Epson LX-80 User Manual - Page 31

Chap 3-elements Of Dot Matrix Printing, The Print Head - dot matrix printer

Get Epson LX-80 - Impact Printer PDF manuals and user guides View all Epson LX-80 manuals
Add to My Manuals
Save this manual to your list of manuals

Page 31 highlights

Chapter 3 Elements of Dot Matrix Printing This chapter is for those of you who want to know something about how your printer works. It's a simple, non-technical explanation of the basics of dot matrix printing that will help you understand some of the later chapters. The Print Head The LX-80 uses a print head with nine pins or wires mounted vertically. Each time a pin is fired, it strikes the inked ribbon and presses it against the paper to produce a dot. This dot is about 1/72nd of an inch in diameter. The size varies slightly depending upon the age of the ribbon and the type of paper used. As the head moves horizontally across the page, these pins are fired time after time in different patterns to produce letters, numbers, symbols, or graphics. For example, to print a pica capital T, the head fires the top pin, moves 1/60th of an inch, fires the top pin again, moves 1/60th of an inch, fires the top seven pins, moves 1/60th of an inch, fires the top pin, moves another 1/60th of an inch, and fires the top pin once more to finish the letter. All this happens in only 1/100th of a second. Figure 3-1. A capital T 23

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114
  • 115
  • 116
  • 117
  • 118
  • 119
  • 120
  • 121
  • 122
  • 123
  • 124
  • 125
  • 126
  • 127
  • 128
  • 129
  • 130
  • 131
  • 132
  • 133
  • 134
  • 135
  • 136
  • 137
  • 138
  • 139
  • 140
  • 141
  • 142
  • 143
  • 144
  • 145
  • 146
  • 147
  • 148
  • 149
  • 150
  • 151
  • 152
  • 153
  • 154
  • 155
  • 156
  • 157
  • 158
Chapter 3
Elements of Dot Matrix Printing
This chapter is for those of you who want to know something
about how your printer works. It’s a simple, non-technical explana-
tion of the basics of dot matrix printing that will help you understand
some of the later chapters.
The Print Head
The LX-80 uses a print head with nine pins or wires mounted
vertically. Each time a pin is fired, it strikes the inked ribbon and
presses it against the paper to produce a dot. This dot is about 1/72nd
of an inch in diameter. The size varies slightly depending upon the age
of the ribbon and the type of paper used. As the head moves horizon-
tally across the page, these pins are fired time after time in different
patterns to produce letters, numbers, symbols, or graphics.
For example, to print a pica capital T, the head fires the top pin,
moves 1/60th of an inch, fires the top pin again, moves 1/60th of an
inch, fires the top seven pins, moves 1/60th of an inch, fires the top
pin, moves another 1/60th of an inch, and fires the top pin once more
to finish the letter. All this happens in only 1/100th of a second.
Figure 3-1. A capital T
23