Definition

Noun: A character printer is a type of computer printer that prints text by forming one complete character at a time, rather than constructing characters from dots (like a dot matrix printer) or printing an entire page at once (like a laser printer).

Usage

This term is used to describe a specific, older class of printing technology. It is a technical term most common in historical discussions of computing and printing hardware. - The early teletype machines were a form of character printer. - Before the widespread adoption of dot matrix printers, many computers used a character printer for output.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: Character printers, such as daisy wheel printers or certain line printers, were valued for producing high-quality, typewriter-like text but were generally slower and noisier than modern printers.
  • The daisy wheel printer, a common character printer in the 1970s and 1980s, produced letter-quality output.

Variants and Related Words

• Serial Printer: A closely related term, as character printers typically print serially (one character after another).
• Impact Printer: Many character printers are a subtype of impact printer, using a mechanism that strikes an inked ribbon against the paper.
• Daisy Wheel Printer: A specific, common type of character printer that used a wheel with molded characters.

Synonyms

• Serial printer
• Letter-quality printer (in some specific contexts)

Antonyms

• Page printer (e.g., laser printer)
• Line printer (prints a whole line at a time)
• Dot matrix printer (forms characters from patterns of dots)

Noun

1. a printer that prints a single character at a time