Printers are one of the most popular and useful accessories for PC users. Fortunately, the days of earsplitting dot matrix printer models are over. Nowadays, the markets are flooded with several types of printers that can not only churn out pages of office documents but also create high-quality photo-realistic images.

However, there is no single printer that can do everything. This means that you need to outline your precise requirements and choose the specific printer model that is most suitable. To help you out with that, this article mentions a list of the most prominent types of printers along with their uses and advantages.

Types of printers

Inkjet printers
Inkjet printers involve spraying tiny ink droplets onto the paper to create an image. These printers are mainly used for home and personal use.

The inkjet technology has gained immense popularity over the past few years because of its ability to perform tasks in fine detail. Previously, dot matrix printers would normally get around 60 dots per inch. But in case of inkjet printers, it is almost 10x, if not more. Hence, they are extremely accurate.

Pros

  • Cheaper initial costs, making them more suitable for home use
  • Inkjet printers produce amazing quality, especially on glossy paper. This makes it ideal for photograph printing.
  • These printers do not require any warm-up time, again making them great for home use.

Laser printers
A laser printer is another popular form of printer that uses a robust photocopier technology. In a photocopier, a bright beam of light flashes and you get a duplicate. The laser printer also works in a similar way, except it uses a laser to produce the image based on what appears on your computer.

Generally, laser printers are considered good for office use or even for small business houses. Owing to their price, they can prove to be more economical in comparison to inkjet printers.

Pros

  • They are faster and more efficient, especially for bulk files and documents
  • They are cheaper than inkjet printers as you do not have to bear expensive ink costs
  • For text alone, they offer better results with more accurate lettering

LED printers
LED printers are very similar to laser printers. The only glaring difference between the two is that laser printers use a laser and LED printers use a beam of light to burn the image onto the paper.

Pros

  • They offer excellent text quality and are built to handle bulk volume
  • Cost per page is low in comparison to inkjet printers

Dye sublimation printers
These are essentially used for transferring dyes onto various different types of materials such as cotton, plastic, etc. They are used for printing ID cards, t-shirts, and more as they make the image less vulnerable to scratches and more long lasting.

Thermal printers
Thermal printers use a special thermos sensitive paper. They are used for printing ATM receipts, etc. and are not meant for home use.