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Introduction
Printers are classified into two types depending on the type of print image created by hitting an ink ribbon on the paper. In this way, printers fall into two categories: Impact and Non-Impact.
The most significant distinction between impact and non-impact printers is that they use the image created using an electromechanical impact device. In comparison, in a non-impact printer, there is no impact device that is mechanical in nature.
You may be wondering about the differences between non-impact and impact printers. This article will provide information on the primary distinction between non-impact and impact printers to help you understand them better.
What is the Impact Printer?
The impact printer creates immediate contact between the ink ribbons and paper. They can be noisy yet are very popular. Impact printers have mechanical components that allow printing. Examples include Daisy-wheel printers, line printers, and Dot-matrix printers.
There are a variety of impact printers
- Dot matrix printer
- Daisy wheel printers
- Drum printer
- Printer for chains
What is the Non-impact Printer?
Non-impact printers do not make direct contact between the paper and ink ribbon. They depend upon xerographic, chemical, electrostatic, or laser technology. They’re less noisy and do not have mechanical components that perform printing. Some examples: Laser printers and Inkjet printers.
These are a few types of non-impact printers:
- Inkjet printer
- Laser printer
- Thermal printer
- Dye sublimation printer
What are the Differences Between Non-impact and Impact Printers?
| Impact Printers | Non-impact Printers |
| Impact printers depend upon traditional printing methods. | Non-impact printers depend upon the most modern printing techniques. |
| Impact printers use continuous sheets of paper. | Non-impact printers use individual sheets of paper. |
| The character style of an impact printer, except for the dots’ matrix, can’t be changed by the impact printer. | In contrast, the non-impact printer can print various types of characters from using of the individual printer. |
| Impact printers are usually more affordable. | Non-impact printers are usually quite expensive. |
| The impact printer is noisy. | Non-impact printers do not have a high volume of noise. |
| Impact printers, other than dot matrix printers, do not print graphic images. | Printing graphical images using a non-impact printer is very feasible. |
| The print quality of an impact printer is lower. | The non-impact printers have a higher print quality. |
| The impact printer printing process uses only a pin, hammer or wheel that strikes an inked ribbon for printing on paper. | The non-impact printer uses lasers, ink sprays, pressure and heat to print onto paper. |
| There is no specific time frame for an impact printer. | The speed of a non-impact model is higher. It typically produces about 300 words per second. |
The most common types of non-impact printers include inkjet, thermal, mobile, laser, large-format, etc. The main kinds of impact printers are Daisy wheel printers, drum printers, line chains printers, dots matrix printers, and band printers.
Impact printers have only one colour, while with non-impact printers, you can choose from many colours.
Impact printers were the standard kind of printers that could not create multiple copies of documents and were perfect for printing basic prints. However, the non-impact printers are the newer ones with better features than conventional ones. They can create duplicates of documents. Many terms give the impression that they’re very different from one another.
