Graphics tablet: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Canon ir2270.jpg|thumb|A modern printer with scanning/copying capability (Actually this is known as a "Print Device", a printer is the software built into the operating systems that use them.)]]

[[File:Wacom Bamboo Capture tablet and pen.jpg|thumb|300px|Wacom Bamboo Capture tablet and pen]]

[[File:Nintendo PocketPrinter.JPG|thumb|The Game Boy Pocket Printer, a [[thermal printer]] released as a peripheral for the [[Nintendo]] [[Game Boy]]]]

[[File:Wacom Intuos3 A5.jpg|thumb|Wacom graphics tablet]]

[[File:Epson Wide Carriage 9-pin printer - with legal paper 8.5x14.jpg|thumb|This is an example of a wide-carriage [[dot matrix printer]], designed for paper 14 inches wide, shown with legal paper loaded (8.5" x 14"). Wide carriage printers were often used by businesses, to print accounting records on 11" x 14" [[tractor-feed paper]]. They were also called "132-column printers"]]

[[File:Printer.ogg|thumb|A video showing an [[inkjet printer]] while printing a page.]]

In computing, a '''printer''' is a [[peripheral]] which makes a representation of an electronic document on physical media. Individual printers are designed to support local and network users at the same time. Some printers can print documents stored on [[memory card]]s or from [[digital camera]]s and [[image scanner|scanner]]s.

A '''graphics tablet''' or '''digitizer''' is a computer [[input device]] that enables a user to hand-draw images, animations and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures. It can also be used to trace an image from a piece of paper which is taped or otherwise secured to the surface. Capturing data in this way, either by tracing or entering the corners of linear poly-lines or shapes is called [[digitizing]].

Consumer and some commercial printers are designed for low-volume, short-turnaround [[print job]]s; requiring virtually no setup time to achieve a hard copy of a given document. However, printers are generally slow devices (30 pages per minute is considered fast, and many inexpensive consumer printers are far slower than that), and the cost per page is actually relatively high. However, this is offset by the on-demand convenience and project management costs being more controllable compared to an out-sourced solution. The [[printing press]] remains the machine of choice for high-volume, professional publishing. However, as printers have improved in quality and performance, many jobs which used to be done by professional print shops are now done by users on local printers; see [[desktop publishing]]. Local printers are also increasingly taking over the process of [[photofinishing]] as digital photo printers become commonplace.

The device consists of a flat surface upon which the user may "draw" or trace an image using an attached [[stylus (computing)|stylus]], a pen-like drawing apparatus. The image generally does not appear on the tablet itself but, rather, is displayed on the computer [[computer display|monitor]].

The world's first computer printer was a 19th-century mechanically driven apparatus invented by [[Charles Babbage]] for his [[difference engine]].<ref>{{citation | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/710950.stm | title = Babbage printer finally runs | publisher = BBC News | date = 13 April 2000}}</ref>

Some tablets are intended as a general replacement for a mouse as the primary pointing and navigation device for desktop computers.

A [[virtual printer]] is a piece of computer software whose user interface and [[Application programming interface|API]] resembles that of a printer driver, but which is not connected with a physical computer printer.

== History ==

== Technology ==

The first electronic handwriting tablet was the [[Telautograph]], patented by [[Elisha Gray]] in 1888.<ref>{{ citation | last = Gray | first = Elisha | title = Telautograph | publisher = United States Patent 386,815 | date = 1888-07-31 | url = http://www.google.com/patents/US386815 }}</ref> Elisha Gray is best known as a contemporaneous inventor of the telephone to Alexander Graham Bell.

Printers can be classified by the printer technology they employ, with many techniques being available as commercial products. The choice of print technology has a great effect on the cost of the printer and cost of operation, speed, quality and permanence of documents, and noise. Some printer technologies don't work with certain types of physical media, such as [[carbon paper]] or [[transparency (projection)|transparencies]].

The first graphics tablet resembling contemporary tablets and used for handwriting recognition by a computer was the ''Stylator'' in 1957.<ref>{{ citation | last = Dimond | first = Tom | title = Devices for reading handwritten characters | publisher = Proceedings of Eastern Joint Computer Conference | pages = 232–237 | date = 1957-12-01 | url = http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1457765 | accessdate = 2008-08-23 }}</ref> Better known (and often misstated as the first digitizer tablet) is the [[RAND Tablet]]<ref>http://sophia.javeriana.edu.co/~ochavarr/computer_graphics_history/historia/</ref> also known as the ''Grafacon''<ref>{{ citation | last = Engelbart | first = Douglas C. | title = Display-Selection Techniques for Text Manipulation | publisher = IEEE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics | pages = 5–15 | date = March 1967 | url = http://dougengelbart.org/pubs/augment-133184.html#2 | accessdate = 2013-03-26 }}</ref> (for Graphic Converter), introduced in 1964. The RAND Tablet employed a grid of wires under the surface of the pad that encoded horizontal and vertical [[coordinates]] in a small [[magnetic]] signal. The stylus would receive the magnetic signal, which could then be decoded back as coordinate information.

