Laser Printer Basics

The ‘Model 3800’ by IBM was the first laser printer, introduced in 1975. Very soon, the ‘ND 2 by Siemens and the ‘9700’ by Xerox also came out. The technology of laser printers was revolutionized by the introduction of the LaserJet in 1984, by HP. After that, the prices of laser printers have continued to drop.

A laser printer uses a laser beam to print images of supreme quality. This is done by first producing the image on a photosensitive drum with the help of a laser beam, and then transferring the image onto paper using a usual printing process.

Accuracy, economy and speed are the major advantages of laser printers. This is because the laser can move very fast and print with a better speed than an ink jet. And since a laser travels in a single line, it is more precise, thereby avoiding the spilling of ink. Even though laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers, their toner is cheaper and long lasting. It is because of this that laser printer is used more often in offices.

Cost can be a disadvantage of laser printers, as they are expensive compared to mechanical printers. The maintenance required by laser printers can be very costly. Also, the quality produced by laser printers is very book-like, and hence they can also be misused.

Before one decides to buy a laser printer, there are a few features that should be kept in mind. These include the speed and printing capability (24 ppm for a workgroup printer), the standard resolution, which is 600 dots-per-inch, the printer languages and the paper handling of the printer. The top brands of laser printer include Hewlett Packard, Lexmark and Xerox.