The continuous evolution and innovation of print technology has meant that we are now heading towards 3D printing, which is becoming increasingly capable of recreating everything from circuit boards and automobiles to body parts! However, the invention of inkjet and laser printers has had a profound impact in transforming our personal and professional lives. The current era is seeing printers that create beautiful images ideal for photography printing such as the Canon ImagePROGRAF series.
Facts of the Industry in the Modern Era
The origins of printing in fact dates back millennia and due to the ever-increasing demand for better and better quality prints, printers have evolved to the printing technology we have today. However, as times change and technology evolves at the high rate it is currently advancing in, the old technology quickly goes out of date, meaning printers become cheaper and cheaper more quickly, provided you are not buying the latest technology of course. The need for speed drove the development of new printing technologies and toady high productivity is ensured in the field of industrial printing. High-speed one-pass printing is now the norm. The truth is, we have probably reached a level of printing efficiency that is optimal for everyday use, so we are just innovating for better quality prints for use that is for professional or niche uses.
So, if your purpose for printing is for normal everyday use, then you probably won’t need the latest invention – any decent printer on the market would do. However, as printers become outdated, prices go down, and margins lower. So the printing industry can only profit from the sales , as they are replenishable and would provide consistent revenue. The result – huge margins on OEM (original equipment manufacturer) products. This therefore means the prices of cartridges are high to say the least. At PremiumCompatibles we sell non-original compatible cartridges of premium quality for a fraction of the cost of original cartridges. Which means that our products are better value.
The Origins
The origins of printing are hard to trace and come from different source. The Diamond Sutra is recognised as the world’s first printed book dating back to the Chinese T’ang Dynasty in 868AD. However, the Sumerians, who are considered to be the first civilisation to invent writing for the purpose of language, invented clay tablets dating back to 3200BCE. Paper, in the form we are familiar with today, spread from China via the Silk Road in 206BCE. It also seems that the history of ink dates back millennia too! The Egyptians and the Chinese both seemed to have used to inks in 2500 BCE.
The Gutenberg Press
Gutenberg came up with the idea of putting each letter of the alphabet in its own block so that printers can then shuffle them around to create words and sentences. The impact of this simple idea was profound – before his invention, there were around 30,000 books in all of Europe, less than 50 years later there were around 12,000,000.
The Xerograph
Chester Carlson invented a method of printing using dry ink. He used static electricity and flashes of light to help powdered ink stick to a drum. It was then rolled over paper to produce the image. This method became known as xerography, and printing today uses the same principles.
InkJet and Laser Printers
Laser and inkjet printers were invented at the same time. About thirty years after, Carlson, Gary Starkweather experimented and combined a laser with a xerographic copier. InkJet printers on the other hand were inspired by a coffee percolator! A researcher named John Vaught realised that ink could be heated and made to pop and shoot at a page. At PremiumCompatibles we specialise in compatibles of both kinds! Check out our range of HP inks and toners!
So there you have it, the printer went through many phases to reach where it has today. It continues to evolve today.