A second aspect of printer technology that is often forgotten is resistance to alteration: liquid [[ink]], such as from an inkjet head or fabric ribbon, becomes absorbed by the paper fibers, so documents printed with liquid ink are more difficult to alter than documents printed with toner or solid inks, which do not penetrate below the paper surface.

The [[acoustic tablet]], or ''spark tablet'', used a stylus that generated clicks with a [[spark plug]]. The clicks were then triangulated by a series of microphones to locate the pen in space.<ref>{{ citation | title = Spark Pen | last = Whetstone | first = A. | publisher = Science Accessories Corporation: United States Patent 3,626,483 | date = 1971-12-07 | url = http://www.google.com/patents/US3626483 | accessdate = 2009-11-16}}</ref> The system was fairly complex and expensive, and the sensors were susceptible to interference by external noise.

Cheques can be printed with liquid ink or on special cheque paper with toner anchorage so that alterations may be detected.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abagnale.com/pdf/protection_b.pdf|format=PDF|title=Protection Against Cheque Fraud|publisher=abagnale.com|author=Abagnale, Frank|authorlink=Frank Abagnale|year=2007|accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref> The machine-readable lower portion of a cheque must be printed using [[magnetic ink character recognition|MICR]] toner or ink. Banks and other clearing houses employ automation equipment that relies on the [[magnetic flux]] from these specially printed characters to function properly.

Digitizers were popularized in the mid 1970s and early 1980s by the commercial success of the ID (Intelligent Digitizer) and BitPad manufactured by the [[Summagraphics]] Corp. These digitizers were used as the input device for many high-end [[CAD]] (Computer Aided Design) systems as well as bundled with PC's and PC based CAD software like [[AutoCAD]].

=== Modern print technology ===

Summagraphics also made an [[OEM]] version of its BitPad which was sold by [[Apple Computer]] as the ''Apple Graphics Tablet'' accessory to their [[Apple II]]. These tablets used a [[magnetostriction]] technology which used wires made of a special [[alloy]] stretched over a solid substrate to accurately locate the tip of a stylus or the center of a digitizer cursor on the surface of the tablet. This technology also allowed Proximity or "Z" axis measurement.

The following [[printing]] technologies are routinely found in modern printers:

The first [[home computer]] graphics tablet was the [[KoalaPad]]. Though originally designed for the [[Apple II]], the Koala eventually broadened its applicability to practically all home computers with graphics support, examples of which include the [[TRS-80 Color Computer]], [[Commodore 64]], and [[Atari 8-bit family]]. Competing tablets were eventually produced; the tablets produced by [[Atari]] were generally considered to be of high quality.

==== Toner-based printers ====

In 1981, musician [[Todd Rundgren]] created the first color graphics tablet software for personal computers, which was licensed to Apple as the Utopia Graphics Tablet System.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mackintosh|first=Hamish|title=Talk time: Todd Rundgren|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2004/mar/18/onlinesupplement|newspaper=The Guardian|date=18 March 2004}}</ref>

{{main|Laser printer}}

A [[laser printer]] rapidly produces high quality text and graphics. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers (MFPs), laser printers employ a [[xerography|xerographic]] printing process but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a [[laser]] beam across the printer's [[photodetector|photoreceptor]].

In the 1980s, several vendors of graphics tablets began to include additional functions, such as [[handwriting recognition]] and on-tablet menus.<ref>{{ citation | title = Pencept Penpad (TM) Manual | publisher = Pencept, Inc. | date = 1983-06-15 | url = http://users.erols.com/rwservices/pens/biblio83.html#Pencept83 }}</ref><ref>{{ citation | title = SAC GP-10 Two-dimensional Sonic Digitizer | publisher = Science Accessories Corporation | date = 1988-06-15 | url = http://users.erols.com/rwservices/pens/biblio85.html#SAC85 }}</ref>

Another toner-based printer is the [[LED printer]] which uses an array of [[light-emitting diode|LEDs]] instead of a [[laser]] to cause toner [[adhesion]] to the print drum.

