Printers & Scanners

3D printing has made it possible to print out almost anything — including homes, medical devices, clothing, and even a human heart! But how does a 3D printer work, and what are the drawbacks?

By Chris Pollette & Stephanie Crawford

Printer ink is such a common part of your everyday life that you might not have stopped to wonder about how the printer knows what to put on a page or how all those nozzles deliver just the right amount of pigment.

By Bernadette Johnson

Wireless technology has freed users from a sea of cables. How has it changed printing specifically?

By Nathan Chandler

It used to be that every home and office needed a printer. Now that's not such a necessity, but are we really ready to give up printing?

By Nathan Chandler

Printing documents is costly, to the point that the expense sometimes might override your desire for hard copies. But there are a few tricks that will help you keep printing without breaking the bank.

By Nathan Chandler

OK, you know both go into (and come out of) printers, but do you know what the separate characteristics of ink and toner are?

By Nathan Chandler

Ink is costly, so you want to know you're getting your money's worth. Your computer will tell you when you need to replace your ink cartridges, but how does it calculate usage, and how accurate is it?

By Nathan Chandler

You might think of 3-D printing as a way to make plastic models and parts, but people are embracing the technology for fashion, food, housing and a host of other things.

By Patrick J. Kiger

An inkjet printer is any printer that places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create an image. Take a look inside one to see how they work.

You want to set up wireless printing on a Dell, but you're not sure how to do it. Learn about how to set up wireless printing on a Dell in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

It's worthwhile knowing how to fix a printer driver error. Learn about how to fix a printer driver error in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Knowing how to choose the right inkjet photo paper will make your pictures even more brilliant. Learn about how to choose the right inkjet photo paper in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

If you know how to print a CD/DVD label, you can give your disc a professional quality look with a professional looking label. Learn about how to print a CD/DVD label in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You'd like to learn how to have your home computer network, which uses Windows 7, share a single printer. This article will show you how to share a computer on a home network in Windows 7.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

When you know how to clean your scanner, and clean it regularly, you will ensure its longevity and high performance. Learn about how to clean a scanner in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Wireless technology has helped get rid of that tangled mass of cables underneath your desk. Wireless printers can help you take the next step toward becoming completely unwired.

By Jonathan Strickland

A printer that fits in your pocket? Won't ink drip out of it and stain your clothes? Not with this ink-free portable device. Snap a photo with your digital camera or cell phone and print it instantly.

By Jane McGrath

Inkless printing? It doesn't seem possible. But one company's prototype inkless printer can print as well as erase documents. That means paper can be reused. How green is that?

By Jane McGrath

Laser printers are fast, precise and inkless. So how do the words get there? How can a laser beam write on paper? Read about laser printer technology.

By Tom Harris

Scanners vary in resolution and sharpness, and their dots per inch (dpi) are determined by two "sampling rates." Find out how they affect your scanner's functionality.

Inkjet printers shoot miniscule droplets of ink onto paper to create a seemingly fluid stroke. And with prices dropping since their introduction in the late 1980s, these printers are more popular than ever.

By Jeff Tyson

Before the digital camera explosion, flatbed scanners were the way to get images into a PC and online. These devices turn images on paper into data you can access on a computer. Find out how scanners analyze, process and transfer images.

By Jeff Tyson

Offset printing is the technology that makes most magazines and catalogs possible. See how the offset printing process puts full-color images on paper.

By Mark Mine

The strange bumps on your computer cables actually serve a very important purpose - keeping your system free from radio and electromagnetic interference. Learn how they do it.

Bubble jet printers are a type of inkjet printer. What makes this version so popular?