The Difference Between Laser Printers And Inkjet Printers

The home printing technology has come far since the days of the matrix printer connected to an Amiga or a Commodore computer. In fact you now have if not a thousand then several hundreds options when it comes to selecting a device to cover your home printing needs.

Besides the matrix printer, which is still around, most often at work in offices since it's great for making carbon duplicates, you have the Laser and the Inkjet printers. As the name suggest the Laser printer is the choice if you need sharp graphics or text, the Inkjet printer is considered a better choice for printing images where, when selecting the right (and expensive) kind of paper, can look almost like a photograph. Indeed the paper required for this kind of printing, with it's glossy surface and sheer weight, does leave you with an impression of quality.

The technology behind the laser printer is quite different from the Inkjet in that is sprays black (for monochrome printers that is) ink-dust onto the paper which is then electrically charged when rotating within the printer. The paper is then slightly heated to make the dust particles stick. You will notice that paper coming out of a laser printer is always warm. This process takes nothing but a few seconds and the laser printer is considered the choice if you are looking for speed.

The inkjet printer is based on an older technology where ink is simply sprayed directly on the paper. This technology has come far though and we are beyond the days when you should ever attempt to do any kind of repair to your home inkjet printer, except refilling the cartridges or exchanging them for new ones.

Today a popular choice for home printers is the multifunctional device that scan, copy, print and fax. Some multifunctional printers even have the ability to scan negative film and print directly on labels and even CD's - the Canon Pixma series is the preferred choice, where some models even comes with WiFi networking.

When it comes to running cost the laser printer (monochrome) is by far the cheapest, unless you opt for the color Laser printer which can prove somewhat costly when exchanging cartridges and toners. The Inkjet printer is considered to be superior to the color Laser printer when it comes to printing images, whereas the color Laser printer is good with graphics.

If you feel that you can't live without the color option or the ability to print sharp black text and you have a fair budget, a solution could be to buy cheaper monochrome laser printer and a midrange multifunctional printer, which would set you back some 300 USD.

Mikkel Bom Simonsen writes about Printers and other hardware. For more printer info [http://www.printer-info.org], and to see a list of recommended Laser printers please visit Printer Info [http://www.printer-info.org]

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Is There Any Difference Between Inkjet Printers and Laser Printers?

If you are faced with the dilemma of choosing between an inkjet printer and a laser printer then you are not alone facing such a situation. In fact, most of the organizations and individuals have had to face such situations and are continuing to do so. In any case, most of the customers of these printers operate under limitations pertaining to budgets, space, etc... But before you look into buying any printer you need to understand the operating costs associated with them.

If you are a home user and do not require printing many things at a time, an inkjet printer should suffice for you. However for larger organizations where the needs of printing can be high, laser printers are more suitable. The main differences between these two types of printers can be based on their quality of printing, speed, networking and space facilities, technology behind their operation, etc.

Differences with regards to technology

The technology used in inkjet printers is simple really. Their components are also less expensive as compared to laser printers. While the black inkjets make use of cartridges that use black ink, the colored versions have two ink cartridges - the one that only uses black ink and the other one that uses all primary colors.

The laser printers on the other hand use complex technology for its operation. These printers make use of Toners to print images and texts on different papers. Though carbon powder was initially used for this purpose, manufacturers are now using cartridges that can be easily refilled for further use.

The higher-end versions of laser printers come with networking features that will allow them to be connected with various computers. As a result of this feature, the costs involved in networking would be greatly reduced when compared to inkjet printers. Networking as such is not easy in case of inkjet printers as they have to be connected via computers. Laser printers are bulky and hence require more space as compared to inkjet printers. If space is your major consideration while buying a printer, opt for the later type.

Differences with regards to Quality of print

The quality of print generated largely depends on the resolution levels of the printer chosen by you. And in this regard, the laser type printers have a distinct edge over their inkjet counterparts. Because of higher resolution features, it is possible for laser type printers to generate fonts without unnecessary edges. The quality of texts, photos, banners, graphics are thus much better in laser printers as compared to inkjet printers.