== Operation ==

==== Liquid inkjet printers ====

There have been many attempts to categorize the technologies that have been used for graphics tablets:

[[File:Ink-jet-cartridge.jpg|thumb|left|Liquid ink cartridge from Hewlett-Packard HP 845C inkjet printer]]

; Passive tablets: Passive tablets,<ref>http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/aboutgraphics/a/graphicstablets.htm</ref> most notably those by [[Wacom]], make use of [[electromagnetic induction]] technology, where the horizontal and vertical wires of the tablet operate as both transmitting and receiving coils (as opposed to the wires of the RAND Tablet which only transmit). The tablet generates an electromagnetic signal, which is received by the [[LC circuit]] in the stylus. The wires in the tablet then change to a receiving mode and read the signal generated by the stylus. Modern arrangements also provide [[pressure]] sensitivity and one or more switches (similar to the buttons on a mouse), with the electronics for this information present in the stylus itself, not the tablet. On older tablets, changing the pressure on the stylus nib or pressing a switch changed the properties of the LC circuit, affecting the signal generated by the pen, which modern ones often encode into the signal as a digital data stream. By using electromagnetic signals, the tablet is able to sense the stylus position without the stylus having to even touch the surface, and powering the pen with this signal means that devices used with the tablet never need batteries. Activslate 50, the model used with [[Promethean Ltd]] white boards, also uses a hybrid of this technology.<ref>{{ citation | title = ActivSlate 50 Product Specifications | publisher = Promethean Ltd. | date = 2009-12 | url = http://www.prometheanworld.com/upload/pdf/activSlate_50_SS_12-09-V2.pdf | accessdate = 2010-05-12 }}</ref>

[[Inkjet printer]]s operate by propelling variably sized droplets of liquid ink onto almost any sized page. They are the most common type of computer printer used by consumers.

; Active tablets: Active tablets differ in that the stylus used contains self-powered electronics that generate and transmit a signal to the tablet. These styli rely on an internal battery rather than the tablet for their power, resulting in a bulkier stylus. Eliminating the need to power the pen means that such tablets may listen for pen signals constantly, as they do not have to alternate between transmit and receive modes, which can result in less jitter.

; Optical tablets: Optical tablets operate by a very small digital camera in the stylus, and then doing pattern matching on the image of the paper. The most successful example is the technology developed by [[Anoto]].

; Acoustic tablets: Early models were described as spark tablets—a small sound generator was mounted in the stylus, and the acoustic signal picked up by two microphones placed near the writing surface. Some modern designs are able to read positions in three dimensions.<ref>{{ citation | title = AirPen Storage Notebook: PC NoteTaker | publisher = www.pegatech.com | date = 2005-06-15 | url = http://users.erols.com/rwservices/pens/biblio05.html#Pentel05 }}</ref><ref>{{ citation | title = Hyperspace 3-D Digitizer | publisher = Mira Imaging, Incorporated | date = 1989-04-15 | url = http://users.erols.com/rwservices/pens/biblio90.html#Mira89 }}</ref>

; Electromagnetic tablets: [[Wacom]]'s are one example of a graphics tablet that works by generating and detecting an electromagnetic signal: in the Wacom design, the signal is generated by the pen, and detected by a grid of wires in the tablet. Other designs such as those by Pencept generate a signal in the grid of wires in the tablet, and detect it in the pen.

; Capacitive tablets: These tablets have also been designed to use an electrostatic or capacitive signal. Scriptel's designs are one example of a high-performance tablet detecting an electrostatic signal. Unlike the type of capacitive design used for [[touchscreen]]s, the Scriptel design is able to detect the position of the pen while it is in proximity to, or hovering above, the tablet. Many multi-touch tablets use capacitive sensing.<ref>{{ citation | title = New Products: CAD Graphics Tablet | publisher = IEEE Communications, Vol 22 No 4 | date =1984-04-15 | url = http://dl.comsoc.org/comsocdl/?article=102552 }}</ref><ref>{{ citation | last = Kable | first = Robert G. | title = Electrographic Apparatus | publisher = United States Patent 4,600,807 (full image) | date = 1986-07-15 | url = http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4600807.pdf }}</ref>

==== Solid ink printers ====

For all these technologies, the tablet can use the received signal to also determine the distance of the stylus from the surface of the tablet, the tilt (angle from vertical) of the stylus, and other information in addition to the horizontal and vertical positions.

{{main|Solid ink}}

[[Solid ink]] printers, also known as phase-change printers, are a type of [[thermal transfer printer]]. They use solid sticks of [[CMYK color model|CMYK]]-coloured ink, similar in consistency to candle wax, which are melted and fed into a piezo crystal operated print-head. The printhead sprays the ink on a rotating, oil coated drum. The paper then passes over the print drum, at which time the image is immediately transferred, or transfixed, to the page. Solid ink printers are most commonly used as colour office printers, and are excellent at printing on transparencies and other non-porous media. Solid ink printers can produce excellent results. Acquisition and operating costs are similar to laser printers. Drawbacks of the technology include high [[energy conservation|energy consumption]] and long warm-up times from a cold state. Also, some users complain that the resulting prints are difficult to write on, as the wax tends to repel inks from [[pen]]s, and are difficult to feed through [[automatic document feeder]]s, but these traits have been significantly reduced in later models. In addition, this type of printer is only available from one manufacturer, [[Xerox]], manufactured as part of their [[Xerox Phaser]] office printer line. Previously, [[solid ink]] printers were manufactured by [[Tektronix]], but Tek sold the printing business to Xerox in 2001.

