Difference Between a Line Printer & a Dot Matrix Printer

A line printer and dot matrix printer differ in how they print pages. Line printers are more commonly used with computers, while dot matrix printers function similarly to a typewriter.

Printing

A line printer print pages exactly as its name implies, one line at a time. Dot matrix printers use pins arranged in a matrix that physically strike an ink ribbon between the pin and the paper to print characters.

Speed

Line matrix printers can print roughly 1,200 lines per minute, or generally about 20 pages per minute. Dot matrix printers print about 40-300 characters per second, or about six to seven pager per minute, at best.

Quality

Dot matrix printers have a lower print quality than line printers. The characters' shapes on pages printed using a dot matrix printer appear as a number of dots connected together. Line printers print solid characters and can use a wide variety of font face and sizes.

References

• Printronix: Line Printers Versus Dot Matrix Printers
• Amjad Iqbal: What is a Dot Matrix Printer?
• Amjad Iqbal: What is a Line Printer?
• Genicom: Line Printer Comparison Chart