Differences with regards to speed

Laser printers are way ahead to their inkjet counterparts when it comes to speed of printing objects. People who require to prints materials in large quantities also prefer the laser printers over the latter types. While the speeds of laser printers are measured in pages per minute, inkjet printer's speed is measured in terms of their draft speed and hence they are largely suitable for proofreading works.

Differences with regards to cost

Cost is another important factor that differentiates these two printer types. This facto can in turn be sub-divided into operating and initial costs. While initial costs associated with inkjet printers is low their maintenance costs is considerably higher. However in the case of laser printers the initial cost is higher than its maintenance costs.

If you are looking for Printers or want to buy HP Printers, visit us and check what we have to offer.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

How to Differentiate Between Laser Printers & Inkjet Printers

You require a new printer but you do not know whether to buy an inkjet or a laser printer, as you are not aware of the differences between the two. Each user or organisation is faced with the dilemma while buying a new printer. Most customers operate under strict budgetary constraints and it is only normal to consider initial purchase costs and space limitations. However, it is prudent to take into consideration the long-term operating costs associated with the particular printer.

The choice of printer will, largely, depend on your requirements. Inkjet printers are usually ideal for home users who have limited text and photo printing needs. Laser printers are better suited to larger office environments with high-volume and high-quality printing requirements.

The differences between a laser and an inkjet printer are generally categorised into a few broad segments, namely, cost (initial and maintenance), speed, quality, space and networking facilities. It is also essential to understand the technology behind the manufacturing of the laser toners and ink cartridges as this is a major contributing factor towards the cost.

Difference in Technology & Networking Facilities between Inkjet and Laser Printers -

The technology used for inkjet cartridges is simpler and the parts are less expensive than the laser toners. The black inkjet cartridge has only black ink. The color inkjet printer contains two main ink cartridges, for black and other primary colors respectively. The primary colors are then divided into three compartments for cyan, magenta and yellow ink. The primary colors are consequently mixed to produce all other colors. The cartridge contains a reservoir which has compartments with metal plates and a number of tiny nozzles on the print head of the cartridge. The number of holes or nozzles depends on the resolution of the printer. It is usually 21 - 128 nozzles per color. The ink gets heated, when the current starts flowing through the metal plates, after the print command is given. The heat causes vapor bubbles to form inside the cartridge and make the ink swell up. The ink then flows out in droplets from the nozzles onto the paper in a few milliseconds. A vacuum is created (once the ink droplet flows out) which draws more ink into the nozzles ensuring a steady supply of droplets as required. This common technique is called Thermal Inkjet and the coinage of the name 'BubbleJets' by Canon has been due to the bubbling vapors.

The Laser toners use a more elaborate and complex technology. A powder called Toner is used by laser printers, fax machines and photocopiers to print text and images on laser and photo paper. Initially carbon powder was used but now manufacturers use disposable cartridges which can sometimes be refilled. For the laser toners, individual carbon particles are mixed in a polymer which melt in heat. This binds to the fibers in the paper. The laser printers consist of the printer toner and the drum. The positively charged toner gets attracted to the negatively charged drum. The toner is transferred to the paper by the drum. The toner contains special wax that melts and dries in milliseconds. When the toner is transferred, the fuser applies heat and pressure to make a durable image. The fuser system is made up of the hot-roll and the back-up roller.

The high-end laser printers generally come with networking facilities for you to connect to your computer network directly. This cuts down additional costs associated with networking, as is the case with ink printers. The ink printers cannot be linked to a network directly. Networking has to be via a computer, therefore more expensive.

The laser printers are larger in size than the inkjet printers. The latter is, therefore, space saving and ideal for the home and small office users.

Difference of Quality & Color between Laser and Inkjet Printers -

Since Inkjet Printers spill out tiny droplets of ink to print, the resolution is lower than the laser printers. Laser Printers printer better quality text, as their resolution is higher. High resolution also helps the laser printers create precise fonts without fuzzy edges. However, the cost-effective inkjet printers are usually recommended for inexpensive color printing. These can print high quality text, large photo prints, graphics, banners and greeting cards at less than half the price of a color laser printer. Nevertheless, it should also be seen if the cost of ink and paper suits your maintenance budget. Laser printers are capable of producing good quality prints on all kinds of printing paper but the inkjet printers will require inkjet paper to produce good quality prints without any fuzzy edge brought about by 'bleeding'.

