Call To Order
A dot matrix printer also known as impact matrix printer, are an older kind of printer that develops characters and illustrate it by striking pins against an ink ribbon in order to print closely spaced dots in the appropriate shape.These printers are generally considered outdated, as they cannot create high-quality prints and are costly as well. They can be used to print multiple copies of text at the same time with the help of carbon copying. Therefore, they are mostly used in places where multipart forms are required.
Basic Printing Function
All dot matrix printers create characters on paper by striking an inked ribbon with a hard surface. Unlike typewriters, which use a similar mechanism, dot matrix printers do not have fixed character shapes or fonts. Instead, each individual character is formed by the arrangement of a series of pins. This allows dot matrix printers to be used for basic graphical printing and multiple fonts as well as basic text printing but it gives the printout a characteristic “dotted” appearance. Dot matrix printouts often produce lower-quality text that can be difficult to read. In addition, dot matrix printers generally are noisier than inkjet or laser models.
Media Types
Most dot matrix printers use a “daisy-wheel” paper feeding mechanism that requires special continuous-feed media with a strip of punched holes on the sides. They work best on uncoated, relatively thin paper. Unlike laser or inkjet printers, however, dot matrix machines are appropriate for use with multiple-part forms, such as shipping paperwork and invoices. Due to their impact-based printing functions, they can print on all the parts of a single form in just one pass.
Dot Size and Pin Density
The print quality produced by a dot matrix printer is significantly affected by the number and size of pins in the print head, even the best dot matrix printers generally can't match the quality of inkjet or laser printers. The simplest dot matrix devices use just nine pins to produce each individual character, creating a pixelized, blocky appearance. More complex printers use a larger number of smaller pins, producing greater detail and eliminating the characteristic look of dot matrix text. Common arrangements for these printers include dual 9-pin and 24-pin print heads.
Modern Use
As inkjet and laser printers became more reliable and affordable in the early to mid-1990s, dot matrix printers were phased out of common office and home use. They remained common in businesses that need to print continuous feed documents or use multi-part forms. As of the date of publication, dot matrix printers are produced by a relatively limited number of manufacturers and have become relatively costly compared to inkjets and laser printers that offer similar functionality, due in part to the low demand for them.
Advantages of dot matrix printers
- Dot matrix printers are really less expensive. As they are so cheap it is easy to buy and use.
- The maintenance cost of dot matrix printer is also low.
- The cost of printing of dot matrix printer is also low. The price of ink ribbon of dot matrix printer is also less and the lasting time is also high.
- Dot matrix printers last for a long period of time and it don’t need replacement soon as they are very robust.
- The ink of dot matrix printers don’t finish up rapidly like ink of other printers do. It gives hint before getting emptied. The quality starts fading slowly and that’s the time when you know you need to refill the ink.
- Dot matrix printers are very strong and that it is the reason that they can also be used in the rough environment like industrial establishment.
Disadvantages of dot matrix printers
- The quality that dot matrix printer possesses is very low.
- Dot matrix printer enables color printing but the quality of that color printing is also low. And due to this low quality issues dot matrix printers are not suitable for many kind of print outs.
- Dot matrix printer creates a lot of noise while printing and thus it is very annoying and disturbing.
- The work of handling paper jams is very tedious.
- The speed of operating dot matrix printers is less when compared to ink jet printer and laser printer.
- There is possibility of print heads getting damaged due to bending of pins.
Ribbons
Pins
Working
Ribbons
The dot matrix printers use a ribbon that is covered with ink. The pins strike the ribbon in order to transfer the ink onto the paper in response to the computer's commands when the paper feeder moves the paper into position. Color ink ribbons consist of three bands corresponding to the three primary colors. Color images need to be printed with several pin strikes so that you can create the proper tone.
Pins
The pins on a dot matrix are where all the action is being performed. The number of pins has a direct impact on the speed and resolution of the output in a dot matrix printer. The dot matrix printers produce low resolution printouts when it starts from 9 pin. When consumer dot matrix printers reached 24 pins it has got maximum resolution. The dot matrix printers are having denser dot patterns that mean it has higher resolution and better print quality.
Working
Dot matrix printers are also referred as impact printers. These dot matrix printers are capable of printing text and simple graphics. The printer at a time draws one character from a dot matrix and most often it consist of either 9 or 24 pins. After that it strikes a number of metal pins against an inked ribbon, and it transfers the image to a sheet of tractor feed paper. Dot matrix printers have the capability to print at high speed for many hours at a time with little to no human intervention.
Kindly click on the links and image below to place your order
https://www.deluxe.com.ng/product-category/dot-matrix-printers
www.deluxe.com.ng
Category