Optical Scanning Architectures For Electronic Printing Applications

The explosive growth of computer technology in recent years has precipitated an equally dramatic growth in the market for nonimpact electronic printers. One of the most popular methods for implementing a high quality nonimpact electronic printer is to integrate a laser scanner with a xerographic copier/duplicator. The subject of this article is a discussion of alternative optical scanner architectures, including both traditional designs which are well represented in the marketplace, and also more exotic designs configured with spatial light modulators, designs which to date have had scant penetration into the marketplace but which can offer superior image quality.