Difference in Speed between Ink and Laser Printers -

If laser printers lose out to their inkjet counterparts on account of price, they are way ahead when it comes to speed of printing. Users who need large volumes of printing also prefer the laser printers. Laser printers are more suited to general office use than the inkjets. The least expensive laser printer can print around 10 to 15 pages per minute. The inkjets are usually rated on the speed of draft or quick printing mode, which is suitable only for proofreading purposes. The HP Deskjet 5650, which is a fast color inkjet printer, prints at a speed of 21 ppm Black, 15 ppm Color in the draft mode. However, the speed drops considerably when high quality black text is printed and it also takes longer to print a letter-sized quality photo.

Difference in Cost between Ink and Laser Printers -

The most important factor governing the choice of a printer is - cost. The cost can have two sub-categories - initial cost and operating cost- - which finally becomes the deciding factors in a purchase of a consumer item. The inkjet printers have a low initial cost but a higher maintenance cost when compared to the high initial purchase cost and low operating cost of a laser printer. The price of a monochrome laser printer can range from $ 130 (e.g. Brother HL2040) to over $ 3,000 (e.g. HP Q3721A Laserjet 9050) and the price range of color laser printers can be from $ 350 (e.g. Samsung CLP 510) to over $ 6,000 (e.g. HP Q3717A Laserjet 5550hdn). Conversely, the cost of color inkjet printers can range from approximately $ 35 (e.g. HP 9067A Deskjet 3930) to $ 2,000 (e.g. HP C7791D Designjet 130NR). However, laser printers are a better option for long-term office use. They are designed to handle high volumes and have a higher capacity of ink or toner. The ink cartridges require to be replaced often if you print a considerable amount regularly. The toner cartridges, though more expensive than the ink cartridges, hardly need to be replaced. This lowers the total cost per page. The out put of laser printers is good even on cheap paper whereas inkjet printers require special inkjet paper for quality output and this also depends on the grade and type of paper being used.

Cheap recycled or third party ink or toner cartridges are readily available in the market, the use of which reduces the maintenance cost to a great extent. However, you have to be careful while buying these when producing high quality photos and also be sure that the use of these does not cancel your warranty. Since ink cartridges of some new inkjet printers contain computer chips, you may not be able to use recycled or third party cartridges for that particular printer.

Keeping the above factors in mind, it is advisable to calculate the total cost of ownership before purchasing a printer. The initial purchase cost of an inkjet printer may be low but the cost as consumables like paper and ink may exceed your budget. The slow speed and variable print quality of the inkjets are also deterrents. Laser printers are definitely a better buy when the requirements are that of high print quality, speed, high volume and low operating cost over a long period of use.

Bobby Hudson is the writer of all articles for Databazaar.com, an online retailer of printer supplies and storage media and other guide sites. She is also a free-lance web-designer and technical writer.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Difference Between Impact Printers And Nonimpact Printers

What are printers? A printer is an output device that prints characters, symbols, and perhaps graphics on paper. The printed output is generally referred to as hardcopy because it is in relatively permanent form. Softcopy refers to temporary images such as those displayed on a monitor. Printers are categorized according to whether or not the image produced is formed by physical contact of the print mechanism with the paper. Impact printers have contact; nonimpact printers do not.

Impact printers

An impact printer has mechanisms resembling those of a typewriter. It forms characters or images by striking a mechanism such as a print hammer or wheel against an inked ribbon, leaving an image on paper. Impact printers are dying out; however, you may still come in contact with a dot-matrix printer. A dot-matrix printer contains a print head of small pins that strike an inked ribbon, forming characters or images. Print heads are available with 9, 18, or 24 pins; the 24-pin head offers the best print quality. Dot-matrix printers permit a choice between output of draft quality; a coarser-looking 72 dots per inch vertically, which may be acceptable for drafts of papers and reports, and near-letter-quality, a crisper-looking 144 dots per inch vertically, which is more suitable for a finished product to be shown to other people.

