Differences between Impact printers and Non-impact printers

Differences between Impact printers and Non-impact printers

SN	Basis	Impact printers	Non-impact printers
1	Descriptions	Produces text and images when tiny wire pins on print head strike the ink ribbon by physically contacting the paper	Produces text and graphics on paper without actually striking the paper
2	Types	Dot-matrix printer	Inkjet printer, laser printer and thermal printer
3	Speed	Low printing speed	Reasonably fast
4	Quality	Print quality lower in some types	High quality of output, capable of printing fine and smooth details
5	Letter quality	Produce near letter quality (NLQ) print only, which is just suitable for printing mailing labels, envelopes, or invoices	Letter-quality printouts
6	Consumption	Not commonly used today	Most commonly used printer today
7	Tools	Uses ink ribbon	Uses ink spray or toner powder
8	Cost	Less expensive	More expensive
9	Durability	Reliable, durable (lasting for a long time)	Print head is less durable, inclined towards to clogging and damage
10	Sound effects	Generally noisy because of the striking activity	Generally much quieter than impact printers because there is no striking mechanism
11	Image clarity	Poor graphics or none at all	Can handle graphics and often a wider variety of fonts than impact printers
12	Multipart forms	Ideal for printing multipart forms because they can easily print through many layers of paper	Cannot print multipart forms
13	Color output	Limited color printing	Capable of printing in strong clear color, good for printing pictures