Definition

Noun: A daisywheel printer is a type of impact printer that uses a rotating disk (the "daisy wheel") as its printing element. Each petal of this wheel has a raised character at its tip. To print, the wheel spins to position the desired character, and then a hammer strikes the petal against an inked ribbon, transferring the character onto the paper.

Usage

This term refers specifically to the complete printing device. It is a compound noun where "daisywheel" modifies "printer" to specify the printing mechanism. * The daisywheel printer was valued for producing high-quality, typewriter-like text but was very slow and noisy. * Before laser printers became affordable, many offices used a daisywheel printer for formal correspondence.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is primarily used in historical or technical discussions about the evolution of computer printers. It is often contrasted with dot-matrix and, later, laser printers.
  • The memo was produced on a daisywheel printer, evident from the perfectly formed, monospaced letters and the slight embossing on the paper.

Variants and Related Words

• Daisy wheel (noun): The removable printing element, a disk with characters on the ends of petals, used in a daisywheel printer.
  • To change the font, you had to swap out the entire daisy wheel.
• Daisywheel (adjective): Used to describe the printing technology or style.
  • The document had a distinctive daisywheel look.

Synonyms

• Letter-quality printer: A broader category of printers that produce solid, fully-formed characters, which included daisywheel printers.
• Impact printer: The general class of printers that operate by striking a ribbon against paper.

Related Terms (Not Synonyms)

• Dot-matrix printer: A different type of impact printer that forms characters from a pattern of dots.
• Laser printer: A non-impact printer that uses a laser and toner, which largely replaced daisywheel printers for general use.

Noun

1. a printer that uses a daisy print wheel