Dot-matrix printers print about 40-300 characters per second (cps) and can print some graphics, although the reproduction quality is poor. Color ribbons are available for limited use of color. Dot-matrix printers are noisy, inexpensive, and they can print through multipart forms, creating several copies of a page at the same time, which ninimpact printers cannot do.

Another type of impact printer is not used with microcomputers. Large computer installations use high-speed line printers, which print a whole line of characters at once rather a single character at a time. Some, called chain printers, contain characters on a rotating chain; others, called band printers, contain characters on a rotation band. Speeds of up to 3000 lines a minute may be possible with these machines.

Nonimpact Printers

Nonimpact printers, used almost everywhere now, are faster and quieter than impact printers because they have fewer moving parts. Nonimpact printers form characters and images without direct physical contact between the printing mechanism and the paper.

Two types of nonimpact printers often used with microcomputers are laser printers and ink-jet printers.

Laser Printer: Like a dot-matrix printer, a laser printer creates images with dots. However, as in a photocopying machine, these images are created on a drum, treated with a magnetically charged ink-like toner (powder), and then transferred from drum to paper.

- There are good reasons why laser printers are so popular. They produce sharp, crisp images of both text and graphics, providing resolutions from 300 dpi up to 1200 dpi, which is near-typeset quality (NTQ). They are quiet and fast. They can print 4-32 text-only pages per minute for individual microcomputers, and more than 120 pages per minute for mainframes. (Pages with more graphics print more slowly.) They can print in many fonts (type styles and sizes). The more expensive models can print in different colors.

- Laser printers have built-in RAM chips to store documents output from the computer. If you are working in desktop publishing and printing complicated documents with color and many graphics, you will need a printer with a lot of RAM. Laser printers also have their own ROM chips to store fonts and their own small dedicated processor. To be able to manage graphics and complex page design, a laser printer works with a page description language, a type of software that has become a standard for printing graphics on laser printers. A PDL (page description language) is software that describes the shape and position of letters and graphics to the printer. PostScript, from Adobe Systems, is one common type of page description language; HPGL, Hewlett-Packard Graphic Language, is another.

Ink-jet printer: Like laser and dot-matrix printers, ink-jet printers also form images with little dots. Ink-jet printers spray small, electrically charged droplets of ink from four nozzles through holes in a matrix at high speed onto paper.

- Ink-jet printers can print in color and are quieter and much less expensive than a color laser printer. However, they are slower and print in a somewhat lower resolution (300-720 dpi) than laser printers. Some new, expensive ink-jet printers print up 1200 or 1400 dpi. High resolution output requires the use of special coated paper, which costs more regular paper. And, if you are printing color graphics at a high resolution on an ink-jet printer, it may take 10 minutes or more for a single page finish printing.

- A variation on ink-jet technology is the bubble-jet printer, which use miniature heating elements to force specially formulated inks through print heads with 128 tiny nozzles. The multiple nozzles print fine images at high speeds. This technology is commonly used in portable printers.

Things to take into account when buying a printer, is the printer easy to set up? Easy to operate? Do I need color? or black will do? Does the manufacturer offer a good warranty and good telephone technical support? Otherwise it's wise to own your own personal printer and get to know the answer to these questions.

Makabongwe Maseko offers advice on computers and technology on his weblog "Computer Latest News Technology". For more information and tips on technology and computers visit: http://computer-latest-news-technology.new-technology-information.net/

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

The Relationship Between Science, Technology, and Society

Science and technology is the best thing society could ever ask for. Since the industrial revolution in the 18th century science has been in progress. Some sectors that have been boosted by science and technology are energy, physical sciences, information and communication. The society has greatly gained with the invention of technology.

Infrastructure in the society has grown with the help of science and technology. Modes of transport like electronic railway lines were realized and these actually benefited the society by offering them a better means of transport. In the past, almost everything was analog but thanks to the science and technology we are now being digitalized by the day. The invention of the telephone and radio services has broadened human communication.

