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How Dot Matrix printer Works

Typical output from a dot matrix printer operating in draft mode. This entire image represents an area of printer output approximately 4.5 cm x 1.5cm (1.75 x 0.6 inches) in size. This article is part of the series on the History of printing Technologies ood!loc" printing &o'a!le type (ntaglio *rinting press ,ithography -ffset press /hromolithography 0otary press 1lexography 2creen3printing %ye3su!limation *hotocopier *ad printing ,aser printer Dot matrix printer Thermal printer (n"4et printer %igital press )% printing '5d5e $ dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer refers to a type of computer printer 6ith a print head that runs !ac" and forth on the page and prints !y impact7 stri"ing an in"3soa"ed cloth ri!!on against the paper7 much li"e a type6riter. 8nli"e a type6riter or daisy 6heel printer7 letters are dra6n out of a dot matrix7 and thus7 'aried fonts and ar!itrary graphics can !e produced. 9ecause the printing in'ol'es mechanical pressure7 these printers can create car!on copies and car!onless copies. :ach dot is produced !y a tiny metal rod7 also called a ;6ire; or ;pin;7 6hich is dri'en for6ard !y the po6er of a tiny electromagnet or solenoid7 either directly or through small le'ers (pa6ls). 1acing the ri!!on and the paper is a small guide plate (often made of an artificial 4e6el such as sapphire or ru!y <1=) pierced 6ith holes to ser'e as guides for the pins. The mo'ing portion of the printer is called the print head7 and 6hen running the printer as a generic text de'ice generally prints one line of text at a time. &ost dot matrix printers ha'e a 1+76 1++) #00 $% 1040 14)0s 14)+ 17+6 !y 1.00s 1.)7 1.4) 1.+0s 1+07 1+57 1+60s 1+60s 1+6+ 1+70

single 'ertical line of dot3ma"ing e>uipment on their print heads? others ha'e a fe6 interlea'ed ro6s in order to impro'e dot density. These machines can !e highly dura!le. hen they do 6ear out7 it is generally due to in" in'ading the guide plate of the print head7 causing grit to adhere to it? this grit slo6ly causes the channels in the guide plate to 6ear from circles into o'als or slots7 pro'iding less and less accurate guidance to the printing 6ires. :'entually7 e'en 6ith tungsten !loc"s and titanium pa6ls7 the printing !ecomes too unclear to read. $lthough nearly all in"4et7 thermal7 and laser printers produce dot matrices7 in common parlance these are seldom called ;dot matrix; printers7 to a'oid confusion 6ith dot matrix impact printers. Contents

1 :arly %ot &atrix *rinters # %ot matrix features o #.1 (ndustrial mar"et o #.# *ersonal computer mar"et ) %ot matrix usage o ).1 *ersonal /omputers o ).# *seudo3/olor o ).) @ear ,etter Auality (@,A) o ).4 #43pin printers o ).5 8se of dot matrix printers today 4 $d'antages and %isad'antages o 4.1 $d'antages o 4.# %isad'antages 5 1uture of %ot3&atrix *rinters 6 2ee also 7 0eferences

Early Dot Matrix Printers The LA ! 6as a )0 characterBsecond dot matrix printer introduced in 1+70 !y %igital :>uipment /orporation of &aynard7 &assachusetts. (t printed .0 columns of uppercase3only 5x7 dot matrix characters across a uni>ue3sized paper. The printhead 6as dri'en !y a stepper motor and the paper 6as ad'anced !y a some6hat3unrelia!le and definitely noisy solenoid ratchet dri'e. The ,$)0 6as a'aila!le 6ith !oth a parallel interface and a serial interface? ho6e'er7 the serial ,$)0 re>uired the use of fill characters during the carriage3 return operation. The ,$)0 6as follo6ed in 1+74 !y the LA "7 6hich achie'ed far greater commercial success7 !ecoming for a time the standard dot matrix computer terminal. The ,$)6 used the same print head as the ,$)0 !ut could print on forms of any 6idth up to 1)# columns of mixed3case output on standard green !ar fanfold paper. The carriage 6as mo'ed !y a much3more3capa!le ser'o dri'e using a dc motor and an optical encoderBtachometer. The paper 6as mo'ed !y a stepper motor. The ,$)6 6as only a'aila!le 6ith a serial interface !ut unli"e the earlier ,$)07 no fill characters 6ere re>uired. This 6as possi!le !ecause7 6hile the printer ne'er communicated at faster than )0 characters per second7 the mechanism 6as

actually capa!le of printing at 60 characters per second. %uring the carriage return period7 characters 6ere buffered for su!se>uent printing at full speed during a catch-up period. The t6o3tone !uzz produced !y 60 character3per3second catch3up printing follo6ed !y )0 character3per3second ordinary printing 6as a distincti'e feature of the ,$)6. %igital then !roadened the !asic ,$)6 line onto a 6ide 'ariety of dot matrix printers includingC

