How does your printer work

Knowing what parts are inside your printer will allow you to understand how your printer works, helping you to troubleshoot any problems and perform basic maintenance, like cleaning or replacing parts. You won’t have to memorise every component, but familiarising yourself with the parts can save you time, money and frustration!

Not all printers will have the exact same parts, but there are some components that you will find across all inkjet and laser printers. Continue reading for a breakdown of the parts you might find and what their purposes are!

Common parts you’ll find in inkjet and laser printers

Some of the parts that are commonly used in inkjet and laser printers will be found on the external design of the printer. These parts include:

1. Printer control panel

Located at the front of your printer, the control panel will include either buttons or a touchscreen to allow you to navigate the print menu. You will be able to check the print status and change settings on your printer. The control panel should also have LED lights to alert you if the printer is having a problem.

2. Paper input tray

Blank paper is held in the paper input tray before printing. Some printers may have multiple trays to accommodate different paper sizes, or the tray could be adjustable to different sizes. The paper capacity of paper input trays can vary from printer to printer, but most trays will hold 100 to 250 sheets.

3. Paper output tray

Once printing is completed, the printed sheets are deposited in the paper output tray. Usually located at the front or top of your printer, this tray prevents pages from falling on the floor or getting mixed up.

4. Rollers

Rollers, found in both inkjet and laser printers, are rubber or foam-covered wheels that smoothly move the paper throughout the printing process. The rollers grab the paper from the input tray and guide the paper through the printer until ejecting the final print in the output tray.

All printers need a paper handling system and control electronics to process the print information, but you will also find connectivity components that will support printing via USB, WiFi or Bluetooth, Ethernet and mobile.

Printer parts that are inkjet only

Inkjet printers have unique parts that support their specific printing technology. These parts include the following:

1. Ink cartridges

Inkjet printers use ink cartridges, which are filled with ink liquid, to create prints in black or colour. You will be able to purchase ink cartridges in black, cyan, magenta and yellow (or many other specialised shades) for your inkjet printer!

2. Print head

The print head is the part in your inkjet printer that actually places ink onto the paper to create text or images. The print head contains tiny nozzles that spray fine droplets of ink onto the paper and move back and forth as the paper is fed through the paper. Some print heads are built into the ink cartridges, but the print head is typically a part in the printer.

Thanks to the use of ink cartridges and the extremely precise printheads, inkjet printers excel at printing detailed photos and graphics with a range of colours and shades.

Printer parts that are laser only

Laser printers have a completely different printing technology to inkjet printers and that means they come with their own unique parts. These printer parts include:

1. Toner cartridges

Laser printers use toner cartridges, which are filled with toner powder, to create sharp, professional documents. Toner cartridges come in black, cyan, magenta and yellow, and have a much higher printing capacity than ink cartridges.

2. Drum unit

The drum unit, or imaging unit, is a photosensitive cylinder that receives the contents of your print from the laser and charges the image or text onto the drum using static electricity. Toner powder sticks to the charged areas of the drum and is transferred onto the paper.

3. Laser unit

The laser unit is the part in your laser printer that draws your image or text onto the drum unit. This is done using a precise beam of laser light and alters the electric charge on the drum.

4. Fuser unit

The toner powder is melted and bonded onto the paper using the fuser unit. The unit applies pressure to the paper and heats it to 180-200 degrees, resulting in a permanent print.

5. Transfer roller

The transfer roller, or transfer belt, is the part in your laser printer that moves toner from the drum to the paper. Without this part, the toner will not reach the paper.

If your prints begin to fade or appear with smudges or streaks, it may be a sign that one of your laser printer parts needs to be replaced. Your printer’s control panel should alert you if there is an issue.

Parts you’ll find on an all-in-one printer

All-in-one printers (also called multifunction printers) will have some extra parts, as they are needed for scanning, copying and faxing! You will find some of the following components:

• Flatbed scanner: Place and scan a document or photo to digitise or photocopy them.
• Automatic document feeder (ADF): Feeds multiple pages automatically into the scanner or copier.
• Fax modem: Send and receive documents over a telephone line.

These extra parts make an all-in-one printer different from a regular inkjet or laser printer! If you do not have an all-in-one printer, you can purchase a scanner to allow you to scan documents instead!

Take a look at our range of printers!

If you have any questions about your printer, don’t hesitate to contact us for help!
 

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