A non-impact printer prints characters and graphics on a piece of paper without striking the paper. Some of these printers use spray ink while others use heat and pressure to create images. These printers are faster than impact printer.
Types of non-impact printers
Different types of non-impact printers are as follows:
1. Laser printer
2. Inkjet printer
3. Thermal printer
1. Laser printer
Laser stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. The laser printer is a non-impact printer. Its working is similar to photocopying machine. It uses laser beams to burn special powder on page to create a permanent image. The power is contained in toner.
Laser printer prints complete page at a time. It is also known as page printer. The printing speed of laser printers is 5 to 300 pages per minute (ppm). The speed depends on the contents being printed. The plain text is printed faster than graphics.
Laser printer prints text and graphics in a high quality resolution, a typical laser printer provides the resolution of 1200dpi or more. Laser printer prints at higher speed than inkjet and dot matrix printers. It does not make much noise. Laser printer is mostly used in business field.
2. Inkjet printer
An ink-jet printer is a type of non-impact printer. It prints characters and graphics by spraying tiny drops of liquid ink on paper. These printers can produce quality text and graphics in both black-and-white and color including photos. A typical inkjet printer provides resolution of 300 dots per inch. The latest inkjet printers provide higher resolution.
The price of inkjet printers is less than laser printers. However, they are slower than laser printers. Most inkjet printers can print from 10 to 35 pages per minute. However, they print graphics and colors at slower rate. The print quality of inkjet printers is higher than dot matrix printer. They are also comparatively inexpensive. Most inkjet printers usually have two print cartridges. One cartridge contains black ink and the other contains color.
3. Thermal printer
Thermal printer uses color waxes and heat to produce images on special paper. The color wax sheets are not required for black-and-white output. Thermal printers are expensive and require costly paper. These printers are used to create the highest-quality color printing.