Compared to touch-sensitive [[touchscreen]]s, a graphics tablet generally offers much higher precision, the ability to track an object which is not touching the tablet, and can gather much more information about the stylus, but is typically more expensive, and can only be used with the special stylus or other accessories.

==== Dye-sublimation printers ====

Some tablets, especially inexpensive ones aimed at young children, come with a corded stylus, using technology similar to older RAND tablets, although this design is no longer used on any normal tablets.

{{main|Dye-sublimation printer}}

A dye-sublimation printer (or dye-sub printer) is a printer which employs a printing process that uses heat to transfer dye to a medium such as a plastic card, paper or [[canvas print|canvas]]. The process is usually to lay one colour at a time using a ribbon that has colour panels. Dye-sub printers are intended primarily for high-quality colour applications, including colour photography; and are less well-suited for text. While once the province of high-end print shops, dye-sublimation printers are now increasingly used as dedicated consumer photo printers.

== Styli ==

==== Inkless printers{{anchor|Thermal printers}} ====

=== Puck ===

[[File:Twitter receipt printer.jpg|thumb|Receipt printer printing a Twitter timeline]]

[[Thermal printer]]s work by selectively heating regions of special heat-sensitive paper. Monochrome thermal printers are used in cash registers, [[Automated teller machine|ATMs]], [[Fuel dispenser|gasoline dispensers]] and some older inexpensive fax machines. Colours can be achieved with special papers and different temperatures and heating rates for different colours; these coloured sheets are not required in black-and-white output. One example is the ZINK technology (Zero INK Technology).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zink.com/content/technology-0 |title=Technology–How it works &#124; ZINK &#124; Zero Ink |publisher=ZINK |date= |accessdate=2012-11-02}}</ref>

=== Obsolete and special-purpose printing technologies ===

After styli, pucks are the most commonly used tablet accessory. A puck is a mouse-like device that can detect its absolute position and rotation. This is opposed to mice, which can only sense their relative velocity on a surface (most tablet drivers are capable of allowing a puck to emulate a mouse in operation, and many pucks are marketed as "mice".) Pucks range in size and shape, some are externally indistinguishable from a mouse, while others are fairly large device with dozens of buttons and controls. Professional pucks often have a [[reticle]] or [[loupe]] which allows the user to see the exact point on the tablet's surface targeted by the puck, for detailed tracing and [[computer aided design]] (CAD) work.

[[File:Epson MX-80.jpg|thumb|Epson MX-80, a popular model of dot-matix printer in use for many years]]

The following technologies are either obsolete, or limited to special applications though most were, at one time, in widespread use.

== Embedded LCD tablets ==

{{anchor|Impact_printers}}'''Impact printers''' rely on a [[force|forcible]] impact to transfer ink to the media. The impact printer uses a print head that either hits the surface of the ink ribbon, pressing the ink ribbon against the paper (similar to the action of a [[typewriter]]), or hits the back of the paper, pressing the paper against the ink ribbon (the [[IBM 1403]] for example). All but the [[dot matrix printer]] rely on the use of ''fully formed characters'', [[letterform]]s that represent each of the characters that the printer was capable of printing. In addition, most of these printers were limited to monochrome, or sometimes two-color, printing in a single typeface at one time, although [[emphasis (typography)|bolding]] and [[underlining]] of text could be done by "overstriking", that is, printing two or more impressions in the same character position. Impact printers varieties include, typewriter-derived printers, teletypewriter-derived printers, daisy wheel printers, dot matrix printers and line printers. Dot matrix printers remain in common use in businesses where multi-part forms are printed, such as car rental services. ''An overview of impact printing''<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/416/zable.pdf| format=PDF-2031 KB | title=An overview of impact printing| publisher=[[IBM]] | work=Journal of Research and Development| author1=J. L. Zable |author2=H. C. Lee| pages=651-668 | volume=Vol.41 | issue=Issue.6 | date=November 1997| doi=10.1147/rd.416.0651| issn=0018-8646}} {{subscription}}</ref> contains a detailed description of many of the technologies used.

Some graphics tablets incorporate an [[LCD]] into the tablet itself, allowing the user to draw directly on the display surface.<ref name=usync>http://www.usync.com.tw/ePage/Tablet_LCD/eTablet_17.htm</ref>

Pen-based plotters were an alternate printing technology once common in engineering and architectural firms. Pen-based plotters rely on contact with the paper (but not impact, per se) and special purpose pens that are mechanically run over the paper to create text and images.

Graphics tablet/screen hybrids offer advantages over both touch screens and ordinary tablets. Unlike touch screens, they offer pressure sensitivity, and their resolution is generally higher.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} While their pressure sensitivity and resolution are typically no better than those of ordinary tablets, they offer the additional advantage of directly seeing the ___location of the physical pen device relatively to the image on the screen. This often allows for increased accuracy and a more tactile, "real" feeling to the use of the device.

