What does the typewriter have in common with the printer? Undoubtedly, the printer has been one of the machines, after computers, that most revolutionized our daily lives, although the concept is older than we thought.
History of the Printer
In integrating machines into people’s daily lives, the typewriter was born, considered by many the first printer. This is because it was a machine that printed letters on paper, the equivalent of the current text printing, although it was done in real-time and did not allow corrections.
Within the technological advances, the printer represents a significant advance since it returns the digital to the physical world and offers vast possibilities today. Undoubtedly, it is an element that is very present in our daily life, such as in a newspaper, in our work, in a letter, in the menu of a restaurant and even in the frames of your house with family photos.
Printers have not only revolutionized the way we live, making this function available to us to communicate, entertain, work and more, but it has also meant a revolution for the computer industry, allowing us to transfer texts and graphics to a physical format.
The road to the first printer
With the emergence of computers, the microcomputer revolution led to the creation of many accessories that we consider vital today, such as printers. It complements our computers, which provide a new function and assist us in many daily activities.
Chester Carlson inventor xerografía
Since 1940, the idea of the printer has been present in the industry since it was planned together with the creation of the first computer in history, the Analytical Engine of Charles Babbage. This English mathematician worked for years on an analytical machine similar to calculators that also contained a printer. Although this apparatus was never finished, Babbage left behind the blueprints for this machine and a printing mechanism.
Another character who influenced the creation of the printer was Chester Carlson, who in 1959 developed the reproduction of images and texts, a photocopier machine. Carlson is credited with creating electrophotography, which would later be called xerography. These advancements prompted the creation of ever faster and more effective printers.
From matrix to laser
As technology advanced, it was considered that computers should be available to the general public and was marketed widely. This trend was also transferred to printers, seeking to create less noisy, smaller, and more effective devices.
The first high-speed printing came from the UNIVAC High-Speed Printer in 1953, designed by Remington-Rand. This printer was created for use with a computer of the same brand, including this magnetic tape printing machine, which produced 600 lines of text per minute.
UNIVAC 9200 High-Speed Printer
Then with IBM came the first dot matrix printer in 1957. It was the first printer of this style, with a print head that moved from left to right to press the ink against the paper. Despite the innovation, this printer could only print text and did not support special characters.
IBM innovated again in 1959, with its IBM 1403 line printer, a machine that had the possibility of overprinting, with which a wide range of greys could be generated. Only text with 48 unique characters could be printed, although it was also used to reproduce images. It was difficult to handle, very large and noisy, so it was only used in scientific fields.
Although there was still a long way to go, it is said that the first mini printer was developed in 1968 by Shinshu Seiki, the EP-101, which was used to print from calculators. From this invention derives the name of the famous Epson brand, since the next printer model was called Son of EP-101 (Son of EP-101), and people began to call this model simply EP-Son.
EP-101 First Epson Printer
In 1970, Centronic made a matrix printer, corresponding to the group of impact printers, which was presented at the National Computer Conference. The Centronics Model 101 printer featured an innovative seven-pin impact system. In matrix printers, letters, characters and graphics are made up of tiny dots, which expanded the possibilities of this model thanks to its needles. That same year, IBM introduced the IBM 3211 printer, developed by SMD Endicott and sold its IBM System / 370 computer.
A year later, in 1971, the Xerox company was created and brought a revolution in the industry: laser printing. This is how the first printer of this type is known, created by Gary Starkweather by incorporating a laser beam into the printer’s screen printing process. Due to its large size, it was reserved for scientific or governmental areas without reaching offices or homes.
This model called Xerox 9700 was marketed in 1977, and it was a modernization of the EARS printer of the same company, the first to experiment with optical laser in 1971. This same year, the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) began researching the first inkjet prints, although they went on the market more than a decade later.
Evolution in the 90s
Starting in 1990, HP has led the way in affordable printers for the general public, with a model priced below $1,000. At this time, the use of the printer begins to become popular due to its possibilities and economical price. Little by little, it is present in offices, educational centres and even homes.
However, until then, it could only be printed in black, so HP continued its research and in 1994 discovered how to adapt printers to inject color as well. This company was vital for the development of the printer market in the 90s, since also in 1998 it created the multifunction printer, which contained a printer, scanner and photocopier.
