Distinction

• Dot matrix printers are a type of impact printer. An impact printer works by striking against an ink ribbon. The ribbon is pressed against the paper, leaving the desired mark. Inkjet and laser printers, on the other hand, are nonimpact printers because they do not physically strike the page.
  
  

Mechanism

• Dot matrix printers use a grid of pins that strike against a ribbon in different combinations to produce different characters.
  
  

Dot Matrix Display

• Dot matrix printers use a dot matrix display, or 2D matrix of dots, to represent images and characters, like a computer screen. The more dots used, the clearer and more accurate the representation. The human eye blends the dots together to make an image.
  
  

Laser Printing

• Laser printers work on an entirely different basis. A laser beam fires at the surface of a cylindrical drum with an electrical charge, usually positive, that is reversed in the areas that the laser hits. The pattern is then coated with positively charged toner, which clings to the negatively charged areas. A strong negative charge when the paper passes through the printer allows the toner to transfer to the paper.
  
  

Considerations

• Dot matrix printers have largely been replaced by inkjet and laser printers by businesses due to their low resolution.