Differences Between Impact and Non-Impact Printers
1. Impact Printers
Impact printers these Printers use an Electro-mechanical mechanism. An impact printer refers to all those printers whose printing heads touch the paper. His mechanism uses hammers or pins to strike against a ribbon and paper to print the text or image.
2. Non -Impact Printers
These printer uses ink and special electrical machines for producing outputs. Non – impact printers are all those printers whose printing heads do not touch paper. A non impact printer forms characters and image on a piece of paper without actually striking the paper.
Comparison Chart Between Impact & Non-Impact Printers
| S. N. | Features | Impact printers | Non-Impact printers |
| 1 | Mechanism | It produces print on paper by striking mechanism. | It produces print on paper with a non-striking mechanism . it uses Electro static or thermal mechanism. |
| 2 | Working | It uses pins, hammers or wheel to strike against an inked ribbon to print on a paper. |
It uses laser, spray of special ink, or heat and pressure to print on paper. |
| 3 | Color output | impact printers has no color capacity | Non-Impact printers can print clear color, good for printing pictures |
| 4 | Cost | Impact printers are normally less expansive. | Non-Impact printers are more expansive. |
| 5 | Graphics Image | Except of dot matrix printer, these printers can not print graphics images | These printer can easily print graphical images |
| 6 | Tools | Impact printers use special inked ribbons to produce print on paper when print head strikes. |
Non-Impact printers use toner or cartridge for printing on paper. |
| 7 | Speed | Impact printers are low speed printers. | Non-Impact printers are very fast. They can print many pages per minute. |
| 8 | Sound effects or Noise | Impact printers are high noise level because they strike print head. | Non-Impact printers do not make a noise level because they do not use striking mechanism in which print head strikes on ribbon and paper etc. |
| 9 | Character style | The character style can not be changed in the impact printer (except of dot matrix) | It can print different types of characters form busing the individual printer |
| 10 | Copy print | Impact printers can produce multiple copies of the text. | Non impact printers can produce only a single copy of the text |
| 11 | Technology | Impact printers use old printing technologies. | Non impact printers use latest printing technologies. |
| 12 | Examples | Dot matrix,Daisy wheel printers, Drum Printers and Chain Printers etc. |
Laser printers, Inkjet printers and Thermal Printers etc. |