LA#$! 33 1.0 cBs line printer L%#&! 33 1#0 cBs terminal LA#&! 33 1.0 cBs ad'anced terminal LA ' 33 /ost3reduced terminal LA $ 33 $n ,$)4 6ith more features LA#& 33 $ porta!le terminal

(n 1+707 /entronics (then of Dudson7 @e6 Dampshire) introduced a dot matrix printer7 the /entronics 101. The search for a relia!le printer mechanism led it to de'elop a relationship 6ith 9rother (ndustries7 ,td. of Eapan7 and the sale of /entronics3!adged 9rother printer mechanisms e>uipped 6ith a /entronics print head and /entronics electronics. 8nli"e %igital7 /entronics concentrated on the lo63end line printer mar"etplace 6ith their distincti'e units. (n the process7 they designed the parallel electrical interface that 6as to !ecome standard on most dot matrix printers (indeed7 most printers in general) until it started to !e replaced !y the 8ni'ersal 2erial 9us (829) in the late 1++0s. Dot matrix feat(res $s 6ith any technology product7 feature3sets for dot3matrix impact printers 'ary !y price7 intended mar"et7 and year of introduction. )nd(strial market (ndustrial3mar"et printers are designed for high3'olume printing and offer construction7 feed paths7 and carriage configurations suited for this tas". The carriage assem!ly typically houses multiple printheads7 permitting rapid printing of the entire paper36idth 6ith only a partial carriage displacement. (ndustrial printers are often ca!inet3sized7 6ith their o6n housing for !lan" paper7 the printer7 and printed output. 2uppliers of industrial impact printers include &annesmann3Tally7 *2i7 Fenicom and *rintronix. Personal comp(ter market

$ Tandy 1000 DG 6ith a Tandy %&*31)) dot3matrix printer. The 1+.0s sa6 a 6ide 'ariety of printers from many different manufacturers. @early all consumer printers are des"top sized. /ommon features includedC

alphanumeric mode (text) 3 $2/((B$@2( character printing mode7 encoded as 1 !yte per printed character. :arly (9& */ printers had limited typeface definitions7 later printers had fully $@2(3compliant typeface definitions. 2tandard on all dot3matrix printers. (Note: 'Windows-only' printers no longer support text mode printing from MS-DOS ) !itmap mode (graphics) 3 freeform !itmap printing. /ontroller transcri!ed any host3 pro'ided !itmap se>uence. 2tandard on all !ut the earliest dot3matrix models. !oldface (text) 3 8sually implemented !y printing selected text segment in printerHs dou!le3density mode. (1or @,A fonts 6hich already used dou!le3density mode7 the printer controller digitally H6idenedH the typeface !itmap.) color printing (textIgraphics)3 multi3color output7 generally achie'ed 6ith multiple printhead passes. 0e>uired a color ri!!on to !e installed. condensed cpi (text) 3 characters per inch7 standard3sized text 6as 10cpi (or .0 columns for letter36idth paper.) &any printers offered condensed text modes of 1#cpi7 15cpi7 17cpi7 and #0cpi. (f supported in @,A mode7 the condensed typefaces generally used extra storage (0-&) in the printer controller to hold different 'ersions of the typeface. (:arly printers limited @,A mode to 10cpi or 1#cpi.) dou!lestri"e (text) 3 do(*le printing (t6o3pass) of a selected text segment. 2ometimes used to simulate *oldface or cheap7 poor3>uality @,A. do6nloada!le font (text) 3 a!ility to accept and store a user3defined typeface. The user3do6nloaded typeface 6as do6nloaded into printerHs on!oard 0$&7 6here it !ecomes a'aila!le to su!se>uent (alphanumeric) text print 4o!s. 1irst offered on the +3pin :pson 1G3.0. ,ater high3end #43pin printers supported # or more simultaneous user fonts7 allo6ing a print 4o! to use any com!ination of user or !uilt3in typefaces. draft (text) 3 high3speed print mode7 characters 6ere formed 6ith openly spaced dots. 2ome models had multiple draft modes 6ith differing speed and dot density. italics (text) 3 !uilt3in italics capa!ility. *rinter controller created the effect through digital processing of the typeface. @,A (text) 3 Near !etter "uality7 $2/(( typeface 6ith impro'ed dar"ness and reada!ility. Fenerally slo6er to print7 especially on +3pin printers. ($'aila!le on #43 pin printers and later model +3pin printers.) outline (text) 3 printed selected text segment in a hollo6ed outline of the typeface. *rinter controller created the effect through digital processing of the typeface. 1ound on a handful of late3model #43pin printers (such as :pson ,A3570B.70B1070.)

