Dot matrix printer is: description and type features

The familiar transfer of information from a computer to paper, which was familiar to many, appeared in 1964 and has not lost its relevance to this day. We are talking about printing documents on a matrix printer, which, although it is considered somewhat outdated, but sometimes it is much more practical than modern inkjet and laser models.

Why matrix

The name is obtained due to the design features of the device. The term “matrix” is borrowed from mathematics, where it denotes a mathematical object written in a table consisting of rows and columns. The print head of the printer is represented by a column of movable needles, which are placed in a horizontally moving carriage. Here is such a relationship.

What are the features

The dot matrix printer is one of the most cost-effective and reliable printing devices. These qualities are the result of simplicity and conciseness of the design. The prints are obtained due to the mechanical action of the needle, which presses the ink ribbon to the paper, forming a dot. The more needles in the head, the smaller the individual dots that make up a fragment of a letter or picture. The most common are printers with 9 and 24 needles in the head column, although their number may be different (maximum - 48 pieces in the vertical).

Considering that ink ribbon is cheaper than toner cartridges for an inkjet or laser printer, matrix models remain relevant when you need to create a large number of inexpensive prints.

But the reproduction of multicolor graphics with their help, although possible, but impractical. The first reason is a limited number of colors: there are only 4 in the database, so you can get only 7 shades. The second is the gradual contamination of ink ribbons, because all of them are in contact with the same needles.

An equally important feature of the dot-matrix printer is the ability to simultaneously create several absolutely identical copies of a “carbon copy” document. To do this, a kind of sandwich from sheets of office and carbon paper is refilled into the device. The pressure of the needle tip is usually sufficient to simultaneously create 2–5 copies, where the first is the imprint left by the ink ribbon, and the subsequent ones are painted with a carbon paper.

Kinds

Dot matrix printers are divided into dot and linear. The first ones differ:

• low cost;
• relatively low print speed, measured in characters;
• the speed of wear of needles and carriage;
• noisy work.

The second ones, although a little more expensive, but they function much quieter, faster (speed is already measured in lines) and longer. The fact is that the dot matrix printer is equipped with a print head that moves from one edge of the sheet to the opposite. But a slightly more cumbersome linear-matrix version is distinguished by the number of needles assembled into blocks of hammers placed across the entire width of the paper. Thus, the printer prints the line not one by one, but as a whole. The result - along with the dimensions of the device, its speed increases and the wear of moving parts of the equipment decreases.

Dot matrix printers in the modern world

The prints received on such a device are distinguished by a number of features, among which:

• low cost of each of them;
• the resistance of the applied paint, practically driven into the sheet fibers;
• the presence on paper of prints to verify the authenticity of the document.

That is why dot-matrix printers are still found where speed and reliability are more important than print quality. With their help, financial documents, tickets and receipts are created, indicators of measuring instruments are transferred to paper and commodity checks, labels and tags are printed.