How Does The Dot Matrix Printer Work When Should It Be Used
Dot matrix printers are often used when printing multiple sheets or printing longer sized paper than usual, mainly for the purpose of printing invoices, bills, receipts, delivery slips, forms, savings books, diploma . Therefore, this type of machine is commonly used at the point of sale, transportation enterprises, warehouses, banks, post offices, administrative agencies . rather than at home.
Dot Matrix Printer Options
Serial dot matrix printers come with 9, 18 or 24-pin printer heads. A 24-pin dot-matrix printer provides the highest print quality and can produce near letter quality pages. A 9-pin model offers quicker print speeds and lower acquisition costs than 24-pin options. USB printers connect easily to a PC or network, and they offer plug-and-play capabilities for quick setup. Also, if you print in draft mode, there is no discernible difference in print quality and it can lower your cost per page. Measured in characters per second, speeds vary from 200 to 1,000 or more. You may also see print speed measured in inches per second. If you require higher quality prints, opt for a 24-pin dot matrix printer, but for the lowest cost per character and maximum speed, choose a 9-pin model. Additionally, 9-pin printers provide increased durability over those with more pins due to the larger size of individual components on the print heads.
Which Technology Do Dot Matrix Printers Use
impactThey work by implementing a moving head that prints in a line by line motion. However, in contrast to inkjets, dot matrix printers employ an impact head and ribbon method of printing.
How does daisy wheel printer work?
The wheel is used in a computer printer called a daisy-wheel printer. To print, the wheel is rotated until the correct character faces the paper a hammer strikes the character against an ink-coated ribbon and paper. The daisy wheel is mounted on a carriage that types the characters in lines.
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Dot Matrix Printer Working
In Dot-Matrix printer print head move on head character and graphics are created by pins group, this pin creates dot by pressing the ink ribbon on every pin there is a ribbon attached which strikes the paper.
At the same time, many pins strike simultaneously to create the character on the print head. Each pin in the vertical group is 7, 9, 10, 14, 18, and 21.
Each character, when printed, makes a character just down from the pin where it strikes.
What Is A Dot Matrix Printer And How Does It Work

Those who have experience in the field of printers are usually linked to professions that involve many roles. In everyday tasks, a printer needs to offer an effective job. Of course, it is necessary to know the terms, but there is nothing like practice.
In definition, a dot matrix printer is a computer peripheral that has the function of transcribing or marking a document from the computer to the paper. To do this, the print head moves from side to side using pins that mark the paper with ink to form the graphic that is printed.
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Dot Matrix Printer Dl 3750+
The reliable FUJITSU Dot Matrix Printer DL3750+ comes in a compact design. It features automatic paper parking and loading, auto tear off, the capability for bar code printing and is well suited for professional, multi-part printing. With a high printing speed of up to 480 characters per second and a ribbon yield of 5 million characters, the DL3750+ is perfect for every office environment.
Answer Common Questions About Dot Matrix Printers
What is a dot matrix printer, how much does it cost, how is it applied in life, how easy is it to use, which one is the best? Read this article now to get answers to common questions about dot matrix printers!
In this article, TipsMake.com will answer frequently asked questions aboutdot matrix printersto help you better understand the application of this device and easily choose to buy the best product!
The dot matrix printer is a printer that has been around for quite a long time. However, thanks to its dedicated printing capabilities, dot matrix printers still retain their own position regardless of the advent of more modern printing technologies such as laser printing or inkjet printing. Let’s find out more about this special printer series through answers to the following questions about printer needles!
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Are Dot Matrix Impact Printers Suitable For Dusty And Humid Environments
The lack of electrical components makes dot-matrix devices suitable for challenging environments. The lubrication provided by printer ribbons maintains the printers so they can be reliably used in environments with no air-conditioning and in extreme temperatures. They offer reliability in garages, warehouses, laboratories, stock rooms and industrial units, which are all environments where other printers struggle. The impact of the hammer striking the ribbon means that dot matrix impact printers are one of few printing technologies that print multi-part forms. A single pass reproduces the print on up to 10 copies of carbon paper.
What Is The Difference Between Daisy Wheel Printer And Dot Matrix Printer
Dot matrix printer is the most popular printed that is used to print the graphics and text on the sheet with the help of tiny dots in order to form desired shapes. Daisy wheel printer is the one which print symbols and characters but not graphics at a very slow speed.