==== Typewriter-derived printers ====

[[Wacom]] holds many patents on the key technologies for graphic tablets,<ref name=Wacom_patents>http://www.patentgenius.com/assignee/WacomCoLtd.html</ref> which forces competitors to use other technologies or license Wacom's. The displays are often sold for thousands of dollars. For instance, the [[Wacom Cintiq]] series ranges from just below {{US$|1000}} to over {{US$|2000}}.

{{main|Friden Flexowriter|IBM Selectric typewriter}}

[[File:IBM Selectric typeball.jpg|thumb|left|typeball print element from IBM Selectric-type printer]]

Some commercially available graphics tablet-screen hybrids include:

Several different computer printers were simply computer-controllable versions of existing electric typewriters. The [[Friden Flexowriter]] and [[IBM Selectric typewriter]] were the most-common examples. The Flexowriter printed with a conventional typebar mechanism while the Selectric used IBM's well-known "golf ball" printing mechanism. In either case, the letter form then struck a ribbon which was pressed against the paper, printing one character at a time. The maximum speed of the Selectric printer (the faster of the two) was 15.5 characters per second.

* [[Bosto Kingtee]]

* [[Cintiq]] from [[Wacom]]

* [[Hitachi Starboard]]

* [[Yiynova]]'s DP10 and MSP19 products

* [[USync]]'s PenStar products

* [[SenTIP]] from [[Hanvon]]

* The GD Itronix "Duo Touch" tablet PC products

* The p-active XPC-1710a and XPC-1910a

==== Teletypewriter-derived printers ====

There have also been [[do it yourself]] projects where conventional used [[LCD monitor]]s and graphics tablets have been converted to a graphics tablet-screen hybrid.<ref name=Bongofish_DIY>http://www.bongofish.co.uk/wacom/wacom_pt1.html</ref><ref name=other_DIY>http://forum.bongofish.co.uk/index.php?board=23.0</ref>

{{main|Teleprinter}}

The common [[teleprinter]] could easily be interfaced to the computer and became very popular except for those computers manufactured by [[IBM]]. Some models used a "typebox" that was positioned, in the X- and Y-axes, by a mechanism and the selected letter form was struck by a hammer. Others used a type cylinder in a similar way as the Selectric typewriters used their type ball. In either case, the letter form then struck a ribbon to print the letterform. Most teleprinters operated at ten characters per second although a few achieved 15 CPS.

== Uses ==

==== Daisy wheel printers ====

Graphics tablets, because of their stylus-based interface and ability to detect some or all of pressure, tilt, and other attributes of the stylus and its interaction with the tablet, are widely considered{{according to whom|date=September 2012}} to offer a very natural way to create [[computer graphics]], especially two-dimensional computer graphics. Indeed, many graphics packages can make use of the pressure (and, sometimes, stylus tilt or rotation) information generated by a tablet, by modifying the brush size, shape, [[Opacity (optics)|opacity]], [[color]], or other attributes based on data received from the graphics tablet.

{{main|Daisy wheel printer}}

[[File:Daisywheel 1.jpg|thumb|left|"daisy wheel" print element]]

In East Asia, graphics tablets, known as "pen tablets", are widely used in conjunction with input-method editor software ([[Input Method Editor|IME]]s) to write Chinese, Japanese, Korean characters ([[CJK]]). The technology is popular and inexpensive and offers a method for interacting with the computer in a more natural way than typing on the keyboard, with the pen tablet supplanting the role of the computer mouse. Uptake of [[handwriting recognition]] among users who use alphabetic scripts has been slower.

Daisy wheel printers operate in much the same fashion as a [[typewriter]]. A hammer strikes a wheel with petals, the "daisy wheel", each petal containing a letter form at its tip. The letter form strikes a ribbon of [[ink]], depositing the ink on the page and thus printing a character. By rotating the daisy wheel, different characters are selected for printing. These printers were also referred to as ''letter-quality printers'' because, during their heyday, they could produce text which was as clear and crisp as a typewriter, though they were nowhere near the quality of [[printing press]]es. The fastest letter-quality printers printed at 30 characters per second.

==== Dot-matrix printers ====

Graphics tablets are also very commonly found in the artistic world. Using a pen on a graphics tablet combined with a graphics-editing program, such as [[Adobe Photoshop]], gives artists a lot of precision while creating digital drawings. Photographers can also find working with a graphics tablet during their [[post processing]] can really speed up tasks like creating a detailed layer mask or dodging and burning.

{{main|Dot matrix printer}}

[[File:Dot matrix example text.png|thumb|right|sample output from 9-pin dot matrix printer (one character expanded to show detail)]]

Educators make use of tablets in classrooms to project handwritten notes or lessons and to allow students to do the same, as well as providing feedback on student work submitted electronically. Online teachers may also use a tablet for marking student work, or for live tutorials or lessons, especially where complex visual information or mathematical equations are required.

