The Computer Printer And What It's About

By Matthew Kerridge

The computer printer and what it's about reveals the development of a machine peripheral to the computer, which it normally acts in support of. Many computer users rarely give a second's consideration to printers, which have as their main task the printing out of documents that have been electronically stored in the computer. They are outstanding at what they do, and they've been by the computer's side for years.

Commonly, the printing machine found as a peripheral to most PCs or Macs is local in nature, meaning it's connected directly to the PC or Mac via use of a printer cable or, more often, these days, a USB 2. 0 cable. Even more upgraded and modern printers in certain configurations can make use of wireless technologies or Ethernet when they are going to be connected to a network of computers.

Recently, many modern printers have been designed to interface in a direct manner with many different types of media devices. For example, a digital camera may come equipped with some sort of memory card or stick on which the camera will store its images. New printers are able interface with the memory card and print out the images without needing a computer as the intermediary controlling device.

Other kinds of printers -- especially those working in a small office, a home office or just in the home -- will contain other peripherals bundled in as part of the overall machine. These peripherals usually consist of a scanner and a fax machine, with the whole thing referred to as an all-in-one or AIO machine. It can scan documents and fax documents, either from the computer or directly, on command of the user.

Mostly, a typical computer printer is designed for low volume and short turn-time print jobs. They are able to print out -- either on command of the computer or from the directions of a user and his or her memory stick or card -- documents in very little time. This is in contrast to a printing business, which is very good at high volume, but longer turn-time, print jobs.

In relative terms, most computer printers are considered to be slow at what they do, with the maximum print speed from the best of them being 30 or pages per minute (PPM) of output at a relatively high cost-per-page ratio. However, the convenience gained from having direct control of printing costs and having the product produced when and where it's needed can weigh in the printer's favor.

The computer printer is an important companion to its master, the PC or Mac. In fact, it's improved in capability right alongside the improvement in capability of many personal computers or Macs for a great many years. It's meant to be more of a low-volume-but-short-turnaround-time machine, and it's so common alongside the computer these days, that computer users rarely give it a second glance. - 30529

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