proportional3space font (text) 3 non3uniform (horizontal) spacing !et6een characters. 2ome models only allo6ed *2 in con4unction 6ith specific typefaces. >uiet3mode (textIgraphics) 3 reduced the printheadHs acoustic noise during printing. Fenerally reduced the speed of printing. scala!le font (text) 3 allo6ed user control of a fontHs printed3size (continuously 'aria!le point3size.) 8nli"e the traditional !itmap representation of typeface data7 scala!le typefaces used a 'ector3!ased definition. 1ound on a handful of late3model #43pin printers (such as :pson ,A3570B.70.) shado6 (text) 3 added a shado6 to a selected text segment. *rinter controller created the effect through digital processing of the typeface. 1ound on a handful of late3 model #43pin printers (such as :pson ,A3570B.70B1070.) su!scriptBsuperscript (text) 3 !uilt3in typeface for simulating raised and lo6ered letters. (8sually implemented as a separate typeface.) typeface (text) 3 the typeface is the !itmap (image) definition of a font. /ommon printer typefaces 6ere Co(rier7 +oman7 %erif7 and %ans %erif, :arly and lo63end printers offered a single typeface. Digh3end and later models offered # or more distinct typefaces7 as 6ell as user3do6nloading of custom typefaces. 6ide3carriage (carriage size) 3 could print to 6ider (1)# column) paper. 2tandard3 carriage printers printed on letter36idth (..5;) paper. dot3density (printhead and controller) 3 ;dot matrix resolution; for +3pin printersC Jertical is 7#dpi7 horizontal (dpi)C607 667 7#7 .07 +67 1#07 1)#7 1447 1607 1.07 #40. 1or #43pin printers (in nati'e #43pin mode)7 Jertical is 1.0dpi7 horizontal (dpi)C 607 +07 1#07 1.07 #407 )60. &any models could achie'e higher 'ertical3density through fractional linefeeds (1B144; or 1B#16; for +3pin7 1B)60; for #43pin)7 for a maximum3 rating of #40x#167 or )60x)60. +3pin (printhead configuration) 3 the standard printhead config until the introduction of #43pin printers. ,ater models offered dot density up to #40dpi (horizontal.) 1.3pin7 #73pin (printhead configuration) 3 uncommon in consumer mar"et. #43pin (printhead configuration) 3 s>uare pixel for high !itmap resolution (1.0x1.0dpi standard)7 faster and higher3>uality @,A mode. ,ater models offered dot density up to )60dpi (horizontal.)

