What Business Establishments Use Dot-Matrix Printers?

Dot-matrix printers are now commonly used in retail stores and banks to print documents and receipts. Some ATM machines are still equipped with dot-matrix printers instead of the more modern thermal printers.

Because of its durability, it is also used in industries such as the aviation industry which is required by law to log important data on a regular basis. It is also used in many industrial plants which are prone to dust and heat.

Advantages of Dot-Matrix Printers

Even though there are already a number of other printers available in the market today, many business establishments still use dot-matrix printers for a number of reasons, especially for receipts. The first is that because there is a certain amount of pressure given by the printer head to the ribbon to print the pages, carbon copies of the same document can be made. Some dot-matrix printers are now equipped with a multi-strike function which allows the printer head to maximize the usage of the ink ribbon, allowing it to last for longer periods of time.

Another advantage of dot-matrix printers is that printing is not hampered when the ribbon is low in ink. Instead of stopping and refusing to print like most printers today, dot-matrix printers would continue to print. Although the printing quality may be faded, it is up to the user to determine when to change the printer's ink ribbon.

Furthermore, dot-matrix printers are perhaps the most durable types of printers available in the market today because they do not contain highly sensitive components like other modern-day printers. This makes it beneficial for business establishments that would need to print hundreds of labels and other documents as part of its operations.

Common brands of Dot-Matrix Printers

Dot-matrix printers are manufactured and distributed by the following companies:

Epson

Okidata

Panasonic

Lexmark

Citizen

Disadvantages of Dot-Matrix Printers

One of the biggest disadvantages of using dot-matrix printers is that they can be quite noisy, and could often be rather annoying to use. In fact, many companies who use dot-matrix printers have installed sound dampening devices to minimize the noise emanating from these printers.

Another disadvantage of dot-matrix printer is its very limited features. Dot-matrix printers are only able to print low resolution text and graphics as compared to other modern-day printers.