The only drawback to dot matrix printers is that, with some of them, you can see the pattern of dots that make up each character. This can give your documents a look that people associate with computer printouts. If you need a printer that can produce professional letter quality documents, you may need a daisy wheel printer. But check the quality of dot matrix printers before you decide; you may not be able to tell the difference between text produced with a good dot matrix printer and text produced with a daisy wheel printer.

Daisy wheel printers, also known as letter quality printers, form characters the same way high-quality typewriters do—by rotating a print wheel until the right character is aimed at the paper and hammering that character into a ribbon that leaves the appropriate symbol on the page. Daisy wheel printers are slower and more expensive than dot matrix printers, but if the appearance of your correspondence is important and you don't need graphics, a daisy wheel printer may be the right choice for you. Most daisy wheel printers use a circular print wheel (they look something like a daisy) to produce fully formed characters.

Keep in mind that daisy wheel printers limit you to the characters on the print wheel, whereas a dot matrix printer can print graphics and a variety of type fonts and sizes.

Near letter quality: Near-letter-quality printers (sometimes called letter matrix printers) are dot matrix printers that use so many dots to form each character that they appear to have been formed with a daisy wheel printer.

Thermal transfer printers transfer ink dot characters onto paper by heating the ribbon. They are inexpensive and quiet. The print quality varies quite a bit among different kinds of thermal printers.

Some are good enough for correspondence; others are suitable only for drafts and interoffice memos. Some thermal printers require specially treated paper. Check the price and availability of the special paper before deciding on what kind of printer to get.

Printers

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