Dot Matrix Printers – How are They Being Used Today?

Dot matrix printers where released into the market in 1970 by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) who then launched their LA30 printer series. A dot matrix printer can also be said as impact matrix printer. Dot matrix printer is named s per its working. As the tiny pins transfers ink through an ink ribbon upon the impact between the pin and the paper.

The pins are normally aligned in a matrix containing 9 or 24 pins where the container of the pins is called the printhead. This printer functions with a print head that runs back and forth on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, similar to a typewriter. Printing involves mechanical pressure; these printers can create multiple copies.

Each dot is produced by a tiny metal rod, also called a “wire” or “pin”. Manufacturers increased the pin count of the Dot matrix printer print head from 9 pins to 18, or 24. The increased pin-count permitted superior print-quality.

Dot matrix printer technology is mostly used by services such as Cash registers, Account Statement, Bank tellers, ATM and many other point-of-sales terminals. Some dot matrix printer also gives you USB interfaces to aid connection to modern legacy-free computers. Dot matrix printers are more tolerant of the hot and dirty operating conditions found in many industrial settings.

The simplicity and durability of the design allows users who are not “computer literate” to easily perform routine tasks such as changing ribbons and correcting paper jams.

Some popular Dot Matrix Printers

High End For usage greater than 3 boxes of paper/week – * IBM 6400-i10, i1p * Genicom 5100  * Tally T6218

Mid Range For 1 to 3 boxes of paper/week – * AMT ACCEL – 6350 * Output Technology PrintStation 60 * Tally T2280 * Epson DFX5000+ * IBM 4247-003  * Printek 8003

Low End For 1 to 2 boxes of paper/month – * Lexmark 2490 * Okidata ML490 * Lexmark 2491 * Okidata ML491

Specialty Printers For special usage demands – * AMT Accel-5350dsi * Output Technology PrintStation 40T  * Genicom LA500