Technologies ExplainedThere are 2 main print technologies that we at UWE use, Ink and Laser. These are the most common place technologies and whilst others do exist they are currently uneconomic for the university to operate. U.W.E. has tried as best it can to reduce the number of variants we have for each printing technology, this allows us, as an institution, to economize by having fewer ranges of parts and allows us to carry a smaller smaller range of consumables such as ink, staples and toners. Below is a brief and very simplistic description of the technology (to give a basic very broad understanding of the technology) and a link to a site with a more detailed technical description. InkInk printers essentially hold small reservoirs of different colored inks. These are sprayed in very fine drops from the print head onto the page in varying quantities to create the colors on the page. The resolution and therefore quality of the mist is measure in DPI (Dots Per Inch), the higher the DPI the better the quality. This improved DPI often involves laying more ink on the page though. The size of the reservoirs differs from model to model and in addition some models are more or less efficient at laying ink on the page. Complicating matters further is technology progression and the way the cartridges communicate with printers develops and changes, leading to hundreds of different variants of cartridge. LaserLaser printers essentially have reservoirs filled with different coloured powders (known as toners). These are typically Cyan (a shade of blue similar to turquoise), Magenta (a shade of red similar to Fuchsia), Yellow and Key (better known as black). The toner is placed on the paper in different quantities to form all the different colours as indicated in the image below.
Similarly to ink printers, quality is measured in DPI. The technology works by using a small precise laser using static energy writing the image or characters onto a roller (known as a drum) with a negative charge, this then passes the toner which has an opposing positive charge attracting the toner to the drum. The paper is then also given a negative static charge although this time it is significantly stronger so that the paper attracts the toner off the drum. The paper then passes a heating element known as a fuser which heats the paper and toner simultaneously melting the toner onto the paper.
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