Printers

Definition:
“Printer is a peripheral device that is used to convert soft copy into hardcopy.”

OR

“A printer is an external output device that takes data from a computer and generates output in the
form of graphics/text on the paper.”

Types of printer:
There are two main types of printers:

1.Impact printers

2.Non-Impact printers

Impact Printers:
These printers have a mechanism that touches the paper to create an image.

It produces an image or texts when tiny wire pins on print head strike the ink ribbon by physically
contacting the paper.

Following are the further types of the impact printer:

1.Dot Matrix Printer:

The term dot matrix refers to the placing of dots to form an image or texts.
Working: It has a print head through which the tips of nine wires project, forming a vertical
column of dots. The wire tips strike a ribbon which touches the paper, producing horizontal patterns
of dots that form letters, numeral, line and other characters.

Each pin makes dots and various dots make an image. But these printers have low resolution, noisy,
limited fonts flexibility and give poor quality graphics output.

2.Chain Printer:

A chain printer has a set of metal characters and numbers arranged in a continuous loop, resembling
the blade of a chainsaw. Behind the paper, a row hammers strike the characters as they come around
on the chain. Chain mechanism has print speeds up to the several hundred lines per minute, faster
than a dot matrix printer. More expensive and complicated mechanically. These are somewhat
noisy.

3.Daisy Wheel:

This printer consists of a wheel and attached extensions which molded metal characters are
mounted. These printers are roughly the size of typewriter. We could print using characters of
different fonts by changing the wheel. They still produce same clatter.

Working:
A hammer presses the wheel against a ribbon which in turn makes an ink strain on the paper in the
form of a character mounted on the wheel extensions.

This printer’s speed is very slow, less than 90 cps.

4.Line printer:
A line printer is an impact printer which makes use of continuous feed of paper and prints one line
of text at a time.

 It can print three thousand lines per minute.

 It can’t print graphics.
 It has low printing quality.
 These are very noisy.