Digital desktop printers are the name given to most of the desktop digital printing equipment in use. Documents that are suitable for output on a digital desktop printer are designed on a computer and stored as digital information. When it is time for an application to be output, the documents are printed directly from the digital files.

A digital desktop printer differs from a copier in that it has the ability to print a new image for each sheet that passes through the printer. Like copiers, digital desktop printers produce documents in which the price per piece is the same regardless of the quantity. Most desktop printers use either electrophotography or ink-jet technology as the method of printing.

There is a wide range of output speeds available based on the type of printer, the manufacturer, the price, and the output resolution. Many digital desktop printers offer a choice of output resolutions such as "best", "normal", and "fast". The normal setting is the default setting for most desktop printers. The fast mode will increase the output speed but lower the resolution. The best mode will decrease the output while providing the best resolution. With a higher end desktop printer, the fast mode may provide as good or better quality as the normal setting on a less expensive printer. The actual print speed of most desktop printers may not be any faster than copiers and in many cases the speed is less, but the print quality is generally superior.

Most digital desktop printers are capable of printing on a wider variety of substrates than copiers. Many types of paper such as bond, glossy, cover, index, and tag can be used as well as label stock, envelopes, and transparencies.

The use of digital desktop printers for small quantities is an economical choice, especially if the application contains continuous tone images and the quality must be even better than what can be achieved with digital copiers.