Dot matrix (sage Personal Comp(ters

$n :pson &G3.0 (n the 1+70s and 1+.0s7 dot matrix impact printers 6ere generally considered the !est com!ination of expense and 'ersatility7 and until the 1++0s they 6ere !y far the most common form of printer used 6ith personal computers. The :pson &G3.0 6as the ground!rea"ing model that spar"ed the initial popularity of impact printers in the personal computer mar"et. The &G3.0 com!ined afforda!ility 6ith solid text output (for its time.) :arly impact printers (including the &G) 6ere notoriously loud during operation7 a result of the hammer3li"e mechanism in the print head. 1urthermore7 the &G3 .0Hs lo6 dot density (60dpi horizontal7 7#dpi 'ertical) produced printouts of a distincti'e ;computerized; >uality. hen compared to the crisp type6riter >uality of a daisy36heel printer7 the dot3matrix printerHs legi!ility appeared especially !ad. (n office applications7 output >uality 6as a serious issue7 as the dot3matrix textHs reada!ility 6ould rapidly degrade 6ith each photocopy generation. (nitially7 third3party soft6are (such as 9radford) printer enhancement program7 offered a >uic" fix to the >uality issue. The soft6are utilized a 'ariety of soft6are techni>ues to increase print >uality? general strategies 6ere dou!lestri"e (print each line t6ice)7 and dou!le3density mode (slo6 the print head to allo6 denser and more precise dot placement.) 2uch add3on soft6are 6as incon'enient to use7 !ecause it re>uired the user to remem!er to run the enhancement program before each printer session (to acti'ate the enhancement mode.) 1urthermore7 they 6ere not compati!le 6ith all programs. :arly personal computer soft6are focused on the processing of text7 !ut as graphics displays !ecame u!i>uitous throughout the personal computer 6orld7 users 6anted to print !oth text and images. (ronically7 6hereas the daisy36heel printer and pen3plotter struggled to reproduce !itmap images7 the first dot3matrix impact printers (including the &G3.0) lac"ed the a!ility to print computer3generated images. Ket the dot3matrix print head 6as 6ell3suited to this tas"7 and the capa!ility >uic"ly !ecame a standard feature on all */3oriented dot3 matrix printers. *rogressi'e hard6are impro'ements to impact printers !oosted the carriage speed7 added more (typeface) font options7 increased the dot density (from 60dpi up to #40dpi)7 and added pseudo3color printing. 1aster carriage speeds meant faster (and sometimes louder) printing.

$dditional typefaces allo6ed the user to 'ary the text appearance of printouts. *roportional3 spaced fonts allo6ed the printer to imitate the non3uniform character 6idths of a typesetter. (ncreased dot density allo6ed for more detailed7 dar"er printouts. The impact pins of the printhead 6ere constrained to a minimum size (for structural dura!ility)7 and dot densities a!o'e 100dpi merely caused ad4acent dots to o'erlap. hile the pin diameter placed a lo6er limit on the smallest reproduci!le graphic detail7 manufacturers 6ere a!le to use higher dot density to great effect in impro'ing text >uality. 2e'eral dot3matrix impact printers (such as the :pson 1G series) offered Huser3do6nloada!le fontsH. This ga'e the user the flexi!ility to print 6ith different typefaces. */ soft6are do6nloaded a user3defined fontset into the printerHs memory7 replacing the !uilt3in typeface 6ith the userHs selection. $ny su!se>uent text printout 6ould use the do6nloaded font7 until the printer 6as po6ered off or soft3reset. 2e'eral third3party programs 6ere de'eloped to allo6 easier management of this capa!ility. ith a supported 6ord3processor program (such as ord*erfect 5.1)7 the user could em!ed up to # @,A custom typefaces in addition to the printerHs !uilt3in (0-&) typefaces. (The later rise of K2( KF soft6are philosophy rendered do6nloaded fonts o!solete.) Single-stri#e and Multi-stri#e ri!!ons 6ere an attempt to address issues in the ri!!onHs in" >uality. 2tandard printer ri!!ons used the same principles as type6riter ri!!ons. The printer 6ould !e at its dar"est 6ith a ne6ly installed ri!!on cartridge7 !ut 6ould gradually gro6 fainter 6ith each successi'e printout. The 'ariation in dar"ness o'er the ri!!on cartridgeHs lifetime prompted the introduction of alternati'e ri!!on formulations. Single-stri#e ri!!ons used a car!on3li"e su!stance in type6riter ri!!ons transfer. $s the ri!!on 6as only usa!le for a single loop (rated in terms of Hcharacter countH)7 the !lac"ness 6as of consistent7 outstanding dar"ness. Multi-stri#e ri!!ons ga'e an increase in ri!!on life7 at the expense of >uality. Pse(do-Color 2e'eral manufacturers implemented color dot3matrix impact printing through a multi3color ri!!on. /olor 6as achie'ed through a multi3pass composite printing process. %uring each pass7 the print head struc" a different section of the ri!!on (one primary color.) 1or a 43color ri!!on7 each printed line of output re>uired a total of 4 passes. (n some color printers7 such as the $pple (mage riter ((7 the printer mo'ed the ri!!on relati'e to the fixed print head assem!ly. (n other models7 the print head 6as tilted against a stationary ri!!on. %ue to their poor color >uality and increased operating expense7 color impact models ne'er replaced their monochrome counterparts.<citation needed= $s the color ri!!on 6as used in the printer7 the !lac" in" section 6ould gradually contaminate the other ) colors7 changing the consistency of printouts o'er the life of the ri!!on. Dence7 the color dot3matrix 6as suita!le for a!stract illustrations and piecharts7 !ut not for photo-realistic reproduction. %ot3matrix thermal3transfer printers offered more consistent color >uality7 !ut consumed printer film7 still more expensi'e. /olor printing in the home 6ould only !ecome u!i>uitous much later7 6ith the in"34et printer.The speed is usually )03550 cps .ear Letter /(ality 0.L/1 Text >uality 6as a recurring issue 6ith dot3matrix printers. Near !etter "uality mode endo6ed dot3matrix printers 6ith a simulated type6riter3li"e >uality. 9y using multiple passes of the carriage7 and higher dot density7 the printer could increase the effecti'e resolution. 1or example7 the :pson 1G3.6 could achie'e a theoretical addressable dot3grid of #40 !y #16

