Types of Printers: Ink-Jet, Impact & More Characteristics

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Questions and Answers

What is the method used by Impact Printers to print characters?

By spraying ink on the paper

By using a laser

By heating the ribbon

By striking the characters on the ribbon (correct)

What is a characteristic of Impact Printers?

They are useful for bulk printing due to low cost (correct)

They are only used for graphic printing

They are very quiet

They have high consumable costs

What is a type of Impact Printer that prints one character at a time?

Daisy Wheel Printer

Character Printer (correct)

Dot Matrix Printer

Line Printer

What is the name of the printer that has a head consisting of a Matrix of Pins of size (57, 79, 97 or 99)?

Dot Matrix Printer Signup and view all the answers

What is an advantage of Dot Matrix Printers?

Inexpensive Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the printer that has a head lying on a wheel and pins corresponding to characters like petals of a flower?

Daisy Wheel Printer Signup and view all the answers

What is the main advantage of using a drum printer?

It has very high speed Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between a drum printer and a chain printer?

The ability to change character fonts Signup and view all the answers

What is a common disadvantage of using impact printers?

They are noisy Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of a line printer?

It prints one line at a time Signup and view all the answers

What is the advantage of using a chain printer over a drum printer?

It can easily change character fonts Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between an impact printer and a non-impact printer?

The use of a ribbon Signup and view all the answers

What is a common characteristic of non-impact printers?

They are high-quality Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary method used by laser printers to produce printed characters?

Using laser lights to produce dots Signup and view all the answers

What is an advantage of inkjet printers over laser printers?

Ability to produce multiple copies of a document Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of laser printers?

They cannot produce multiple copies of a document Signup and view all the answers

What is a common feature of both laser and inkjet printers?

They are high-quality and support many fonts Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of inkjet printers?

They are high-quality and produce presentable output Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Printers

A printer is an output device that prints information on paper.
There are two types of printers: Impact Printers and Non-Impact Printers.

Impact Printers

They print characters by striking them on the ribbon, which is then pressed on the paper.
Characteristics: low consumable costs, very noisy, useful for bulk printing, and physical contact with the paper.
There are two types of Impact Printers: Character Printers and Line Printers.

Character Printers

They print one character at a time.
There are two types of Character Printers: Dot Matrix Printer (DMP) and Daisy Wheel.

Dot Matrix Printer (DMP)

Popular due to ease of printing and economical price.
Characters are printed in the form of a pattern of dots.
Head consists of a Matrix of Pins (e.g., 57, 79, 97, or 99).
Advantages: inexpensive, widely used, and can print other language characters.
Disadvantages: slow speed, poor quality.

Daisy Wheel Printer

Head is shaped like a wheel with pins corresponding to characters, resembling a daisy.
Used for word-processing in offices that require a few letters to be sent.
Advantages: more reliable than DMP, better quality, and fonts can be easily changed.
Disadvantages: slower than DMP, noisy, and more expensive than DMP.

Line Printers

They print one line at a time.
There are two types of Line Printers: Drum Printer and Chain Printer.

Drum Printer

Shaped like a drum, with a surface divided into tracks equal to the paper width.
Character set is embossed on the track, with different character sets available (48, 64, or 96 characters).
One rotation of the drum prints one line.
Advantages: very high speed.
Disadvantages: very expensive, and character fonts cannot be changed.

Chain Printer

Uses a chain of character sets.
Advantages: character fonts can be easily changed, and different languages can be used with the same printer.
Disadvantages: noisy.

Non-Impact Printers

They print characters without using a ribbon.
They print a complete page at a time, also known as Page Printers.
There are two types of Non-Impact Printers: Laser Printers and Inkjet Printers.
Characteristics: faster than impact printers, not noisy, high quality, and support many fonts and different character sizes.

Laser Printers

Use laser lights to produce dots needed to form characters on a page.
Advantages: very high speed, high-quality output, good graphics quality, and support many fonts and different character sizes.
Disadvantages: expensive, and cannot be used to produce multiple copies of a document in a single printing.

Inkjet Printers

Use a relatively new technology to print characters by spraying small drops of ink onto paper.
Advantages: high-quality printing, more reliable, and some models can produce multiple copies of printing.
Disadvantages: expensive, and slow as compared to laser printer.

Computer Memory

A memory is similar to a human brain, storing data and instructions.
Computer memory is divided into small parts called cells.

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Description

This quiz covers the two main types of printers: impact and non-impact printers, their characteristics, and uses. Learn about the differences between these printer types and when to use each.