Without society then there would be no science and technology and that is why the invention of certain tools and equipment have helped achieve big things. Society can not do without the industries we have today. The society needs science and technology. The creation of computers is work of art by individuals was a milestone that would come a long way in helping the society. A computer helps us to leverage ourselves by gaining valuable information that we can use to enrich our lives. The impact of science and technology can seriously be recognized. Many people around the world take for example scholars in colleges and universities have taken the lead examining the relationship between science and technology.

The evaluation of this relationship has emerged as an important area of research. Public interest groups and academic organizations throughout the world are recognizing the importance of STS. The reason is that people need to recognize that there are people who are affected by the science and technology. Controversies such as modified foods, stem cell research are the issues that have brought policy makers and scientists together to have a way forward on this.

Science and technology has actually largely contributed to the vision of man about himself. Science has been modified the opinion about the origin of man and place of origin too. Through the results of scientific discoveries the perception of man about his behavior and his place of origin has been modified diversly. Experiments in science today are in one way or another affecting the society.Take for example the experiment on cloning a human being. The experiment brought a lot of controversy since the society was skeptical about it.

How is science and technology related to society: The developing world has a long tradition of participatory action research, popular education and community organization joining up to solve some science and technology issues that affect the society. How is science and technology related to the society is something that is calling even for the government intervention. Science and technology related issues are actually been discussed worldwide today. Progress in this has resulted to the ability to produce diverse types of material items. Answering the question how science and technology is related to society.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

No Conflict Between Religion and Science?

From the Associated Press, March 3, 2009 - * Vatican official calls atheist theories 'absurd'.

Cardinal Levada: No conflict between evolution science and faith in God.

ROME - A Vatican cardinal said Tuesday that the Catholic Church does not stand in the way of scientific realities like evolution, though he described as "absurd" the atheist notion that evolution proves there is no God.

Is Religious Faith compatible with the Evolutionary Sciences?

The good Cardinal Levada may be sure of his position (*See above), but there are reasons for questioning this popular view that science is compatible with religious faith. The view of "harmony between science and faith" can be restated in terms of the following claims:

• A significant number of scientists are also people of religious faith and belief in God.

• The sciences do not disprove God's existence.

• Being a scientist and doing scientific work is consistent with believing in God.

• Naturalism is a philosophy that is incompatible with supernatural religion, but science is not committed to naturalism as a philosophy.

(This is part of the general view that science and religion are separate endeavors and have nothing to do with each other, e.g. Stephen J. Gould's idea of science and religion comprising Separate Magisteria.)

Let us consider these claims. First, the alleged compatibility based on the fact that many scientists are also believers in God results in a very weak sense of "compatibility." As Jerry A. Coyne says, it's much like saying that marriage is compatible with adultery because some married people practice adultery. Or like saying that being a Roman Catholic priest is compatible with paedophilia because a number of priests sexually abuse young people, or like saying that investment counseling is compatible with fraudulence because some counselors turn out to be frauds. People, like Coyne or Richard Dawkins, who argue that science is not compatible with supernaturalism, are surely aware that some scientists cannot shake free of supernaturalism of some kind. What they argue is that a correct understanding of the scientific approach and knowledge implies a rejection of supernaturalism.

Second, the sciences are not in the business of proving or disproving God's existence; but any look at the Western history -- the rise of science and enlightenment thinking -- reveals that the sciences have built (and continue to build) a strong case against any super-naturalistic view of nature, of history and society.

Third, it is a very weak argument to claim compatibility because scientists, like Kenneth Miller and Francis S. Collins, find belief in a god to be consistent with their scientific work. It might be true that neither evolutionary biology nor genetics proves there is no God; thus, belief in such an entity is not directly contradicted by knowledge gained in biology or a genetics. But it is also true that other scientists might hold bizarre beliefs consistent with their scientific work, e.g. some might find belief in 'Voodoo arts' to be consistent, some reincarnation, and some find that New Age Mysticism is consistent with their work as chemists. In short, the fact that a Miller or a Collins finds supernaturalism consistent with their science does nothing to show any compatibility between science proper and supernaturalism, unless we also admit a 'compatibility' with all forms of occultism, belief in magic or a variety of other bizarre beliefs.