What is the other name of daisy wheel printer?
Line printer Was this answer helpful?
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Buying Guide For Best Dot Matrix Printers
The first dot matrix printers were built into teletype machines over a hundred years ago, so it would be reasonable to wonder what place that kind of old-fashioned technology could have in todays office. In fact, there are still several things a good dot matrix printer does better than its laser and inkjet rivals, and they can put up with harsher working environments, too.
A dot matrix printer works much like a manual typewriter. A print head strikes an ink-filled ribbon, marking a sheet of paper. Because theres a physical impact, several copies can be created at the same time perfect for sending invoices, for example. These printers are invaluable in warehouse operations where lists are distributed to multiple departments. Small ones are used in hot working environments, typically restaurants, where other types of print can smudge or fade.
What Is The Best Metal Printer
A good dot matrix printer needs to meet your usage needs and must come from a reputable brand.
To choose a dot matrix printer suitable for your intended use, you will need to note:
Besides, choosing dot matrix printers from reputable brands will help ensure the best quality and durability of the machine. You can consult some famous printer manufacturers from Japan, USA, Italy such as Epson, Olivetti, OKI, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Lexmark, Printek .
Here are some good quality dot matrix printers, highly appreciated by users for your reference and easy to choose a device that best suits you :
Epson LQ dot matrix printer 310
Specifications :
Warranty : 12 months
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Techopedia Explains Dot Matrix Printer
In a dot matrix printer,the characters and letters are formed by a matrix of dots. A print head, whichhas many pins in it, moves in the required direction and strikesagainst a cloth ribbon which is soaked in ink, making a mark on the paper. The dots are spaced closely in a particular shape tomake the intended character. This looks quite similar to the printing mechanismof typewriters and daisy wheel printers. However, dot matrix printers aredifferent in the sense that many different characters and graphics can be printed.A character printed by a DMP is actually an accumulation of many such dots on asmall area of the paper.
Dot Matrix Impact Printers Offer A Cost

Dot-matrix printers have very few moving components and minimal electrical parts, reducing the need for ongoing maintenance and replacements. The replacement printer ribbons are also inexpensive and provide lubrication for moving parts. As a result, serial dot matrix printers have a cost per printed page roughly 10% of other printers. They are ideal for those operating on a shoestring budget or looking to minimize overheads like printing costs and save on office equipment.
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Are Dot Matrix Printers Still Used
Dot matrix printers are mainly used in industrial and commercial settings. Inkjet and laser technologies may be the most commonly used printers of this age, but dot matrix printers are still much-needed for the heavy-duty printing you need to get done.
In what situation would you recommend the dot matrix printer?
When your printing applications dont require full-color output or continuous-tone images such as photographs a dot matrix device can meet your needs. Although some two- or multi-color dot matrix designs have entered the market over the lifespan of the technology, they gained only limited adoption.
Where Might You See A Dot Matrix Printer Today
As the dot matrix printer will work continuously under most conditions including hot and cold temperatures and dirty and dusty environments. This makes dot matrix printers an ideal solution where print quality is not as important as reliability. For this reason garages, supermarkets, factories and workshops will often still use them. They are also good where printing has to be on continuous paper or banner type printing is required.
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What Kind Of Paper Can The Printer Print On
The dot matrix printer can print on a variety of paper with different thickness and thickness, the most popular of which are 2 types of specialized printing paper:
Dot Matrix Printers Summary
- Printers are cheap and less expensive to maintain.
- Can be used to make carbon copies as they are impact printers.
- Are very robust and will last for many years
- Printing cost is very low ribbon cost is low and lasts a long time
- Can be used in rough environments
Disadvantages
- Paper jams can be involved
- Printhead may get damaged due to bending of pins
- Slow in comparison to inkjet and laser printers
- Create a lot of noise
- Though color printing is available, the print quality is low.
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How Dot Matrix Printing Works
Ink is administered to the paper in dots via a series of tiny metal pins which are driven forward through an ink-soaked ribbon by the power of electromagnets or solenoids. The pins are traditionally located on a moving mechanism called the print head which will move from left to right to generate text. Up to 48 pins may be moving simultaneously to speed up the process of creating the printed output.
