Over the years, there have been a number of innovations that have been witnessed by mankind. Some of these have been so revolutionary that have had a great impact on the society. Out of all the innovations and developments that have been made printing technology has evolved greatly through the years.
From Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1439 to the modern printers that are a part of our desktops, in this post, we will feature the pivotal changes that have been made in the printing technology through the ages.
Printing Press: From where it all started
The printing press invented by Johann Gutenberg is seen as a path-breaking development that changed the print industry for over. It was a wooden press that made use of the movable metal type. The press significantly increased the speed of printing books, however, if compared with today’s standards the process was pretty slow. The printing press was a wooden machine that had a manual operated which was the reason behind its slow process.
For the next 400 years, the original printing press remained unchanged. However, in the beginning of the nineteenth century, the automatic printing press came into existence. These increased the overall speed at which the books and the newspapers were earlier printed.
Nowadays, the printing presses have a lot of advanced features and capabilities integrated into them. They don’t take much time in printing a complete newspaper. These can easily integrate the different colors and fonts with perfection.
Photocopier and the Photostat
In the early 1900s, the industrial revolution saw the need to reproduce the documents. This saw the launch of the first ‘Photostat’ machine that was constructed by using the negative prints, prism and the developing baths. Due to its ease of usage, the machine became quite popular.
In the year, 1959 the first automatic photocopier was launched by the Xerox Corporation. It was a huge machine that could only generate 7 copies/minute. The machine was very heavy and carried a high price tag.
The present day photocopiers are digitized and feature automatic image quality enhancement. These can scan a particular copy just once and reproduce multiple copies of it without facing the need to re-scan them. The modern day photocopiers are much lighter and quicker in their operations.
Era of Inkjet and Laser Printers
In today’s market, Inkjet printers are the widely used printers that produced quality images at a quick processing rate. These printers are not so expensive also. However, when the first Inkjets came into existence in the early 1980s, it was the other way around. No only were they slow but the image quality was also not good. Initially, these printers were only able to print 1-2 pages per minute.
Talking about laser printers, the initial ones were very large and difficult to carry around. Some of them were even the size of a big room. The year 1981, saw the launch of the first laser printer that was compatible with a PC. It was designed and sold by Xerox, however, the printer was available at a pretty hefty price tag.
The modern day laser printers have become a part of the workplaces and even some households. These have a very good longevity and produce quality images at fast rates. Some of the fastest laser printers that are deployed at workplaces can print up to 200 pages per minute. These printers have come a long way since their initial launch. The prices have also come down significantly.
Present Day Innovative Printing
Just a few years back saw the introduction of Soy Ink Cartridges that offered Eco-friendly printing. These cartridges are a perfect replacement for the petroleum based cartridges. Soy ink is made use of in the toner cartridges of the printers. Most of the companies have started to use sou ink for manufacturing the printing inks. This ink is similar to the other printing inks and is available in different colors. The ink is made from soybeans and caters much more accurate colors. However, when compared with others inks, soy ink is slower to dry.
There is no denying the fact that technology has made our lives easier. With each and every advancement that is made in the printing technology, we are only going to experience a phenomenon that was literally unthinkable a few years back.
About Author
Lance Clemons is blogger by profession with 7 years of experience. He is associated with a Printzone which is Australia’s best online printer cartridge store. He is an admirer of sharing his innovative ideas with others on the technology trends.