Dot Matrix Printers: Impactful Dots and Printing Evolution

In the general sense lots of printers count on a matrix of pixels, or dots, that together form the bigger image. However, the term dot matrix printer is particularly used for impact printers that utilize a matrix of small pins to create accurate dots. The advantage of dot-matrix over other effect printers is that they can produce visual images in addition to text; however the text is usually of poorer quality than effect printers that use letterforms (type). Dot-matrix printers can be broadly divided into two major classes:

Ballistic wire printers

Kept energy printers

Dot matrix printers can either be character-based or line-based (that is, a single horizontal series of pixels across the page), describing the configuration of the print head.

At one time, dot matrix printers was among the more typical kinds of printers used for general use, such as for home and small workplace use. Such printers would have either 9 or 24 pins on the print head. 24-pin print heads had the ability to print at a greater quality.

Get quality help now

Prof. Finch

Verified writer

Proficient in: Technology

4.7 (346)

“ This writer never make an mistake for me always deliver long before due date. Am telling you man this writer is absolutely the best. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

When the price of inkjet printers dropped to the point where they were competitive with dot matrix printers, dot matrix printers started to fall out of favor for general usage. Some dot matrix printers, such as the NEC P6300, can be updated to print in colour.

This is achieved through the use of a four-colour ribbon mounted on a mechanism (provided in an upgrade kit that replaces the standard black ribbon mechanism after installation) that raises and lowers the ribbons as needed.

Colour graphics are generally printed in four passes at standard resolution, thus slowing down printing considerably. As a result, colour graphics can take up to four times longer to print than standard monochrome graphics, or up to 8-16 times as long at high resolution mode.

Dot matrix printers are still commonly used in low-cost, low-quality applications like cash registers, or in demanding, very high volume applications like invoice printing. The fact that they use an impact printing method allows them to be used to print multi-part documents using carbonless copy paper, like sales invoices and credit card receipts, whereas other printing methods are unusable with paper of this type. Dot-matrix printers are now (as of 2005) rapidly being superseded even as receipt printers.