COMPARISON BETWEEN IMPACT PRINTER AND NON-IMPACT PRINTER

We summarized all the differences between impact printer and non-impact printer regarding to their features.

1.      Descriptions :

·         Impact printer - Produces text and images when tiny wire pins on print head strike the ink ribbon by physically contacting the paper

·         Non-impact printer - Produces text and graphics on paper without actually striking the paper

2.      Types :

·         Impact printer - Dot-matrix printer

·         Non-impact printer - Inkjet printer, laser printer and thermal printer

3.      Speed :

·         Impact printer - Low printing speed

·         Non-impact printer - Reasonably fast

4.      Quality :

·         Impact printer - Print quality lower in some types

·         Non-impact printer - High quality of output, capable of printing fine and smooth details

5.      Letter quality :

·         Impact printer - Produce near letter quality (NLQ) print only, which is just suitable for printing mailing labels, envelopes, or invoices

·         Non-impact printer - Letter-quality printouts

6.      Consumption :

·         Impact printer - Not commonly used today

·         Non-impact printer - Most commonly used printer today

7.      Tools :

·         Impact printer - Uses ink ribbon

·         Non-impact printer - Uses ink spray or toner powder

8.      Cost :

·         Impact printer - Less expensive 

·         Non-impact printer - More expensive

9.      Durability :

·         Impact printer - Reliable, durable (lasting for a long time)

·         Non-impact printer - Print head is less durable, inclined towards to clogging and damage

10.  Sound effects :

·         Impact printer - Generally noisy because of the striking activity

·         Non-impact printer - Generally much quieter than impact printers because there is no striking mechanism

11.  Image clarity :

·         Impact printer - Poor graphics or none at all

·         Non-impact printer - Can handle graphics and often a wider variety of fonts than impact printers

12.  Multipart forms :

·         Impact printer - Ideal for printing multipart forms because they can easily print through many layers of paper

·         Non-impact printer - Cannot print multipart forms

13.  Color output :

·         Impact printer - Limited color printing

·         Non-impact printer - Capable of printing in strong clear color, good for printing pictures