What are the two most common types of printers?

Currently the two most popular types of printers are inkjet and laser printers.

Inkjet printers are generally used in the home, and are preferred for their lower initial purchase cost.

Laser printers are more expensive up front but are inevitably cheaper for heavy users on a per-page basis. They are also preferred for their high speed.

Aside from that. In olden days we used to use Dot-matrix, Daisy-wheel and other impact printers. Dot-matrix printers are still very popular for places where it is useful to be able to print on special multi-layered paper, as dot-matrix presses hard enough to press through.

Many smaller printers such as receipt and ATM printers use thermal printers. The paper is specially treated to change color in reaction to heat. The printer just heats up the parts it wants to print on & you have your receipt.... unless you leave it on a hot dashboard! Some faxes and photocopiers also use this technology, but it is not preferred as the glossy paper is difficult to write on.