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Printers are a vital part of modern PC
systems. The need for hard copies of computer and online documents is
no less important today than when the paperless revolution began
several years ago. Today, the computer technician must be able to
understand the operation of various types of printers in order to
install, maintain, and troubleshoot printer problems.
The most popular types of printers in use today are electrophotographic type laser printers, sprayed inkjet printers, and impact type dot matrix printers. Several older types of impact printers such as the daisy wheel are seldom used. Printers are connected to personal computers with serial, parallel, and network cable connections. Wireless types of connections include infrared and radio wave technology. Printer drivers are software that must be installed on the PC so that the printer can communicate and coordinate the printing process. Printer drivers vary according to printer type, manufacturer, and model. How the various printers work is explained in this section. |