Thank you EricM. I saw the preview but they didn't speak about printing devices. I'm more interested in the devices used for printing in digital photography than in the process of the image. What I mean is, what is the difference between plotters, ink printers, laser devices etc. What are the pros and contras of them and so on.
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For photography the variety is more limited to inkjet and sublimation printers if chemical should not be included. Laser (electrostatic) printing will not be equal to the best inkjet quality, color drift is harder to control and available media range is more limited. Plotter is a term that transferred from pen plotters to printers when it became easier to print with the inkjet or electrostatic methods than using numerical driven pens. Today the same inkjet printer can be distributed with different terms in different markets. At most there's a distinction in the drivers (HPGL, Autocad), available resolution or a more limited inkset on a plotter.
Sublimation printers work with CYM(K) foils or tape with a wax layer on it that will be transferred to paper by fast heating small spots on the foil and the ink changes from solid to vapour to solid instantly. In theory the layers printed have a continuous gradation, in practice banding has been a major problem on larger models. Today it is used on small printers mainly where the complexity of moving parts and fluids is reduced if compared to inkjet models. The ozone fade resistance is high, light fade resistance is low compared to inkjet pigment inks. There have been larger format models for the sign industry with resins instead of wax and pigments in the wax layer instead of dye colorants. Expensive process. The media range to print on is more limited if compared to what is available for inkjet printing. Hard to decide whether it is better or worse in image quality when compared. It has a different appeal. and a different market.
Inkjet printing has developed itself to the main digital printing technique for photographs. Image quality is at least at analogue chemical level and control + consistency beyond that level. Both in color and B&W, in matte and gloss, in small and wide format, for short display periods and archived (dye) to long display periods (pigment) to outdoor display (solvent or UV curing resins + adequate pigments). The variety of media to print on is beyond any other photographic process right now.
So in practice inkjet dominates the discussion and the focus on what to use is which manufacturer, which ink type, which size, how versatile the printer is and what print price label it has. That's a wide topic on itself and you will find part of that discussion here and on dedicated mailing lists. Better search the archives than asking the broad question here, there's a learning curve.
To balance this thread's suggestions for sources with information on how to print I suggest the articles by Mike Chaney:
[a href=\"http://www.steves-digicams.com/techcorner/tc_index.html]http://www.steves-digicams.com/techcorner/tc_index.html[/url]
from the bottom up and skip the Foveon articles for more than one reason.
Ernst Dinkla
try:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wide_Inkjet_Printers/