Line matrix printers are commonly used in offices for high volume printing. They use hammers to create dots on a page, similar to a dot matrix printer. The wide shuttle holds multiple hammers that fire to create lines of points, and the printer can produce black and white graphics.
A line matrix printer is a type of computer printer that is often used in office and accounting environments where a large amount of printing is required, taking advantage of the speed of line matrix printer technology. The mechanism used by a line matrix printer is similar to a dot matrix printer in that several dots are used to form completed letters or graphics, although hammers are used rather than small pins. The hammers stamp on a page by pressing against a ribbon of ink similar to a typewriter ribbon, transferring the ink to the target page. Many printers have the ability to hold large sheets of continuous feed paper which are more convenient for printing large reports, although the paper does need to be calibrated when initially fed into the machine and can cause problems if the paper shifts during printing . In addition to text and other standard printing symbols, the printer is capable of producing graphics, although system mechanics limit them to black-and-white images.
The way a line matrix printer works involves a series of small hammers placed inside a device known as a shuttle. The shuttle is very wide, usually just a little smaller than the maximum paper width the machine can accept. Magnets within the shuttle lock each of the hammers in place, with the underside of the hammer tautly loaded against a spring-loaded device. When a hammer needs to make a point on a card while printing, the hammer is released from the magnetic field and fires forward until it hits the card. Once the mark is made, the magnet reactivates and the hammer returns to the locked position, ready to be fired again.
The wide shuttle of a line matrix printer does not move from one side of the page to the other as a dot matrix shuttle might, but only travels a short distance, because it is nearly as wide horizontally as a full page . Multiple hammers can fire, several at a time, to quickly create a line of points. At the end of each line, the page is automatically fed up one line of dots and printing resumes. Dots are used to form letters and symbols, and these same dots can be used to create black and white graphics on a page. The fact that a physical impact printing method is used also means that forms that use carbon to make multiple copies can be used in a line matrix printer.
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