stylus printer
Noun: A type of impact printer that forms characters and images by striking an ink ribbon against paper using a matrix of fine wires or styli (singular: stylus). Each character is composed of a pattern of small dots created by the selective activation of these pins.
A stylus printer is a specific, technical term for a dot matrix printer that uses a pin-based print head. It is used to describe the printing mechanism itself. * The old accounting system relied on a noisy stylus printer for generating multi-part forms. * Unlike a laser printer, a stylus printer creates text through physical impact.
The term is largely historical and technical. In modern contexts, "dot matrix printer" is the more common generic term. "Stylus printer" precisely describes the method (styli striking) within the broader category of impact printers. * The technician identified the fault in the stylus printer's pin head assembly.
- Dot matrix printer (n): The common general term for this type of printer.
- Impact printer (n): The broader category of printers that work by physically striking a ribbon.
- Print head (n): The component containing the styli or pins.
- Dot matrix printer
- Wire matrix printer
- Pin printer
- Non-impact printer (e.g., laser printer, inkjet printer)
- an impact printer in which each character is represented by a pattern of dots made by wires or styli