1. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial Education1 Computer Maintenance 1 Unit Subtitle: Printers

2. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers2 Summary Slide Printers Definition Types of printers Ink-Jet Laser Dot Matrix Snapshot Other high quality printers How the different printers work Choosing a printer Connection and setup of a printer General Troubleshooting

3. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers3 Printer Definition A printer produces a paper copy of information generated by a computer.

4. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers4 Types of Printers Printers fall into two categories: Impact printers use a device to strike an inked ribbon, pressing ink from the ribbon onto the paper. Non-impact printers use different methods to place ink (or another substance) on the page.

5. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers5 Types of Printers Cont. Some of the printers out in the market today include the following: Dot Matrix Printers Ink Jet Printers Laser Printers Snapshot Printers Other High-Quality Printers

6. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers6 Types of Printers cont. Dot matrix printer – Dot-matrix printers were once very popular, but have been replaced in popularity by ink-jet p5rinters. Dot-matrix printers typically use continuous form multipart paper and are commonly used for documents such as sales invoices and purchase orders. Inside a dot-matrix printer a print head containing small blunt pins strikes an inked ribbon to stamp images on a page.

7. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers7 Types of Printers cont. Figure 1. Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers 4 th Edition

8. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers8 Types of Printers cont. Ink-jet Printer – An ink-jet printer produces high-quality documents at a relatively low price. You can use the documents produced by an ink-jet printer in most circumstances, except when only the highest quality is acceptable, such as for important business correspondence. An ink-jet printer sprays ink through small nozzles onto a page to produce images.

9. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers9 Types of Printers cont. Figure 2. Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers 4th Edition

10. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers10 Types of Printers cont. Laser Printer – A laser printer is a high-speed printer that is ideal for business documents and graphics. Laser printers produce the highest quality images, but are relatively expensive. A laser printer works like a photocopier to produce images on a page. A laser beam draws images on a light-sensitive drum. The drum picks up a fine powdered ink called toner, and then transfers the toner to the paper to create the images. Laser printers produce higher-quality print than ink jet printers, but are more expensive.

11. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers11 Types of Printers cont. Figure 3. Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers 4th Edition

12. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers12 Types of Printers cont. Figure 4. Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers 4th Edition

13. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers13 Snapshot Printer Snapshot printers are small-format printers that print digital photographs. Snapshot printers are fairly slower than other printers, and can be more expensive to operate.

14. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers14 Snapshot Printer Figure 5. Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers 4th Edition

15. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers15 Other High Quality Printers High quality images use different types of other high Quality printers such as: Thermal-wax Dye-sublimation Fiery IRIS Plotters

16. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers16 Other High Quality Printers Creates large format image for architectural or engineering uses. Figure 6. Peter Norton’s Introduction to Computers 4th Edition

17. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers17 Choosing a Printer Before choosing a printer, the following features should be researched: Print Quality – The type of printer you should choose depends on the quality of the printed pages you require. Speed – Printer speed indicates how quickly a printer can produce printed pages.

18. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers18 Choosing a Printer Resolution – Printer resolution determines the quality of the images the printer can produce. Software – Most printers intended for home sue include software you can use to create special documents, such as greeting cards.

19. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers19 Choosing a Printer Consumables – All printers require items that have to be replaced on a regular basis, such as ink or toner. Make sure you are aware of how they cost. Print Media – when choosing a printer, you should check the size and type of paper the printer accepts. If you are going to need to print on envelopes and labels, make sure the printer has that feature.

20. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers20 Choosing a Printer Color – Color printers usually use cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink to create color images on a page. Color ink jet printers are the most popular because they are less expensive. Warranty – The length of a printer warranty may range from 90 days to one year. Consider an extended warranty or service contract for you printer.

21. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers21 Connection and Set Up 1. Before connecting a printer, turn off the computer. 2. If necessary, remove any spacers or tape used to secure the printer's internal components during shipping. Then assemble the printer according to the instructions in the printer ’ s documentation. 3. Connect the printer cable to the port on the printer.

22. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers22 Connection and Set Up 4. Connect the printer cable to a parallel port at the back of the computer. Some printers connect to a USB port. 5. Connect the power cable to the power connector on the printer. 6. Plug the power cable into an electrical outlet. 7. All printers require a driver to operate. A driver is the software that allows the computer ’ s operating system to communicate with and control the printer.

23. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers23 General Troubleshooting Most printers, such as ink-jet printers, use a series of beeps to alert you or display a message that tell you a problem has occurred. Paper jams are the most common type of printer problem. Most printers have panels that can be opened to check the paper jam. Be careful when pulling a jammed paper, some printers contain many small sensors that may be damaged by forceful pulling.

24. ©2004 Texas Trade and Industrial EducationComputer Maintenance I - Printers24 General Troubleshooting Cont. To improve the quality of printed images, check the printer's documentation to find the size, composition and weight of the paper the printer can use. You should clean your printer on a regular basis. You can use a computer vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air to remove dust and dirt from most printers.