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Subject: how dot matrix printers placed text
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Date: 08 Jul 2024 00:55:25 GMT
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From the «miss that awesome sound» department:
Title: How dot matrix printers created text
Author: Thom Holwerda
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2024 22:15:43 +0000
Link: https://www.osnews.com/story/140137/how-dot-matrix-printers-created-text/


The impact printer was a mainstay of the early desktop computing era. Also
called “dot matrix printers,” these printers could print low-resolution yet
very readable text on a page, and do so quickly and at a low price point. But
these printers are a relic of the past; in 2024, you might find them printing
invoices or shipping labels, although more frequently these use cases have
been replaced by other types of printers such as thermal printers and laser
printers.
[…]

The heart of the impact printer is the print head. The print head contained a
column of pins (9 pins was common) that moved across the page. Software in
the printer controlled when to strike these pins through an inked ribbon to
place a series of “dots” on a page. By carefully timing the pin strikes with
the movement of the print head, the printer could control where each dot was
placed. A column of dots might represent the vertical stroke of the letter H,
a series of single dots created the horizontal bar, and another column would
create the final vertical stroke.
↫ Jim Hall at Technically We Write[1]

Our first printer was a dot matrix model, from I think a brand called Star or
something similar. Back then, in 1991 or so, a lot of employers in The
Netherlands offered programs wherein employees could buy computers through
their work, offered at a certain discount. My parents jumped on the opportunity
when my mom’s employer offered such a program, and through it, we bought a
brand new 286 machine running MS-DOS and Windows 3.0, and it included said dot
matrix printer.

There’s something about the sound and workings of a dot matrix printer that
just can’t be bested by modern ink, laser, or LED printers. The mechanical
punching, at such a fast rate it sounded like a tiny Gatling gun, was
mesmerising, especially when paired with continuous form paper. Carefully
ripping off the perforated edges of the paper after printing was just a nice
bonus that entertained me quite a bit as a child.

I was surprised to learn that dot matrix printers are still being manufactured
and sold today, and even comes in colour. They’re quite a bit more expensive
than other printer types these days, but I have a feeling they’re aimed at
enterprises and certain niches, which probably means they’re going to be of
considerably higher quality than all the other junk printers that clog the
market. With a bit more research, it might actually be possible to find a brand
new colour dot matrix printer that is a better choice than some of the modern
alternatives.

The fact that I’m not contemplating buying a brand new dot matrix printer in
2024, even though I rarely print, is a mildly worrying development.

Links:
[1]: https://technicallywewrite.com/2024/07/01/dotmatrix (link)