Impact Printers
Impact printers are printers which works by creating a direct contact between ink ribbon and paper. These printers are noisy yet popular. Impact printers have mechanical moving parts to conduct printing. Examples: Dot-matrix printers, Daisy-wheel printers, and line printers.
Non-Impact Printers
Non-Impact printers don’t uses any direct contact between ink ribbon and paper. They use laser, xerographic, electrostatic, chemical or inkjet technology. These printers are less noisy and don’t have mechanical moving parts to conduct printing. Examples: Inkjet printers and Laser printers.
| Sr. No. | Key | Impact Printers | Non-Impact Printers |
| 1 | Concept | Characters, graphics are printed on a paper by striking. | Characters, graphics are printed on a paper without striking. |
| 2 | Concept | Printing is done by hammering a metal pin or character dye. | Printin is done by depositing ink on paper in any form. |
| 3 | Mechanical | Electro-mechanical devices are used for printing. | No electro-mechanical device is used for printing. |
| 4 | Speed | Fast. Covers 250 words per second. | Slow. Covers a page in 30 seconds. |
| 5 | Noise | Noisy | Silent. |
| 6 | Examples | Dot-matrix printers, Daisy-wheel printers, and line printers. | Inkjet printers and Laser printers. |