Fourth, this relates to the distinction between naturalism as method and as philosophy, a distinction popularized by Eugenie Scott. As philosopher M. Pigliucci states it, rather than involving philosophical assumptions regarding the nature of reality, methodological naturalism is just a "provisional and pragmatic" position that scientists take in order to do their work. Unlike philosophical naturalism, the methodological type does not involve any denial of the supernatural possibility. Thus, we have scientists like Kenneth Miller pointing out that scientists do not take a vow of philosophical naturalism, but only commit themselves to the methodological kind. He tells us that all science requires is methodological naturalism, and that we "live in a material world,' and use "the materials of nature to study the way nature works." Hence, science is limited to "purely naturalistic explanations, because only those are testable, and only those have validity as science." (From "The Reality Club," comments on the Jerry Coyne Essay, Seeing and Believing," http://www.edge.org )

But according to Miller, such commitment does not commit the scientist to a philosophy (viz. naturalism) which denies the supernatural possibility. Thus, religious faith, Roman Catholicism in Miller's case, is quite safe from erosion by the force of scientific knowledge.

Are people like Miller and Scott correct? Are the sciences correctly characterized as essentially naturalistic method, with no implication of a naturalistic philosophy?

The answer is a resounding "NO" according to a significant number of scientists, theoreticians of the sciences, and philosophers of science. Scientists like Richard Dawkins, Victor Stenger, Taner Edis and others have written books arguing the non-compatibility thesis. Philosophers like Daniel Dennett have also argued impressively against the compatibility claim. A recent article in "The New Republic" by evolutionary scientist, Jerry A. Coyne, ("Seeing and Believing," February 04, 2009) presents interesting and telling arguments against compatibility. A materialistic explanation of nature, he tells us, is not a philosophical assumption of science but is an idea which has resulted from years of successful scientific research. In other words, the work of science supports the view that nature is to be explained in materialistic terms, completely devoid of reference to the supernatural. In short, the sciences and philosophical naturalism are more closely tied together than Miller and Scott suggest. Mario Bunge, in another recent article agrees [See his "The philosophy behind pseudoscience", Skeptical Inquirer 30 (4) 29-27 (2006)]. He tells us that every intellectual endeavor, including science, has an underlying philosophy. He states that "the philosophy behind evolutionary biology is naturalism (or materialism) together with epistemological realism." He adds that "by contrast, the philosophy behind creationism (whether traditional or "scientific") is supernaturalism (the oldest variety of idealism)."

Given the arguments advanced by these people, the idea that science can be characterized as pure methodology, devoid of naturalistic philosophy, is very questionable. Even Miller, when he argues the case of natural selection against so-called "intelligent design," does not take evolutionary biology to be pure method. He cites the well-grounded theory and body of knowledge established by the science to make his case against the "Intelligent Design" proponents. But he stops there; he does not use the same biological findings to raise question regarding Christian theism. However, his work and arguments contra creationism and Intelligent Design demonstrate that he really does not limit himself, as a scientist, to method. Granted, we can make the philosophical distinction between method and philosophy; but ultimately this distinction doesn't do much in the debate between naturalists and super-naturalists, other than offer some psychological comfort to the super-naturalist.

In conclusion, the touted distinction between methodological and philosophical naturalism does little to show that science and religion are compatible. The same can be said regarding the claims that "science does not disprove God," that many scientists are also persons of faith and find belief in God compatible with their work in the sciences. None of these makes much headway in showing that the sciences are compatible with a commitment to a supernatural view of reality.

Dr. Juan Bernal PhD is a retired mainframe programmer with degrees in philosophy and Spanish literature. Juan is the a managing blogger & author at PhilosophyLounge.com which covers various topics from western philosophy, religion, and history. PhilosophyLounge.com is a place were people can interact, debate, and contribute to the topics that interest them pertaining to philosophy. Take some time and visit the blog for more exciting articles.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.