computer science

Printronix

Printronix is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Printronix rather than just read about it. In short: Printronix is an American supplier of industrial print solutions, industrial laser printers, and line and dot matrix printers. Printronix is based in Irvine, California, and operates across 14 offices worldwide.

Key takeaways

Printronix belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Printronix to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Printronix from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Printronix is an American supplier of industrial print solutions, industrial laser printers, and line and dot matrix printers. Printronix is based in Irvine, California, and operates across 14 offices worldwide.

Products Printronix's printers are primarily used in industrial environments for printing high-volume labels, bar-codes, invoices, manifest and bill of lading documents, delivery sheets, reports, build/broadcast sheets, green bar and bank statements. PrintNet Enterprise Suite (PNE), a web-based application allowing administrators to network and manage all Printronix line-matrix printers from a single computer, was launched in 2007. Printronix also offers consumables, parts, accessories, service and software.

History Printronix was founded in 1974 by Robert A. Kleist and business partners Gordon B. Barrus and David Mayne. Barrus realized there was a capital need for businesses to store all their data via printing, so he quit his job at Data Products and started a company he named Eikon, marketing industrial-grade printers to businesses to fulfill this need. The company was not successful and Gordon regrouped to found the startup Printronix. In the spring of 1974, in a garage in Playa del Rey, California, seven high technology pioneers got together and started a new company. They were Gordon Barrus (RIP), Leo Emenaker (RIP), Robert A Kleist, Dave Mayne, Ray Melissa, Rafael Patiño and Glen Radke (RIP).

Initially working out of Leo Emenaker's garage in Playa Del Rey, California, Barrus developed and invented what he christened as the P300, a 300-line-per-minute (LPM) prototype line printer series. The company would eventually incorporate, go public on the Nasdaq, and experience great success in the ensuing years with the emergence of the personal computer.

1976: Printronix goes Public and trades on the Nasdaq 1981: Opens Holland manufacturing facility and expands global operations to Europe, Middle-East and Africa 1985: Operations expand into Asia-Pacific with the opening of the Singapore Facility 1995: Printronix enters the Indian Market and signs agreement with Wipro 1998: Expansion into the China Market 2001: Printronix acquires RJS and enters the scanner/ verifier market 2008: Acquired by Vector Capital, Printronix becomes a Private Company 2009: Printronix acquires TallyGenicom 2013: Corona Investments acquires Printronix

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Printronix

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Printronix claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Printronix before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Printronix ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Printronix

In research: Printronix appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Printronix in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Printronix is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer companies of the United States, Computer hardware companies, Computer printer companies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Printronix outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Printronix in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Printronix means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Printronix out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Printronix in simple terms?

Why does Printronix matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Printronix?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Printronix.