dotsBinch using a print head 6ith a 'ertical dot density of only 7# dotsBinch7 !y ma"ing multiple passes of the print head for each line. 1or #40 !y 144 dotsBinch7 the print head 6ould ma"e one pass7 printing #40 !y 7# dotsBinch7 then the printer 6ould ad'ance the paper !y half of the 'ertical dot pitch (1B144 inch)7 then the print head 6ould ma"e a second pass. 1or #40 !y #16 dotsBinch7 the print head 6ould ma"e three passes 6ith smaller paper mo'ement (1B) 'ertical dot pitch7 or 1B#16 inch) !et6een the passes. To cut hard6are costs7 some manufacturers merely used a double stri#e (dou!ly printing each line) to increase the printed textHs !oldness7 resulting in !older !ut still 4agged text. (n all cases7 @,A mode incurred a se'ere speed penalty. @ot surprisingly7 all printers retained one or more HdraftH modes for high3speed printing. @,A !ecame a standard feature on all dot3matrix printers. hile @,A 6as 6ell recei'ed in the (9& */ mar"et7 the $pple &acintosh mar"et did not use @,A mode at all7 as it did not rely on the printerHs o6n fonts. &ac 6ord3processing applications used fonts stored in the computer. 1or non3*ost2cript (raster) printers7 the final raster image 6as produced !y the computer and sent to the printer7 6hich meant dot3matrix printers on the &ac platform exclusi'ely used raster (;graphics;) printing mode. 1or near3letter3>uality output7 the &ac 6ould simply dou!le the resolution used !y the printer7 to 144 dpi7 and use a screen font t6ice the point size desired. 2ince the &acHs screen resolution (7# dpi) 6as exactly half of the (mage riterHs maximum7 this 6or"ed perfectly7 creating text at exactly the desired size. The &acHs K2( KF philosophy foreshado6ed the direction the */ mar"et 6ould later follo6. &'-pin printers 9y the mid 1+.0s7 manufacturers had increased the pincount of the impact printhead from + pins to 1.7 or #4. ($t #7 pins7 the $pple (mage riter ,A held the record for consumer mar"et.) The increased pin3count permitted superior print3>uality 6hich 6as necessary for success in $sian mar"ets to print legi!le "an4i characters. (n the */ mar"et7 nearly all +3pin printers printed at a defacto3standard 'ertical pitch of +B7# inch (per printhead pass.) :psonHs #43pin ,A3series rose to !ecome the ne6 de3facto standard7 at #4B1.0 inch (per pass.) @ot only could a #43pin printer lay do6n a denser dot3pattern in a single3pass7 it could simultaneously co'er a larger area. /ompared to the older +3pin models7 a ne6 #43pin impact printer not only produced !etter3 loo"ing @,A text7 it printed the page >uic"er (largely due to the #43pinHs a!ility to print @,A 6ith a single pass.) #43pin printers repeated this feat in !itmap graphics mode7 producing higher3>uality graphics in reduced time. hile the text3>uality of a #43pin 6as still 'isi!ly inferior to a true letter3>uality printerLthe daisy 6heel or laser3printer7 the typical #43pin impact printer outpaced most daisy36heel models. $s manufacturing costs declined7 #43pin printers gradually replaced +3pin printers. #43pin printers reached a dot3density of )60x)60 dpi7 a mar"eting figure aimed at misleading potential !uyers of competing in"34et and laser3printers. #43pin @,A fonts generally used a dot3density of )60x1.07 the highest allo6a!le 6ith single3pass printing. &ultipass @,A 6as a!andoned7 as most manufacturers felt the marginal >uality impro'ement did not 4ustify the tradeoff in speed. &ost #43pin printers offered # or more @,A typefaces7 !ut the rise of K2( KF soft6are and F8( en'ironments such as &icrosoft indo6s ended the usefulness of @,A.

