Line printer

IBM line printer 1403

Drum-printer

TypefaceDrumPrinter1966

Drukarka wierszowa beben

Printer band

IBM 1403 Printer opened

Line printer is a type of computer printer that is designed for high-volume printing applications. Unlike inkjet printers or laser printers, which print a single page at a time, line printers print one entire line of text at a time. This makes them particularly suited for printing large documents, reports, or data sets where speed is more critical than print quality. Line printers were more common in the era of mainframe computers and minicomputers, serving as a key output device in business, finance, and manufacturing environments.

History

The development of line printers began in the early days of computing, where there was a need for fast printing to handle the output from mainframe computers. Early models were based on mechanical designs, using chains or bands with characters on them that would strike the paper through an inked ribbon. As technology evolved, so did line printers, with innovations such as the drum printer, chain printer, and band printer, each offering improvements in speed, efficiency, and reliability.

Types of Line Printers

There are several types of line printers, each with its own mechanism for printing:

• Drum Printer: Uses a rotating drum with a single character per band position around its circumference. As the drum rotates, hammers strike the paper and ribbon against the drum, printing a character.
• Chain Printer: Utilizes a continuously moving chain of characters. Hammers strike the paper against the chain and an inked ribbon to print the desired characters.
• Band Printer: Similar to chain printers but uses a steel band instead of a chain.
• Bar Printer: Uses a bar or shuttle with characters that move across the paper to print lines.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Line printers offer several advantages, including high-speed printing that can range from 600 to over 1,000 lines per minute, making them ideal for large volume printing tasks. They are also known for their durability and reliability in continuous operation environments.

However, line printers also have disadvantages. They are generally noisier than other types of printers, offer limited print quality, and are less versatile in handling different types of print jobs. With the advent of more advanced printing technologies, the use of line printers has declined, although they are still in use in specific applications where their unique capabilities are required.

Applications

Historically, line printers were used in environments where high-volume data printing was necessary, such as in banking, insurance, and manufacturing. They were also used for printing source code listings, log files, and other administrative documents in information technology departments. Today, their use has diminished but can still be found in niche applications where their high-speed printing capability is valued.

Conclusion

While line printers have largely been supplanted by more modern printing technologies, their impact on the development of computing and their role in the history of technology is undeniable. They facilitated the efficient handling of large volumes of data output, which was critical in the early days of computerized business and scientific research.