Like many other devices today, the technology has evolved significantly since its debut. Long-gone are the days of the noisy dot matrix printers that produced paper with perforated, hole-punched edges. Today, the most common type of printer for home consumers is the inkjet printer. An inkjet printer reproduces documents by spraying droplets of ink onto paper according to the specifications of the computer file sent to that printer. Inkjet printers are popular with home consumers due to their low cost, compact size, and ease of maintenance.

More commonly found in the business world is the laser printer. While more expensive to purchase and maintain, the laser printer is built for volume and speed, and is capable of handling higher-volume jobs than your standard inkjet. Often businesses will seek more functionality from their printers by using a device known as three in one (or all in one) printer. Three in ones combine the functions of a printer, scanner, and copier into one device. Some even have the added ability of sending faxes. For an office, the ability to scan a document, print it, make copies of it, and then fax it all from one device is invaluable and far more cost-effective than having four separate devices to purchase and maintain.

As production costs decrease and technology evolves, three in ones have also begun to find a place with the home consumer. The home consumer market is also adopting the business world's use of wireless network printing. Wireless network printing software gives users the ability to incorporate printers into their home- or office-based wireless network. Instead of having to hardwire every computer to it's own printer, consumers can use wireless networking software to allow every computer on a network to print from one machine, an invaluable convenience.