Once upon a time, the printer was the office’s grumpy grandpa. All it did was clatter, groans spew out a few pages but that was long ago. The printers of today are closer to high-tech superheroes, morphing from mere paper pushers into multifunctional marvels. Step back in time with us as we take you on a fun journey chronicling how this former office workhorse has been transformed over the years.
Printer Type: Dot MatrixOrigin of the Printer Name: The Dot Matrix Dynamo
It was the dot matrix printer, the original gangster of the printer world. Almost the way a hyper-typewriter would sound, like a symphony of pins hamming against ink ribbons on paper. They were the workhorses of their day, producing ream after ream of reports and invoices. Sure, the quality of their prints made your average two year olds finger painting look like a photorealistic masterpiece, and it was as noisy as a rock concert.
Revolution of Laser: A Sharp Turn of Printing
Along tracks the laser printer, stealthy and soft-spoken (…to my ears, anyhow) and only a few covered steps.You were the Belle of the Printing Ball. No more dot-ridden pictures and deafening noises. With laser printers, lasers and toner got together to create the neat and professional documents. All of a sudden presentations looked polished, and reports were not as cringe worthy to look at. The laser printer was overtaken in all commercial office print volumes and moved to less prestigious places that year, and the dot matrix fell even further out of favor for some special applications.
Inkjets: A Splash of Color
The laser printer wasn’t the only hero to arrive on the scene. Inkjet printers galloped in like a colorful knight, splashing vibrancy onto the previously black and white printing world. While they might not have been quite as speedy as the laser, they didn’t sacrifice too much on that front in exchange for the power of color. They cut small jets of ink which provided you with colorful photographs and designs for brochures and sales presentations. Now your flyers and brochures could be full of vibrant eye-catching visuals.
However, for those needing to print larger documents – think architectural plans or big posters – laser printers remained king. That’s where the rise of A3 office printers came in. These workhorses offered the crispness and speed of laser printing, but on a much bigger scale, allowing you to print impressive, high-quality documents that wouldn’t fit on a standard A4 page.
Marvels of Multi-Functionality: The Future of Printing
The story doesn’t stop there. The humble printer has evolved from a basic printing tool to a multi-functional wonder that does more than just print. Today, most printers will scan documents to a desktop, send faxes (remember those?, and copy or duplex printed documents. They have turned into space-saving, work-flow organizing all-in-one office saviours. Further, because it is wireless, it allows you to print to your laptop, smartphone or tablet without even breaking a sweat (which would most likely lead to fainting if our ancestors saw people in the year 2015).
So, what does the future of printing look like?
And what comes next for the printer that keeps on evolving? The future looks bright! When it comes to 3D printing technology, we see that you can print tangible objects. Think about making your own cell phone case design and print it out at home, or just printing that last novelty item for your device! More advanced printers support cloud printing, a feature that gives you the ability to send documents to any printer with an internet connection in the world.
The Definition of the Love Child
The Printer, from the loud dot matrix to the colorful inkjet all the way to the amazing all-in-one marvel. This demonstrates the power of human engineering and innovation. So the next time you click on “print”, take a moment to think of the not so humble origins of this most transformed device from house and home? One day, you might be 3D printing your dinner – or maybe even your next pair of shoes!
