Definition of a Dot Matrix Printer

It seems as though there is a new type of computer printer being released every day. Printers are almost as old as computers and seem to go hand in hand with them. The laser and inkjet printers of today all owe their origins to one of the earliest forms of computer printers, the dot-matrix printer. Although the technology is more than 40 years old, the dot-matrix printer is still being used in many places today.

How it Works

Much like a typewriter, a dot-matrix printer works by striking pins against an ink ribbon to produce a set of dots on the paper. The dots are closely spaced together to form the characters they are printing. Most dot-matrix printers use special paper with "tractor holes" lined up on either side so it could be spooled into the machine. That allowed the paper to remain steady as the pins hit it.

History

The dot-matrix printer was first introduced in 1970 by Centronics, although Digital Equipment Corporation (aka "Digital") introduced a dot-matrix printer the same year. These printers were made for business and industrial use, and there was no real home version until 1978, when Epson released the TX-80, the first dot-matrix printer for home use. The next year, Epson released its popular MX-80.

Characteristics

There are several characteristics that separate the various levels of dot-matrix printers. The first is the speed of printing. Dot-matrix printers use a metric of characters per second (CPS) to determine how fast a printer is. Most dot-matrix printers have different speed settings depending on the print quality that is desired.
Another characteristic in determining print quality is the pin quality. Dot-matrix printers can come equipped with a varying number of pins which hit the ribbon and paper. The number of pins generally varies from 7 to 24. A 24-pin printer has the best print quality and its output is sometimes hard to distinguish from that of a modern inkjet printer.

Benefits

The dot-matrix printer is still a very good option for certain uses. A dot-matrix printer is still the only printer that can print on multi-layered forms (which is great for producing carbon copies of documents). Also, they are relatively inexpensive. They are great for internal company uses, such as payroll departments.

Considerations

Because they use pins to hit the paper and ribbon, dot-matrix printers are notoriously loud when in operation. Also because of the pins, the print quality is not going to be as good as a laser or inkjet printer. Ribbon cartridges can be hard to find for some older models.

Resources

• How Do Dot Matrix Printers Work