ABSTRACT
I. SURVEY OF PRINTER TECHNOLOGY A. Introduction Modern printing systems for computer output and office applications are generally divided into impact and nonimpact technologies. Impact tech nologies, including the conventional typewriter and pin printers that form characters as matrixes of dots, tend to be configured for low-end needs, for inexpensive hardware where slow print speeds are acceptable. Be cause the dots or characters are formed mechanically, there are limits to opportunities for quality improvement. Concerns about noise, reliability, pictorial representation, print speed, and flexible operation have led to the evolution of nonimpact printing technologies. Most nonimpact printing technologies either were developed from the electrophotographic process (Chapter 15) or use one of many varieties of inkjet printing. Hence electro statics plays an important role in modem nonimpact printing systems. Two other nonimpact printing techniques that rely on electrostatics are ionography and electrography. Thermally driven imaging is an important nonelectrostatic printing technology.
