What Is the Difference Between a Dot-Matrix and Thermal Printer?

Two main kinds of thermal printers--direct thermal printers and thermal transfer printers--exist. Each of the two thermal types differs from dot matrix printers in both printing mechanics and print quality.

Printing

Thermal transfer printers heat and melt a colored ribbon to produce images while direct thermal printers simply create images directly on pages without a ribbon. Dot matrix printers have between nine and 24 pins that physically strike an ink ribbon between the pin and the paper to print characters to the page.

Quality

Dot matrix printers print characters that appear as a series of dots connected together, not with the actual shape of a character. Thermal printers have a higher print quality and can produce photo-realistic images, but extended exposure to heat or light can cause the images to fade over time.

Uses

Retail stores commonly use thermal printers to print receipts for customers. They use rolls of paper for fast printing, but sometimes the ink remains wet and can smudge. Dot matrix printers more commonly appear as an output device for a computer.

References

• Amjad Iqbal: What is a Dot Matrix Printer?
• Computer Hope: Thermal Printer
• Zebra Technologies: Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer Printing
• Verifone: Ruby SuperSystem Printer