What is a dot matrix printer?

The transfer of information from a computer to paper, 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 We are talking about printing documents on a matrix printer, which, although considered somewhat outdated, sometimes turns out to be much more practical than modern inkjet and laser models.

Why matrix

The name was obtained due to the design features of the device. The term "matrix" is borrowed from mathematics, where it refers to 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. This is the relationship.

What are the features

A matrix printer is one of the most budget-friendly and reliable printing devices. These qualities are the result of the simplicity and conciseness of the design. Prints are produced by the mechanical action of a needle, which presses the ink ribbon against the paper, forming a dot. The more needles in the head, the smaller the individual points that make up a fragment of a letter or design are. The most common are printers with 9 and 24 needles in the head column, although their number may be different (maximum - 48 pieces vertically).

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 reproducing multi-color graphics with their help, although possible, is not practical. The first reason is the limited number of colors: there are only 4 in the base, so it is possible to get only 7 shades. The second is the gradual contamination of the ink ribbons, because the same needles come into contact with all of them.

An equally important feature of a dot matrix printer is the ability to simultaneously create several absolutely identical copies of a document as a carbon copy. To do this, a kind of sandwich made from sheets of office and copy paper is inserted into the device. The pressure from the point of the needle is usually sufficient to create 2-5 copies at a time, where the first is an impression left by an ink ribbon, and the subsequent ones are colored with carbon paper.

Kinds

Dot matrix printers are divided into dot and line printers. The first ones are different:

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

The latter, although a little more expensive, operate much quieter, faster (speed is already measured in lines) and longer. The fact is that a dot matrix printer is equipped with a print head that moves from one edge of the sheet to the opposite. But the 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 does not print the line character by character, but as a whole.The result is that, along with the dimensions of the device, its operating speed increases and the wear of moving parts of the equipment decreases.

Dot matrix printers in the modern world

The prints obtained on such a device are distinguished by a number of features, including:

• low cost of each of them;
• durability of the applied paint, which is practically driven into the fibers of the sheet;
• the presence of prints on paper that allow you to verify the authenticity of the document.

This 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 sales receipts, labels and tags are printed.