3.7 Printers

Question 1

Laser Printer

Answer 1

• prints using laser, heat and toner
• many moving parts
• fast and high quality

Question 2

Imaging Drum

Answer 2

• image is drawn into a photosensitive drum with a laser
• drum picks up the toner
• can be its own printer part or integrated to the toner cartridge

Question 3

Fuser Assembly

Answer 3

• uses heat and pressure to melt toner onto the paper

Question 4

Transfer Belt and Roller

Answer 4

• rotating belt that feeds paper to the imaging drum and uses negative charge to transfer the toner to the paper

Question 5

Pickup Roller

Answer 5

• picks up a single paper and feeds it into the printer

Question 6

Separation Pad

Answer 6

• prevents multiple sheets from being picked up

Question 7

Duplex Assembly

Answer 7

• flips paper when printing on both side
• can be built in or an add on

Question 8

Laser Printing Process

Answer 8

1. Processing: send data to the printer
2. Charging: charge roller provides negative charge to the imaging drum
3. Exposing: laser draws image onto the drum. The laser creates a positive charge
4. Developing: negatively charged toner attaches to the positively charged sections of the drum
5. Transferring: transfers the toner onto the paper
6. Fusing: fuser melts the toner onto the paper
7. Cleaning: cleans excess toner off the drum

Question 9

Replacing Toner Cartridges

Answer 9

• power down printer before installation
• many toner cartridges contain an imaging drum
• removing packing strips from the new drum

Question 10

Laser Printer Maintenance Kit

Answer 10

• purchase from manufacturer
• contains new parts: feed roller, fuser unit, etc.
• printer will inform user when maintenance is required

Question 11

Laser Printer Callibration

Answer 11

• different toner cartridges print with different densities
• calibration can adjust the density
• can be automated or done manually

Question 12

Laser Printer Cleaning

Answer 12

• check manufacturer manual
• safe to use water and/or isopropyl alcohol
• clean with damp cloth and/or a vacuum specifically for cleaning toner

Question 13

Inkjet Printer

Answer 13

• prints using ink cartridges
• cheaper printer but expensive ink
• proprietary cartridges
• clogs easily
• ink fades
• mainly for home use

Question 14

Ink Cartridge

Answer 14

• cyan, magenta, yellow, black
• place drops of ink onto a page

Question 15

Print Head

Answer 15

• uses tiny nozzles to spray or drop ink onto the paper

Question 16

Feed Rollers

Answer 16

• pick up paper and feed through the printer
• duplexing is available on some printets

Question 17

Carriage Belt

Answer 17

• cartridges are placed in a carriage connected to a belt
• belt moves the carriage back and forth while the cartridges drop ink onto the paper

Question 18

Inkjet Printer Maintenance

Answer 18

• clean printer heads to prevent clogging (many printers automatically clean)
• replace cartridges
• calibration: align nozzles to the paper
• clear paper jams

Question 19

Thermal Printer

Answer 19

• uses heat to print
• special paper turns black when heated
• most commonly used for receipts

Question 20

Thermal Printer Parts

Answer 20

Feed Assembly
- long cylinder that pulls paper through the printer
Heating Element
- full-length heating element
- heats certain sections of the papet

Question 21

Thermal Paper Maintenance

Answer 21

• paper replacement, check size
• clean with isopropyl alcohol
• cleaning card can go through the printer to clean the head and paper pathway
• use compressed air or damp cloth to clean debris

Question 22

Impact Printer

Answer 22

Aka dot-matrix printer
- print head has a small matrix of pins
- pins press against a ink ribbon to mark the paper
- multiple copies can be printed simultaneously (usually with carbon paper)
- low cost
- poor graphics
- niche uses

Question 23

Impact Printer Parts

Answer 23

Printer Head
- contains the pins that hit the ink ribbon
- moves back and forth across paper
- integrated heat sink

Printer Ribbon
- contains ink, transfers ink to paper when pressed by the pins
- proprietary size, easy to replace

Tractor Feed
- commonly used by impact printers
- uses holes on the side of the paper to pull it through the printer
- tractor paper is continuous folded paper with perforations

Question 24

Impact Printer Maintenance

Answer 24

• printer ribbon replacement
• print head replacement
• replacing paper

Question 25

3D Printer

Answer 25

- creates a 3D item based on an electronic model - build the objects in layers

Question 26

Filament 3D Printing

Answer 26

Fused Deposition Modeling - melt filament together as thin layers - most common type of 3D printing - easy to manage, minimal mess - large print bed

Question 27

Resin Printing

Answer 27

Stereolithography 3D Printing - smoother and more detailed than filament printing - liquid resin is hardened using a light source - object is hanging from the build platform - layers are added to the bottom - resin must be handled with protective gear and disposed at a hazardous materials disposal

Question 28

3D Print Bed

Answer 28

- flat adhesive surface on which the 3D print is built on