The pattern of the administration of the ink is determined by the computer, re-creating the on-screen text in a series of dots. This technology is similar to that found in many laser, inkjet and thermal printers although it is not customary to include them under the umbrella term of dot matrix printers.
Traditionally very durable machines, dot matrix printers were widely favoured between the 1970s and 1990s due to their reliability and long life.
A Brief History Of Dot Matrix Printing
First introduced onto the market by OKI in 1968, the original machine was known as the OKI Wiredot. This was then improved upon by the Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Massachusetts who created the DEC LA30 in 1970, which was capable of printing 30 characters every second.
Four years later, the LA30 was followed by the LA36 which achieved far greater commercial success becoming a standard for dot matrix technology in the process until 1979 when Epson got involved.
The Epson MX-80 was the all-important ground-breaking model which really sparked interest in home printers. Affordable and capable of top print quality , the MX-80 proved to be hugely popular at a time when the personal computer market was really starting to blossom.
Two years later, Epson released the EPROM kit which was designed to allow MX-80 printers to print graphics something which was previously unachievable for affordable home printers. Over the years, the quality of the text, speed of the output and overall performance continued to improve remaining popular throughout the 80s and the early 90s.
However, as laser and inkjet printers became more affordable in the late 90s, many people switched to this technology due to the printers capacities to produce more detailed prints.
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What Is The Difference Between A Dot Matrix Printer And A Line Printer
Dot Matrix Printer is a type of Impact Printer which prints characters or images by striking print hammer or wheel against an inked ribbon.Difference between Dot matrix printer and Laser printer :
S.No. | |
---|---|
It includes Serial Dot Matrix printers and Line Dot Matrix. | It includes Black and White or color printers. |
Why Dot Matrix Printers Are Still Being Used Today

That familiar noisy printing soundyou probably have seen or heard of it screaming akin to a dialup modem initializing. It was quite popular way back in the 80s when WordStar and WordPerfect were the de facto word processing applications. Despite its loud demeanor, there are a few reasons why it remains useful to some enterprises. Even if Japanese brands Oki and Epson are the some of the few ones left that manufacture dot matrix these days.
Remember what those printers are?
Despite its printing limitations while the lasers and the inkjets dominate the printer market,
a dot matrix printer wins in terms of printing and maintenance cost. A single ribbon can print up to 7 million characters of text. Theres no need for an ink monitoring software, as you can visually determine if the ribbon is drying up and may soon need replacement when the printout is quite lighter than normal. Maintenance wise, dot matrix printers can withstand in a relatively hot environment.
Efficient on Certain Applications
So next time you come across to some dot matrix printers, you may be fascinated at its obscurity in printing technology that is still relevant up to this day. For what theyre worth, they are reliable in what they are used for.
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Dot Matrix Printer Dl7600 Pro
The FUJITSU Dot Matrix Printer DL7600 Pro is the first choice heavy duty printer for multi-part invoices, sales orders, stationery and other similar documents. This flat-bed printer uses multiple paper paths and is ideal for any application that requires carbon and carbonless copies. Besides excellent paper handling features, this 24-pin dot-matrix printer offers impressive high speed printing and up to 8 carbonless copies.
Uses Of Dot Matrix Printers
The dot matrix printer is a very good choice for certain uses. This type of printer is the only one capable of printing multiple layers at once, which is excellent for producing carbon copies of documents. They are very good for internal use of companies such as payroll departments, printing labels or printing invoices in chain stores. Best option for heaving duty printing where keeping the cost low is a concern.
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Buying Guide: Dot Matrix Printer
Technology is constantly evolving, which is why so many new features are being added to electronic appliances such as printers. Consumers demand more from everyday gadgets and the variety of the products is diverse and overwhelming. To help you choose the right dot matrix printer for your business, weve put together this detailed buyers guide to answer all your printer questions. Read on to learn everything you need to know!
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.
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Dot Matrix Printer Dl7400 Pro
With its reputation for professional quality the FUJITSU Dot Matrix Printer DL7400 Pro is the first choice for heavy duty printing of multi-part invoices, sales orders, stationery and other similar documents. This printer is ideal for any application that involves the need for carbon and carbonless copies. Besides excellent paper handling features, this 24-pin dot-matrix printer offers impressive high speed printing and up to 7 copies at once .