In the general sense many printers rely on a [[matrix (mathematics)|matrix]] of [[pixel]]s, or [[decimal mark|dot]]s, that together form the larger image. However, the term [[dot matrix printer]] is specifically used for impact printers that use a matrix of small [[pin]]s to create precise dots. The advantage of dot-matrix over other impact printers is that they can produce [[graphic design|graphical]] images in addition to text; however the text is generally of poorer quality than impact printers that use letterforms (''type'').

Dot-matrix printers can be broadly divided into two major classes:

Tablets are also popular for [[technical drawing]]s and [[CAD]], as one can typically put a piece of paper on them without interfering with their function.

* Ballistic wire printers

Finally, tablets are gaining popularity as a replacement for the [[computer mouse]] as a pointing device.{{when|date=September 2012}} They can feel more intuitive to some users than a mouse, as the position of a pen on a tablet typically corresponds to the ___location of the pointer on the [[GUI]] shown on the computer screen. Those artists using a pen for graphics work will as a matter of convenience use a tablet and pen for standard computer operations rather than put down the pen and find a mouse.

* [[Stored energy printer]]s

Dot matrix printers can either be [[character (computing)|character]]-based or line-based (that is, a single horizontal series of pixels across the page), referring to the configuration of the print head.

Graphics tablets are available in various sizes and price ranges; [[ISO 216|A6]]-sized tablets being relatively inexpensive and [[ISO 216|A3]]-sized tablets far more expensive. Modern tablets usually connect to the computer via a [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] interface.

At one time, dot matrix printers were one of the more common types of printers used for general use, such as for home and small office use. Such printers would have either 9 or 24 pins on the print head. 24-pin print heads were able to print at a higher quality. Once the price of inkjet printers dropped to the point where they were competitive with dot matrix printers, dot matrix printers began to fall out of favor for general use.

== Manufacturers ==

Some dot matrix printers, such as the NEC P6300, can be upgraded to print in colour. This is achieved through the use of a four-colour ribbon mounted on a mechanism (provided in an upgrade kit that replaces the standard black ribbon mechanism after installation) that raises and lowers the ribbons as needed. Colour graphics are generally printed in four passes at standard resolution, thus slowing down printing considerably. As a result, colour graphics can take up to four times longer to print than standard monochrome graphics, or up to 8-16 times as long at high resolution mode.

* [[Hanvon Co.]]

* [[IBall (company)|IBall]]

* [[Kanvus Co.]]

* [[KYE Systems Corp.]]

* [[Wacom Co.]]

Dot matrix printers are still commonly used in low-cost, low-quality applications like [[cash register]]s, or in demanding, very high volume applications like [[invoice]] printing. The fact that they use an impact printing method allows them to be used to print multi-part documents using [[carbonless copy paper]], like sales invoices and [[credit card]] receipts, whereas other printing methods are unusable with paper of this type. Dot-matrix printers are now (as of 2005) rapidly being superseded even as receipt printers.

== Similar devices ==

==== Line printers ====

[[Interactive whiteboard]]s offer high resolution wall size graphic tablets up to 95" along with options for pressure and multiple input. These are becoming commonplace in schools and meeting rooms around the world.<ref>http://www.dtc-worldwide.com/interactivesystems.html</ref>

{{main|Line printer}}

[[File:PrinterIBM1403 090325.jpg|thumb|left|IBM 1403 line printer]]

Line printers, as the name implies, print an entire line of text at a time. Four principal designs existed.

[[Touch screen]]s like those found on some [[tablet computer]]s, [[iPad]]s, and the [[Nintendo DS]] are operated in similar ways, but they usually use either optical grids or a pressure-sensitive film instead, and therefore they do not need a special pointing device.

*''Drum printers'', where a rotating drum carries the entire character set of the printer repeated in each column that is to be printed. The [[IBM 1132]] printer is an example of a drum printer.

*''Chain or train printers'', where the character set is arranged multiple times around a linked chain or a set of character slugs in a track traveling horizontally past the print line. The [[IBM 1403]] is perhaps the must popular, and came in both chain and train varieties. The ''band printer'' is a later variant where the characters are embossed on a flexible steel band. The LP27 from Digital Equipment Corporation is a band printer.

*''Bar printers'', where the character set is attached to a solid bar that moves horizontally along the print line, such as the [[IBM 1443]].

In each case, to print a line, precisely timed hammers strike against the back of the paper at the exact moment that the correct character to be printed is passing in front of the paper. The paper presses forward against a ribbon which then presses against the character form and the impression of the character form is printed onto the paper.

The graphics tablet are also used for Audio Haptic products where blind or visually impaired people touch swelled graphics on a graphic tablet and get audio feedback from that.<ref>{{ cite news | url = http://www.axistive.com/audio-haptics-for-visually-impaired-information-technology.html | last = Aaron Marks | title = Audio Haptics for Visually Impaired Information Technology | publisher = Axistive | date = 2006-11-17 }}</ref> The product that is using this technology is called [[Tactile Talking Tablet]] or T3.

