2006-08-08 23:58:51 · 7 answers · asked by anita b 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Printers
A daisy wheel printer is a type of computer printer that produces high-quality type, and is often referred to as a letter-quality printer (this in contrast to high-quality dot matrix printers, capable of near-letter-quality, or NLQ, output). There were also, and still are daisy wheel typewriters, based on the same principle.
2006-08-09 00:02:15 · answer #1 · answered by Kitia_98 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A daisy wheel printer is a type of computer printer w/c uses a small wheel with each letter printed on it in raised metal or plastic. The printer turns the wheel to line up the proper letter under a single pawl which then strikes the back of the letter and drives it into the paper. In many respects the daisy wheel is similar to a standard typewriter in the way it forms its letters on the page, differing only in the details of the mechanism (daisy wheel vs typebars or the typeball used on IBM Selectric typewriters).
Daisy wheel printers were fairly common in the 1980s, but were always less popular than dot matrix printers (ballistic wire printers) due to the latter's ability to print graphics and different fonts. With the introduction of high quality laser printers and inkjet printers in the later 1980s daisy wheel systems quickly disappeared but for the small remaining typewriter market.
2006-08-09 02:33:36 · answer #2 · answered by modcaps 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A "standard" typewriter has independent levers with each lever containing a letter. These levers are arranged in multiple rows from left to right. When a letter is to be printed on a page, a key on the typewriter is pressed and the lever corresponding to the key tilts towards the page and strikes the ink-ribbon which in-turn makes contact with the paper and prints the letter.
A "Daisy Wheel" printer has a wheel, like a wagon wheel, but with many more spokes, the spoke being like on a bike wheel connecting the hub (center) to the rim (outer ring). Each spoke contains a letter. So the many "levers" of the standard typewriter is replaced with a wheel. Now when a letter is to be printed, the wheel rotates about its center (the hub) until the corresponding letter is in the top position. A single lever tilts to make contact with the wheel at this top position (which is where the letter is you want to print) and pushes the letter to make contact with an ink-ribbon that in turn prints the character on the page. Diablo was the name of a popular manufacturer of "Daisy Wheel" printers. The name "Daisy Wheel" is derived from the look of the wheel with the many spokes containing the letters. You would normally have several different wheels, each wheel with a different font which allows you to change the font you want by changing out the wheel which just snaped into place.
The IBM Selectric typewriter used a "ball" instead of a wheel. The ball being about the size of a golf ball. Similar to the operation of the "Daisy Wheel" printer, the ball would rotate, but in addition would raise and lower because it had mutliple rows of letter around the perimeter of the ball. This was really a "typewriter", but in the later 1970s as personal computers became more popluar, there where kits that allowed you to drive the IBM Selectric typewriter from a computer and thus making it both a typewriter and a printer. Just like the "Daisy Wheel" printer, there existed many different font balls that allowed you to change the fonts.
2006-08-09 02:08:25 · answer #3 · answered by D C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is going back a bit!
Daisy Wheel printers were popular around 10 years ago. They were pretty much replaced by Inkjet printers.
They consisted of a "golf ball" or similar arrangement of letters (similar to typewriters). It would "type" the letter through ink onto a page.
They produced high quality printing, but I recall them being fairly slow and expensive.
They also couldn't print graphics.
Don't think you can buy them now though.
Check out www.wikipedia.com for more information about them.
2006-08-09 00:07:22 · answer #4 · answered by ◄ Mal ► 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
an old printer where a wheel with all the charecters spun round then a punch hit the character and printed in on the paper
2006-08-09 00:02:09 · answer #5 · answered by barhud 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anita darling answer to your question is:
daisy-wheel printer older version. It had fork(PIN) like round head and only printed letters like type writers and not graphics. If you wanted to print graphic then you will have to use DOS command to print DOT. but that was not good enough but it did do it's job in them by gone days.
2006-08-09 00:10:00 · answer #6 · answered by Joe_Young 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was widely used a number of years ago before computers became available. I believe old electric typewriters used them a lot.
2006-08-09 00:05:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