes to the hard copy so, usually, the output is a read-only type of output.
Now perhaps one of the most common examples of this is printing to PDF, or Portable Document Format. This outputs the information in a format that is ready to view. Now this is an Adobe proprietary software type, so you do need some kind of Adobe virtual printer. But those are usually readily downloadable from the Internet, but it prints from any application to a PDF format document. And, again, in virtually all cases, PDFs are not editable.
But, again, it does a much better job of just rendering the document, regardless of the application you are using, in its correct format. So, as I mentioned, sometimes if you just do conversions from application one to application two, it doesn't preserve the format correctly. So it just looks all askew. But this really does look exactly as if it was printed on paper, but it's now just in a digital format.
Typically, with PDFs, there is output compatibility with Windows, Mac, Linux, and even mobile devices; and, in many cases, you can view the document directly through a browser. There are PDF plugins that you can install so that you don't have to download the file and then open it locally, you can just view it in a browser.
Now, if you are running a Window system, they typically have an option called Print to XPS, which stands for XML Paper Specification, and XML itself is the Extensible Markup Language. Now this is similar to adobe PDF, but it is proprietary to Windows. So there's just a built-in feature within the Windows operating system that allows you to print to XPS format. And, again, typically this can be viewed with any operating system. It's quite compatible in terms of viewing. But with respect to producing it, it's only from a Windows-based system.
And, finally, there is one other option where you can possibly print to an image. So, again, this outputs whatever it is that you are creating to a graphics format file. And since it is just a specific type of graphic file, typically this can be viewed and edited, and/or even shared because, of course, there are lots of applications out there that are capable of editing graphics. So, in that regard, changes can often be made.
Now this is typically a feature of the application itself, it's not generally included as a feature of the operating system. So you may still require third-party print-to-image drivers for this to be able to work. But, again, depending on what the application is, you may be able to download these for free. Maybe you have to purchase it, depending on the software, but it is still an option. But typically something that you would only see when you do actually want to produce an image in digital form as opposed to a document.
3D Printers
Now, while these are becoming more common in manufacturing, or maybe engineering environments, they still aren't really something that you'll find in home environments, at least not yet. But they are coming down in price, like just about any piece of technology. And, of course, they can be used to produce three-dimensional objects.
Now they're typically made out of plastic, but there are other materials that can be used. But perhaps the best way to think about this, in terms of an analogy, would be to just imagine that you have a hot glue gun. Now, clearly, this would not be nearly as accurate, but if you take a hot glue gun, and then just dab a little blob down onto a table, and then maybe another one, and another one, and another one, and then you could even start layering those blobs on top of one another. If you are careful enough, you could create some kind of three-dimensional object.
And that is essentially what's happening with the 3D printer, but of course, it's much more accurate. It builds the object layer by layer. So it just lays down the first layer, and then it raises up a little bit and it lays down the next layer. So it's melting the plastic just enough for it to be pliable and then it usually cures it in some way, so that it hardens fairly quickly, so that it maintains its shape and doesn't just turn into a blob. But, by the time it's finished, you have your three-dimensional object.
So, in terms of the key mechanical components, there is the print bed. Now this may or may not be heated depending on the make or the model and/or what it is that you're trying to make. In some cases, you do want it to remain a little bit softer, so that it is pliable so that you can work with it after the fact a little bit. And there are various surface types, again, depending on what material is being used. And there's also bed leveling in many cases, meaning that you can put the bed on an angle, if desired, or you can make sure that it's perfectly level.
And generally, the filaments are where you are actually ejecting the material itself. And the most common material is plastic, but as mentioned, there are other compounds that can be used. So there's this plastic extruder and a nozzle, whereby it pulls the plastic in, it heats it up to the point where it is melted, and then it deposits that melted plastic. And these are all using very small amounts, so again, it hardens very quickly so that it maintains its shape.
Most of them have thermal sensors to maintain constant temperatures. And some of them have laser curing as well, so that as soon as it is printed, lasers are shot through it to make it cure as quickly as possible when you do want it to harden very fast. There may be cooling fans just to keep the components of the unit itself cool. And, of course, motion control motors to move the print heads in the appropriate places in three dimensions.
So some of the key electronic components do include, of course, the power supply; the control board; stepper drivers, which are used to move the motors; user interfaces, such as USB to connect to your computer; and possibly, even an SD card slot - like any printer, it can read from the memory card. But, essentially, in this regard, it's really not much different than any other printer. These are just the types of connections that you would typically find with respect to hooking it up to your computer.
But, once it is all hooked up, it really does act like any other printer. You, of course, just need to feed the job to the printer, and it goes about its business in terms of producing the object. Now, depending on the size, obviously this can take quite a long time. But even a small object can take a while, because it does have to do it, literally, layer by layer and those layers are very thin. So, certainly, allow yourself a good amount of time for the object to be produced.