*''Comb printers'', also called ''[[line matrix printer]]s'', represent the fourth major design. These printers were a hybrid of [[dot matrix printing]] and line printing. In these printers, a comb of hammers printed a portion of a row of pixels at one time, such as every eighth pixel. By shifting the comb back and forth slightly, the entire pixel row could be printed, continuing the example, in just eight cycles. The paper then advanced and the next pixel row was printed. Because far less motion was involved than in a conventional dot matrix printer, these printers were very fast compared to dot matrix printers and were competitive in speed with formed-character line printers while also being able to print dot matrix graphics. The [[Printronix]] P7000 series of line matrix printers are still manufactured as of 2013.

== See also ==

Line printers were the fastest of all impact printers and were used for bulk printing in large computer centres. A line printer could print at 1100 lines per minute or faster, frequently printing pages more rapidly than many current laser printers. They were virtually never used with [[personal computer]]s and have now been replaced by high-speed [[laser printer]]s. The legacy of line printers lives on in many computer [[operating system]]s, which use the abbreviations "lp", "lpr", or "LPT" to refer to printers.

* [[Handwriting movement analysis]]

* [[Light pen]]

* [[Pantograph]]

* [[Pen computing]]

==== Liquid ink electrostatic printer ====

{{refimprove section|date=May 2012}}

Liquid ink electrostatic printer use a chemical coated paper, which is charged by the print head according to the image of the document. The paper is passed near a pool of liquid ink with the opposite charge. The charged areas of the paper attract the ink and thus form the image. This process was developed from the process of [[electrofax|electrostatic copying]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cms.ironk12.org/TeacherWebsites/RyanDurfee/USHistory/HistoryStudentsWebsites/MadisonAlgerHISTORYWEBSITE/electrostaticprinter.html |title=Madison's website on Renn Zaphiropoulos |publisher=Cms.ironk12.org |date= |accessdate=2012-11-02}}</ref> Color reproduction is very accurate, and because there is no heating the scale distortion is less than ±0.1%. (All laser printers have an accuracy of ±1%).

Worldwide, most survey offices used this printer before color inkjet plotters become popular. Liquid ink electrostatic printers were mostly available in 36 inches to 54 inches width and also 6 color printing. These were also used to print large billboards. It was first introduced by Versatec, which was later bought by [[Xerox]]. [[3M]] also used to make these printers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wide-format-printers.org/3M_Scotchprint_Printer_2000/3M_Scotchprint_2000_signs.htm |title=Introduction to the 3M Scotchprint 2000 electrostatic printer |publisher=Wide-format-printers.org |date= |accessdate=2012-11-02}}</ref>

==== Pen-based plotters ====

{{main|Plotter}}

[[File:Reiss Plotter K6418.JPG|thumb|right|X-Y flatbed plotter]]

A plotter is a [[vector graphics]] printing device which operates by moving a pen over the surface of paper. Plotters have been used in applications such as [[computer-aided design]], though they are rarely used now and are being replaced with wide-format conventional printers, which nowadays have sufficient resolution to render high-quality vector graphics using a [[rasterized]] print engine. It is commonplace to refer to such wide-format printers as "plotters", even though such usage is technically incorrect. There are two types of plotters, flat bed and drum.

=== Other printers ===

A number of other sorts of printers are important for historical reasons, or for special purpose uses:

* [[Minilab|Digital minilab]] ([[photographic paper]])

* [[VT52|Electrolytic printers]]

* [[Spark printer]]

* Barcode printer multiple technologies, including: [[thermal printing]], [[inkjet printing]], and [[laser printing]] [[barcode]]s

* Billboard / sign paint spray printers

* Laser etching (product packaging) industrial printers

* Microsphere (special paper)

== Attributes ==

=== Printing speed ===

The speed of early printers was measured in units of ''characters per second'' (cps) for character printers, or ''lines per minute'' (lpm) for line printers. More modern printers are measured in ''pages per minute''. These measures are used primarily as a marketing tool, and are not as well standardised as [[ISO/IEC 19752|toner yields]]. Usually pages per minute refers to sparse monochrome office documents, rather than dense pictures which usually print much more slowly, especially colour images. PPM are most of the time referring to [[ISO 216|A4 paper]] in Europe and [[letter (paper size)|letter]] paper in the United States, resulting in a 5-10% difference.

=== Sales ===

Since 2005, the world's top selling brand of [[inkjet]] and [[laser printer]]s has been [[HP]] which now has 46% of sales in inkjet and 55.5% in laser printers.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/27/news/companies/lashinsky_hurd.fortune/index.htm |title=Mark Hurd's moment |first=Adam |last=Lashinsky |date=March 3, 2009 |work=[[CNNMoney.com]]}}</ref>

=== Printing mode ===

The data received by a printer may be:

* [[plain text|A string of characters]]

* [[raster graphics|A bitmapped image]]

* [[vector graphics|A vector image]]

* A [[computer program]] written in a [[page description language]], such as [[page description language|PCL]] or [[PostScript]]

Some printers can process all three types of data, others not.

