Printing has come a long way from the loud, clunky machines of the past to the quiet, colorful inkjet and laser printers we use today. Whether you’re printing a family photo, a school project, or a business report, every page comes from decades of invention, competition, and creativity. Let’s take a trip through time to see how it all began — and how today’s technology, including Epson, HP, Canon, Brother, and Sawgrass, grew from those early ideas.
The Early Days: When Dots Made the Picture
Before inkjets and lasers, there was the dot matrix printer — the workhorse of the 1960s and 1970s.
These early printers didn’t use liquid ink or toner powder. Instead, they had a print head made of tiny metal pins that struck an ink-soaked ribbon against the paper. Each impact made a small dot, and thousands of dots formed letters and images.
It was noisy — every page sounded like a typewriter running a marathon — but it worked. Dot matrix printers were strong, reliable, and cheap to maintain. They printed invoices, receipts, and forms all day long. However, the quality wasn’t great for images or color. The text was readable but grainy, and color versions were limited and slow.
Even so, this was the first big step toward computer-controlled printing. The idea of printing without setting metal type (like old newspaper presses) was revolutionary — and it set the stage for everything that followed.
The Laser Revolution
In 1969, an engineer at Xerox named Gary Starkweather had an idea:
“What if we use a laser beam to draw the image on a drum, then use static electricity and toner powder to make the page?”
That idea became the laser printer.
By the 1980s, companies like HP and Canon brought this technology into offices everywhere. The HP LaserJet, powered by Canon’s print engine, became an instant hit. Laser printers were fast, precise, and perfect for text-heavy documents. Instead of liquid ink, they used toner powder that was melted onto paper using heat — a process both quick and durable.
The laser printer changed everything about how offices worked. Reports, letters, and even small booklets could be printed quickly and cleanly. Businesses loved the speed and low cost per page. And just as importantly, laser printers introduced non-impact printing — meaning the printer no longer had to physically strike the page.
That single change influenced how future printers, including inkjets, would be designed.
The Rise of the Inkjet Printer
As home computers became popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, people wanted affordable printers that could print color photos, not just black-and-white text. Laser printers were fast, but expensive. That’s where the inkjet printer stepped in.
Inkjet printers use tiny nozzles to spray microscopic droplets of ink directly onto paper. Instead of powder and heat, they rely on liquid ink and precise digital control. The result? Beautiful, full-color prints that are quiet, compact, and affordable.
Each major brand developed its own special method:
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HP (Hewlett-Packard) – used thermal inkjet technology, which heats the ink to create a tiny bubble that pushes a droplet onto the page.
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Canon – developed Bubble Jet technology, similar to HP’s system, using controlled bursts of heat.
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Epson – took a different approach with piezoelectric inkjet, using tiny vibrations to push out ink. This made Epson printers famous for their color accuracy and photo quality.
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Brother – focused on reliable, affordable home and office printers with easy-to-use cartridges.
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Sawgrass – later became known for sublimation printing, a method that uses special inks and heat to transfer images onto mugs, shirts, and fabrics.
Inkjet printers quickly became a household essential. You could print homework, greeting cards, and photos with a level of color and detail that had never been possible before.
Laser vs. Inkjet: Two Paths, One Goal
While both printer types are still around today, they serve slightly different needs.
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Laser printers are perfect for offices and text documents. They’re fast, reliable, and produce sharp black-and-white prints.
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Inkjet printers excel at color, detail, and photos. They’re quieter and cheaper up front, but the cost of ink can add up over time.
Both share one thing: they evolved from the same goal — to make printing faster, cleaner, and more precise.
How InkProducts Inc. Fits Into the Story
As printers evolved, so did the need for high-quality inks and refill systems. That’s where InkProducts Inc. plays a key role.
For over 35 years, InkProducts has provided premium inks, refill kits, and continuous ink systems (CIS) for all major brands — Epson, HP, Canon, Brother, and Sawgrass.
InkProducts’ inks are carefully formulated for each printer type — from pigment and dye inks for photo printing to sublimation inks for creative transfers.
Their refillable ink systems make printing more affordable, environmentally friendly, and reliable, ensuring that users get professional results without the high cost of replacement cartridges.
Whether you’re maintaining a laser printer or running a refillable Epson EcoTank system, using the right ink and tools makes all the difference — and InkProducts provides exactly that.
The Legacy of Innovation
From the clattering dot matrix machines to the smooth hum of modern inkjets and lasers, every printer today carries a piece of history.
The journey shows how a simple idea — putting words and pictures on paper — inspired decades of innovation across science, chemistry, and engineering.
And it’s far from over. Today, printers can create 3D objects, print directly onto fabrics, and even produce edible designs with Kosher-certified edible inks, another specialty offered by InkProducts.
What started as a handful of pins striking a ribbon has become a world of colorful, creative possibilities — all thanks to the evolution of printing technology.
