A lot has been written about printers, most of it extremely boring; I plan to carry on that tradition.


Until home printers came along, we relied on professional printing outfits to produce our work.

While the results were excellent, it was inconvenient.

The first printers available to the home user were so-called impact printers.

These beasts worked like a typewriter, in that a print head, made up of a matrix of pins, moved back and forth along a shaft while paper scrolled beneath it.

The pins hammered the paper through an ink ribbon, leaving characters imprinted on the paper.

These printers are characterised by their tractor-feed paper (remember computer paper, with the holes down each side?) and their extremely loud screeching while printing.

Many a secretary was deafened after years of sitting next to one of these puppies.

The printers worked well and many are still in use.

Indeed they are still available, though they are relatively expensive.

Then ink-jet technology came along and changed home printing for ever. Now everyone can print professional-looking, high-quality documents, even photographs. Ink-jets work by blowing ink onto the paper.

Go To Source » (58)

TROY Group, Inc., a Worldwide leader in Secure On-Demand Printing Solutions, announces our new line of MICR Printers based on the HP LaserJet P4014n, P4015n, and P4515n series printers. TROY's full-line of MICR Printers provides built-in features which help secure your on-demand document printing process.

The TROY MICR 4014, 4015 and 4515 Printers are available in three security configurations, giving customers a range of fraud deterrent and operational security options. The TROY MICR 4014, a base level MICR printer, provides all the TROY recommended options necessary for reliable check printing. The TROY MICR 4015 and 4515, a MICR Secure model, include additional features providing a higher level of security for use in higher risk printing environments. TROY's fully featured MICR Secure Ex printer, available as a TROY MICR 4015 and 4515, offers the highest level of security available to financial professionals. The TROY Secure Ex product line offers 3-position key lock control, paper tray locks and enhanced printer firmware security to discourage casual and professional fraud. All three models ship with TROY's unique ExPT(TM), Exact Positioning Technology that insures precise placement of the MICR line for reliable check processing.

Go To Source » (163)

This portable photo printer looks like a Sanrio lunch bucket for kids, which is perfect actually, as it gives off the impression of something light and easy to carry (which it is). The compact Canon SELPHY CP770 photo printer is one of the newer additions to Canon's SELPHY line of compact photo printers, and seems made for that person who is just so impatient to print photos that he/she must print while the party is still going on.

Go To Source » (209)

Washington - You can have the best digital camera on the block, but that won't matter if your prints are no good.

The fact is, that to get the most out of digital photography, you need to devote as much time to learning about photo printers as you do about digital cameras.

Part of the challenge lies in knowing which photo printer will best suit your needs. Another part is understanding which features that are commonly touted by printer manufacturers really matter.

Go To Source » (211)

The Pro suffix to a range of printers and all-in-ones usually denotes a heavyweight office device and this is certainly true of HP's OfficeJet Pro K5400n, though its price, currently just under £80 including VAT, is still substantially cheaper than a colour or even most mono laser printers.

We mention the laser printer comparison as HP is selling the machine as a direct alternative and claims speeds of up to 10ppm in ‘laser quality' mode. Is it really a viable alternative to a laser printer for office use?

There is a continuing trend in inkjet printers and all-in-one devices to use permanent or semi-permanent print heads. This means when you replace the device's consumables, you're only paying for extra ink and not a new set of inkjet nozzles. This doesn't necessarily make the device cheaper to run - that depends on the pricing of an ink cartridge - but it should reduce the amount of wastage and recycling.

Go To Source » (71)

At first glance, the Lexmark Z2420 Wireless Inkjet Printer looks like the printing equivalent of the $1 menu at McDonald’s: enough features to fill your plate at a low MSRP of $79.99. This new printer offers built-in wireless network connectivity and prints at a respectable 18 ppm in color and 25 in black. It works with both Mac and Windows, weighs a shade under 6 lbs., and offers software to help you rotate, crop, resize and touch up your photos. With all the basic features you look for in a home office printer, the Lexmark Z2420 Wireless Inkjet Printer looks like a good deal, right? According to the experts, it all depends on what you need and how you plan to use it.

Go To Source » (254)

Hewlett-Packard Co. is likely to cut jobs in its division that makes ink cartridges and computer printers, according to reports. H-P employs 3,500 at its plant in Roseville, but that division does not have operations there, said Ryan Donovan, a spokesman for H-P.

Go To Source » (62)

Regular readers may recall the story of Charles Walling, the retired Seattle warehouseman whose struggle to get his printer to work with Windows Vista was documented in our story marking the Microsoft operating system's first year on the market.

Well, it's working now -- but not without some help from a Windows test manager.

The underlying problem reflects the huge changes Microsoft made from Windows XP to Windows Vista, and the need for hardware makers to adjust. At the same time, the experience may provide a good reminder for PC users making an upgrade.

Here's the back story: After the article ran, I received e-mails from a couple of people inside Microsoft who were curious about the cause of the problem. With Mr. Walling's permission, I directed them to him. Tom White, test manager for documents and printing in Microsoft's Windows Experience group, visited the Walling household on multiple occasions, figured out what was wrong, and ultimately got the printer to work.

Go To Source » (106)

According to a new survey released today, about 60 percent of the Canadian workforce is making personal use of their office printer.

The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Strategies for Samsung Electronics revealed that a large majority of Canadians who work in offices with high volume laser printers aren't using them for memos and work-related e-mails, but rather for personal letters, color photos, and even *gasp* resumes! The study breaks down the percentage of people that print out random documents:

Go To Source » (170)

As we've said before in these reviews, the main things you're paying for with a higher-priced laser printer are speed and duty cycle. The new Epson Aculaser M4000N, which has a hefty street price of a smidgen under £700 (a list price of over £1,000) - is rated at 43ppm. It should also be up to printing 200,000 pages per month, should you need them.

This is a big printer, designed for heavy workgroup use and Epson has done its best to stop it looking like a big square box. Most of its edges are curved, with a deep depression in its top surface to allow for large print jobs. There are two paper trays as standard, with the main one capable of taking 550 sheets, over a ream of paper. The second feed tray can take a further 100 sheets of special media, giving a total capacity of 700 sheets, as standard. A second 550-sheet tray can be fitted underneath, as an option.

Go To Source » (66)