* Character printers, such as [[daisy wheel printer]]s, can handle only plain text data or rather simple point plots.

* Pen [[plotter]]s typically process [[vector image]]s. Inkjet based plotters can adequately reproduce all four{{cn|date=September 2013}}.

* Modern printing technology, such as [[laser printer]]s and [[inkjet printer]]s, can adequately reproduce all four. This is especially true of printers equipped with support for PCL or PostScript, which includes the vast majority of printers produced today.

Today it is common to print everything (even plain text) by sending ready bitmapped images to the printer, because it allows better control over formatting.&nbsp; Many [[printer driver]]s do not use the text mode at all, even if the printer is capable of it.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

=== Monochrome, colour and photo printers ===

A [[monochrome]] printer can only produce an [[image]] consisting of one [[colour]], usually black. A monochrome printer may also be able to produce various tones of that color, such as a [[grayscale|grey-scale]]. A colour printer can produce images of multiple colours. A photo printer is a colour printer that can produce images that mimic the [[gamut|colour range]] (gamut) and [[image resolution|resolution]] of prints made from [[photographic film]]. Many can be used on a standalone basis without a computer, using a [[memory card]] or [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] connector.

=== Business model ===

Often the [[freebie marketing|razor and blades business model]] is applied. That is, a company may sell a printer at cost, and make profits on the [[ink cartridge]], paper, or some other [[spare part|replacement part]]. This has caused legal disputes regarding the right of companies other than the printer manufacturer to sell [[computer compatibility|compatible]] ink cartridges. To protect their business model, several manufacturers invest heavily in developing new cartridge technology and patenting it.

Other manufacturers, in reaction to the challenges from using this business model, choose to make more money on printers and less on the ink, promoting the latter through their advertising campaigns. Finally, this generates two clearly different proposals: "cheap printer&nbsp;– expensive ink" or "expensive printer&nbsp;– cheap ink". Ultimately, the consumer decision depends on their reference [[interest rate]] or their [[time preference]]. From an [[economics]] viewpoint, there is a clear [[trade-off]] between cost per copy and cost of the printer.<ref>[http://www.officenet.com.ar/impresoras/ Cost per Page versus Printer cost in currently available printers<!-- could not find an English version, only Spanish or Portuguese http://www.officenet.com.br/impresoras/-->]</ref>

=== Printer steganography ===

[[File:Printer Steganography Illustration.png|thumb|An illustration showing small yellow tracking dots on white paper, generated by a color laser printer]]

{{Main|Printer steganography}}

Printer steganography is a type of [[steganography]] &ndash; "hiding data within data"<ref>{{cite journal|last=Artz|first=D|title=Digital steganography: hiding data within data|journal=IEEE Xplore|year=2001|month=May/Jun|volume=5|issue=3|pages=75, 80|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=935180&isnumber=20242|accessdate=April 11, 2013}}</ref> &ndash; produced by color printers, including [[Brother Industries|Brother]], Canon, Dell, Epson, [[HP]], IBM, [[Konica Minolta]], Kyocera, Lanier, Lexmark, Ricoh, Toshiba and [[Xerox]]<ref>{{cite web|title=List of Printers Which Do or Do Not Display Tracking Dots|url=https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-display-tracking-dots|publisher=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation]]}} Retrieved 11 March 2011.</ref> brand color laser printers, where tiny yellow dots are added to each page. The dots are barely visible and contain encoded printer serial numbers, as well as date and time stamps.

== See also ==

* [[3D printing]]

* [[Cardboard modeling]]

* [[List of printer companies]]

* [[Print (command)]]

* [[Print screen]]

* [[Print server]]

* [[Printable version]]

* [[Printer friendly]]

* [[Printer point]]

* [[Printer (publishing)]]

* [[Printmaking]]

* [[Printer consumables]]

* [[Printer supplies]]

== References ==

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== External links ==

* [http://www.darlosworld.co.uk/writing/articles/photoshop-power-tab-vs-paupers-paint-pad/ Photoshop Power Tab Vs Paupers Paint Pad - A Comparison Between A Graphics Tablet And A Touch Pad]

* [http://www.designerpad.net/drawing-tablet.html Drawing Tablet difference from a Graphics Tablet]

* [http://users.erols.com/rwservices/biblio.html Annotated bibliography of references to handwriting recognition and pen computing]

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xnqKdWMa_8&feature=youtu.be Notes on the History of Pen-Based Computing (YouTube)]

* {{commonscat-inline|Printers}}

[[Category:Computing input devices]]

[[Category:Liquid crystal displays]]

{{Basic computer components}}

[[Category:Pointing devices]]

[[Category:Computer printers| ]]

[[Category:Office equipment]]

[[Category:Typography]]