LED printer

Kodak LED printer

Oki LED printhead

An LED printer is a type of computer printer similar to a laser printer. LED technology uses a light-emitting diode array as a light source in the printhead instead of the laser used in laser printers and, more generally, in the xerography process. The LED bar pulse-flashes across the entire page width and creates the image on the print drum or belt as it moves past.

LEDs are more efficient and reliable than conventional laser printers, since they have fewer moving parts, allowing for less mechanical wear. Depending on design, LED printers can have faster rates of print than some laser-based designs, and are generally cheaper to manufacture. In contrast to LED printers, laser printers require combinations of rotating mirrors and lenses that must remain in alignment throughout their use. The LED print head has no moving parts.

OKI Data has developed specialty LED Printers that use a CMYW toner system rather than CMYK. The OKI 920WT and 711WT have been developed for the apparel decorating industry, replacing the typical BLACK toners ("K") with a White toner. The purpose is to allow the heat transfer application to dark fabrics and maintain the vibrancy of the colors. The LED immediately prints and dries the full color image onto a velum-like material that is then heat pressed to an adhesive sheet for application.

UV-LED printer technologies refer to a non-impact, inkjet printing technique that instantly cures jetted ink droplets directly onto the printable substrate. The UV-LED lamp that houses the LEDs emit energy onto the specially formulated UV-LED ink, which contains photoinitiators and are reactive to the energy emitted by the UV-LED lamp.

UV LED Printers are typically used to print directly onto a hard substrate. Its ability to immediately dry the ink is an advantage in printing on a variety of materials including glass, plastic, plexiglass, etc. UV LED printers are often used in the promotional products industry to print on pens, usb drives and mugs. Current models of commercial LED UV Printers like the Compress iUV600s and iUV1200s are also capable of adding texture to a print.

References

• "Printing on Hard Surfaces with UV LED Printers"
• "Okidata LED Versus Laser Printers"
• "UVLED Printing Basics"
• "UV-LED Printing Explained"
• "What is UV Printing?"
• "T Shirt Printing with OKI 920WT LED"