Printing Technology 

O Printers produce images through either impact or nonimpact technologies. O Impact printers have a print mechanism that actually strikes the paper to transfer ink to the paper. O For example, a dot-matrix printer uses a print head consisting of pins that strike an inked ribbon to transfer the ink to the paper. O Impact printers are used today primarily for producing invoices, packing slips, and credit card receipts.
Printing Technology
O Most printers today are nonimpact printers. O They form images without the print mechanism actually touching the paper. O Nonimpact printers usually produce higher quality images and are much quieter than impact printers. O The two most common types of printers today, laser printers and ink-jet printers, are both nonimpact printers.