This is how the Color Laserjet 4500 already lays the foundation for future printers due to its features, the addition of color ink, and double-sided printing. In addition, it was an affordable device, so it popularized the use of the printer within more common areas of daily life.
Although the best known were ink printers, much progress was also beginning in 3D printing. Since 1984 there has been some research and improvement to change ink for different materials in printing. Finally, in 1992, the first layer-by-layer printing prototype was manufactured.
Developed by the company 3D Systems, it imposed an unprecedented trend, using the printing system to create objects in three dimensions and not only in two as was done until now. It worked through a UV laser that solidifies a photopolymer, applied layer by layer to create volume. In 1999 this impression was used for the first time for medical purposes, and today it is an excellent resource for creating prostheses, tissues, vertebrae, organs and more.
Printing today
Although we live in a digital age, printing continues to be a part of our lives, and today printers offer many more functions that make them easier to use. In addition to multifunction printers, with scanners and faxes, we find machines that allow printing via memory, a pen drive or via a wireless network.
Undoubtedly it is a very functional machine that little by little invaded different spheres of life and today offers very varied possibilities, which help us to communicate, create, entertain, educate ourselves and more. Today, printers are available to the general public, assisting in different tasks and integrating the digital world with the physical.
Here is a brief timeline of the printers with the models that made the breakthrough:
UNIVAC High-Speed ??Printer
UNIVAC computer was composed of four cabinets, a power supply, a printing machine, a check control device, and a tape reader. It printed six hundred lines of text in a minute.
The first dot matrix printer (1957)
IBM put the first dot matrix printer on sale. A matrix printer or dot matrix printer is a type of printer with a print head that moves from left to right on the page, printing by impact, pressing an ink ribbon against the paper, in a similar way to the operation of a typewriter.
The first mini-printer (1968)
In September 1968, Shinshu Seiki released the world’s first mini-printer, the EP-101, soon combined into many calculators.
Centronics Model 101 (1970)
Shown at the National Computer Conference in 1970, the print head of this printer used an innovative impact system using a seven needle solenoid. Based on this design, Centronics later claimed to have developed the first Matrix Printer.
IBM Model 3211 (1970)
A high-speed printer, the IBM 3211, was developed by Endicott.
The arrival of the laser printers
Xerox Laser (1971)
Electrophotographic Set, commonly called Xerox, was the basic technology for future laser printers.
Laser Printer EARS
The first laser printer, EARS, was developed at the Xerox Parc (Xerox Paro Alto Research Center) starting in 1969 and ending in November 1971.
Xerox 9700 Electronic Printing System
The electronic printing system, xerographic, Xerox 9700, is the first Xerographic laser printer. It was marketed in 1977.
Hewlett Packard (1976)
In the 1970s, inkjet technology was developed. In 1976, Hewlett Packard created the first inkjet printer, but it was only until 1988 that it reached consumers’ homes. It offered an average speed of just two pages per minute.
Daisy Wheel Printer (1978)
In 1978 the daisy wheel printer was created, which could only write letters and numbers, but had typewriter quality.
Apple Computer - ImageWriter (1983-1984)
The first ImageWriter printer could produce both images and text, up to a resolution of 144 DPI and a speed of about 120 CPS. The head moved in both directions in text mode, while it only moved in one way for graphics printing.
Apple Computer - LaserWriter (1984-1986)
The LaserWriter was a significant leap since this printer was a text and graphics printing with a quality comparable to that of the professional printing press.
HP- LaserJet Classic (1984)
The first model was complicated to use because there was no software for it. The LaserJet Classic had no less than $3,495 cost at the time.
RET & PCL 5 (1990)
Hewlett Packard introduced in May 1990 RET (Resolution Enhancement Technology) technology that dramatically increased print quality and, thanks to PCL 5, users could quickly increase and decrease the size of fonts. This greatly affected word processing software and set a new standard in the industry as users were no longer limited to just using sizes 10 and 12.
The first laser printer under $1000 (1990)
It was launched in September 1990 and was the first personal laser printer to go below $1,000.
Network’s First Printer (1991)
The clients could connect their printer directly to an Ethernet through the HP JetDirect print server, which offered superior performance, greater flexibility and allowed the printer to be shared in a workgroup.
Apple Computer (1992)
In February 1992, Apple Computer released the StyleWriter, including a driver that allowed Apple IIgs System Software 6 technology.