2se of dot matrix printers today The des"top impact printer 6as gradually replaced !y the in"4et printer. hen De6lett3 *ac"ardHs patents expired on steam3propelled photolithographically3produced in"34et heads7 the in"4et mechanism !ecame a'aila!le to the printer industry. The in"4et 6as superior in nearly all respectsC comparati'ely >uiet operation7 faster print speed7 and output >uality almost as good as a laser printer. 9y the mid31++0s7 in"4et technology had surpassed dot3 matrix in the mainstream mar"et. $s of #0057 dot matrix impact technology remains in use in de'ices such as cash registers7 $T&7 and many other point3of3sales terminals. Thermal printing is gradually supplanting them in these applications. 1ull3size dot3matrix impact printers are still used to print multi3part stationery7 for example at !an" tellers7 and other applications 6here use of tractor feed paper is desira!le such as data logging and a'iation. 2ome are e'en fitted 6ith 829 interfaces as standard to aid connection to modern legacy3free computers. %ot matrix printers are also more tolerant of the hot and dirty operating conditions found in many industrial settings. The simplicity and dura!ility of the design allo6s users 6ho are not ;computer literate; to easily perform routine tas"s such as changing ri!!ons and correcting paper 4ams. 2ome companies7 such as e* *eripherals <#=7 :pson <)=7 -"idata <4=7 -li'etti <5=7 ,exmar" <6=7 and TallyFenicom <7=7 still produce serial and line printers. Today7 a ne6 dot matrix printer actually costs more than most in"4et printers and some entry le'el laser printers. Do6e'er7 not much should !e read into this price difference as the printing costs for in"4et and laser printers are a great deal higher than for dot matrix printers7 and the in"4etBlaser printer manufacturers effecti'ely use their monopoly o'er ar!itrarily priced printer cartridges to su!sidise the initial cost of the printer itself (see (n"4et printer 3M 8nderlying !usiness model). %ot matrix ri!!ons are a commodity and are not monopolised !y the printer manufacturers themsel'es. %ot matrix printers are the dominant type of printer in small firms and offices in some parts of (ndia. Ad3antages and Disad3antages Ad3antages %ot matrix printers7 li"e any impact printer7 can print on multi3part stationery or ma"e car!on copies. (mpact printers ha'e one of the lo6est printing costs per page. $s the in" is running out7 the printout gradually fades rather than suddenly stopping part6ay through a 4o!. They are a!le to use continuous paper rather than re>uiring indi'idual sheets7 ma"ing them useful for data logging. They are good7 relia!le 6or"horses ideal for use in situations 6here printed content is more important than >uality. The in" ri!!on also does not easily dry out7 including !oth the ri!!on stored in the casing as 6ell as the portion that is stretched in front of the print head? this uni>ue property allo6s the dot3matrix printer to !e used in en'ironments 6here printer duty can !e rare7 for instance7 as 6ith a 1ire $larm /ontrol *anelHs output.

Disad3antages (mpact printers are usually noisy7 to the extent that sound dampening enclosures are a'aila!le for use in >uiet en'ironments. They can only print lo6 resolution graphics7 6ith limited color performance7 limited >uality and comparati'ely lo6 speed. hile far !etter suited to printing on la!els than a laser printer or an in"4et printer7 they are prone to !ent pins (and therefore a destroyed printhead) caused !y printing a character half3on and half3off the la!el? for text3only la!els (ie. mailing la!els)7 a daisy 6heel printer offers most of the ad'antages of a dot matrix7 6ith !etter print >uality and a lesser chance of !eing damaged. 4(t(re of Dot-Matrix Printers The main use of %ot3&atrix *rinters are in areas of intensi'e transaction3processing systems that churn out >uite a lot of printing. &any companies 6ho might ha'e started off 6ith dot3 matrix printers are not so easily con'inced to go for printers !ased on other technologies !ecause of the speed ad'antage that they ha'e 6ith dot3matrix printers. /urrently %ot3&atrix *rinters are popular 6ith fans of retro culture. 1or example7 many zine ma"ers use %ot3&atrix *rinters as 6ell as type6riters in the creation of their pu!lications.

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