What Is the Difference Between Impact Printers & Non-Impact Printers?

A printer puts ink to paper. Impact printers and non-impact printers are the two main formats. These two kinds of printers perform the same tasks, but do so in different ways.

Application

Impact printers use metal pins that print characters on paper by striking an ink ribbon placed between the pin and the paper, similarly to how a typewriter works. Non-impact printers do not physically strike the paper, which makes them quieter. Inkjet printers apply ink to the page by spraying it while laser printers electrically charge and roll the ink.

Quality

Impact printers use either nine, 18 or 24 pins for printing. Impact printers have difficulty printing images. Some can, but the quality is often poor. They can print in color using a color ribbon, but the range of colors pales in comparison to non-impact printers, which can print high quality images using thousands of color combinations.

Speed

Impact printers typically print about 40 to 300 characters per second, or about six to seven pages per minute, at best. Non-impact printers print faster. A laser printer can print roughly eight pages per minute on average and do so more quietly because there are no pins striking the page.

References

• Article Circle: Difference Between Impact Printers And Nonimpact Printers
• Amjad Iqbal: What is a Non-impact Printer?
• Tech Terms: Impact Printer
• Tech Terms: Non-Impact Printer