Printers: Making Hard Copies

Your monitor displays images in real time, but they're fleeting. For permanent records of your work, you must add a printer to your system. Printers create hard copy output from your software programs.

You can choose from various types of printers for your system, depending on your exact printing needs. Laser printers work much like copying machines, applying toner (powdered ink) to paper by using a small laser. Inkjet printers, on the other hand, shoot jets of ink to the paper's surface to create the printed image.

You also can choose from either black-and-white or color printers. Black-and-white printers are faster than color printers and better if you're printing memos, letters, and other single-color documents. Color printers, however, are great if you have kids, and they're essential if you want to print pictures taken with a digital camera.

You can run into problems with any type of printer. Not only are the usual problems with hookup and setup to be expected, but printers also require constant maintenance to stay in top operating condition. For example, laser printers require regular replacement of their toner cartridges as well as frequent paper-path cleaning; inkjet printers require new ink cartridges and maintenance to keep the ink jets from getting clogged.