The Printer – Inkjet & LaserJet, which one was first?

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Almost a millennia ago there were two very interesting ways to print your images or literature. One being block printing. Block printing involves carving wood to imitate images or letters and pressing it onto paper whilst covered in ink. This method came with many disadvantages such as the print wearing off and needing to use one block for each page. If you needed 10 pages, worth of prints than you would have to produce 10 blocks. The Printer took a lot of work and care to function properly, as intended.

There was also Gutenberg’s printing press that was more efficient as it was the beginning of the modern era. Another method was to hire a scribe. Hiring a scribe would mean that you had time and money on your side! However, hiring a scribe was time consuming and expensive. The reason behind this is that a scribe would reproduce and illustrate a whole document or even a book by hand!

Printer Paper

The method of printing has always remained the same. The main property actually needed for any sort of printing was Ink! Therefore, printing has not changed but the equipment to print has evolved to make your life and mine easier. The equipment used is more advanced and durable.

Inkjet technology were followed by Laser printer technology in the consumer market. Xerox released a Laser printer called the Xerox 9700 Laser Printer. Additionally, Canon collaborated with HP and Apple Computer in 1984 to release the HP LaserJet. This was a consumer version of the laser printer.

What was the first printer?

EP-101 was the first digital printer created by Epson in 1968. The other commercial printers used mechanism from machines like the typewriters and Teletype machines.

The earliest form of printing was around 200AD in China where the Chinese were carving a design into blocks of wood. Once carved, the Chinese would then Ink the raised part of the wood.