Bidirectional communications printer (1992)
It was the first HP printer to support extensive two-way communications. From that moment on, network printers could communicate with computers and vice versa. This milestone enabled advances in printer network management.
JetAdmin software and multi-protocol network support (1993)
The LaserJet 4si was the first printer with JetDirect multi-protocol support, which allowed to connection and process jobs from a PC, a MAC and UNIX networks.
MET and energy saving (1993)
MET (Memory Enhancement Technology) was introduced, an economical solution that allowed users to save more information using less memory. It also had an energy-saving mode that automatically turned off the machine when it was not being used.
A New Standard of Performance (1994)
HP raised the world standard for printing from 8 ppm (pages per minute) to 12 ppm with the launch of the LaserJet 4 Plus.
The first landscape format laser printer (1994)
The LaserJet 4v was HP’s first landscape format printer, launched in September 1994, and it became the benchmark for price and performance for 11x17 prints.
The First Color LaserJet (1994)
HP entered the colour laser printer market in September 1994 with the Color LaserJet, with an average cost per page of less than 10 cents.
MIB & SNMP (1994)
In September 1994, HP helped ratify an industry agreement to use the MIB (Managed Information Base) network printing standards and the Simple Network Management (SNMP) protocol. Both improved the printing experience regardless of the printer and network used.
The first laser printer with infrared technology (1995)
The LaserJet 5P, launched by HP in March 1995, was the first printer on the market to incorporate infrared wireless technology.
Apple Computer (1995)
In 1995, Apple Computer introduced the first colour laser printer, the Color Laser Printer 12 600PS. The 600 × 600 dpi printer comes with 12 MB of RAM, using a canon design. Its price is around $ 7000.
New Standards in Pricing and Print Quality (1995)
It was the first printer under $500 and had 600 × 600 dpi resolution.
Advanced Paper Management (1995)
The LaserJet 5L printer included advanced paper handling features such as a 2,000-sheet tray and the ability to pay and staple electronic documents
Image RET 1200 (1996)
HP released the Color LaserJet 5 in March 1996. The Image RET 1200, which utilized millions of solid colours, gave the printer unprecedented image quality.
PCL 6 (1996)
The LaserJet 5 offered faster printing speeds, especially with complex graphics documents.
The first mop machine on the market (1996)
A mop is a network printer that allows users to print multiple original copies (mopias). Mop machines eliminate the need to photocopy documents.
HP introduced the first device of its kind, the LaserJet 5si Mopier, in November 1996. Its transmission technology reduced network traffic and gave users a faster response. The LaserJet 5si Mopier also incorporated electronic etching and glueing features.
JetSend, FastRes 1200, EIO and UltraPrecise toner (1997)
HP introduced a series of cutting-edge technology with the LaserJet 4000 in November 1997. The most important of all JetSend, allowing direct communication between printers, scanners and other applications.
The JetPath Printer (1998)
The LaserJet 1100A, released in October 1998, was the first multifunction device to incorporate JetPath technology, eliminating the speed and quality limitations.
Fastest LaserJet (1998)
The LaserJet 8100 was the most versatile and fastest LaserJet to date. Among the many product qualities, “Private Printing” and “Proof and Hold” options stood out.
The first colour laser printers with automatic two-sided printing (1998)
In October 1998, HP launched the Color LaserJet 4500 and the Color LaserJet 8500, its latest generation of colour laser printers. They used to have double-sided printing. Both could handle a wide range of papers and sizes.
Color LaserJet 4500
Color LaserJet 8500
The first 1200 dpi personal laser printer (1999)
The LaserJet 2100 was the first personal laser printer to offer 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution without losing quality. HP released it in February 1999.
The first network copier with double-sided scanning (1999)
In October 1998, HP launched the 320 copier, the first network copier capable of double-sided scanning.
First Universal Print Driver (UPD) on the market (2005)
In 2005, network technicians wondered, “Wouldn’t it be nice if you could install and upgrade any printer with unique management software!” In November 2005, HP released the first universal print driver (UPD) designed by default.
HP Colour for All (2008)
In March 2008, the complete democratization of colour in the workplace became a reality with the launch of the LaserJet CP1215, the cheapest laser printer ever.
Unsurprisingly, the smallest HP LaserJet printer inspires the most powerful stories.
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