| |
Description |
Advantages |
Used
for |
Limitations |
| Dot-matrix |
Impact as the print head strikes the
paper through a ribbon Print head is made of pins which
are fired by magnets to produce dots. The more
pins on the head the better the quality
Prints by line
|
Cheap to purchase and to run Carbon copies can be produced so
useful for sales/accounts applications where
multiple copies are used
Can print graphics and
with a duo-coloured ribbon colour output is
possible
|
Used for draft work and internal
documents Tickets
Receipts
|
Noisy - acoustic hood should be
used Relatively
slow
Best quality print is
near letter quality (NLQ )
|
| Ink-jet |
Non-impact page printer Fine jets of ink are fired at the
paper to produce the required image
|
Good quality print Can print graphics
Full colour printing
Quiet in operation
Inexpensive to purchase
|
|
High running cost. Ink cartridges
must be replaced after a few hundred copies.
Cheaper models use one cartridge only and black
is composed of several colours so is not really
pure black. Output
is wet so care must be take to avoid smudging
|
| Laser |
Non-impact page printer Light amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation
A laser electrically
charges the outline required on a rotating drum.
Toner is attracted by this charge and is heat
sealed to the paper to produce the image
|
Best quality print Fast
Quiet in operation
High quality graphics
|
Where good quality printed output
is required High
volume output
|
Most expensive to purchase and to
run Colour lasers
are the most expensive
|
| Daisy-wheel |
Impact character printers The characters are set on a
rotating disk and strike the paper through a
ribbon
|
Inexpensive to purchse and run |
Used for small document
production Only
used today with text processing equipment
|
Noisey Slow
Cannot print graphics
Wheel must be changed to
produce different fonts
|
| Plotter |
With Drum plotters the paper revolves on a drum and
the pen only moves up and down in one direction
as the drum rotates With flatbed plotters the pen (or
pens) can move in several directions
|
Used with computer aided design
(CAD) and mapping software |
Architects, engineers, scientists
and designers use them to produce complex
technical drawings |
|
| Line or Chain |
Used with mainframe computers |
Very fast printing. |
High volume multiple copy output |
Quality can vary |
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