10 Sep
2007
10 Sep
'07
3:37 p.m.
I went looking
for an impact printer at the
college. There were none. Eh, I used to think that...but then I noticed how
huge the impact
printer business is in certain indusries such as
auto parts stores
and auto service centers. Pretty much every time I
buy a part for a
car, I see an Okidata 320 or similar.
I have NO idea why they haven't abandoned that
technology...it
could be that it Just Works and doesn't give them
any trouble.
The technology does "just work". It's simple,
reliable, works very easily with preprinted forms,
it's easy to maintain, easy to make multiple copies
with carbons, handles labels and weird print media
(window stickers, etc) well, and many other niceties.
For auto repair centers, they hold up very well to a
grimy environment - the pin fed paper doesn't need to
be picked up with easily gunked up rubber rollers, the
paper path is typically simple, etc.
And not just auto centers use impact printers. The
big, high end ones are found in many places, printing
reports, labels, checks, report cards, etc. I am still
maintaining Printronix P600 matrix line printers, as
well as other, newer Printronix machines. Dataproducts
band printers and Fujitsu band printers are still out
there as well. IBM, Lexmark, OkiData, and other small
dot matrix printers are still in service in many
places too. Printronix still makes high end matrix
line printers, and OkiData dot matrix printers now
have USB ports.
They're not gone, they've just gone into hiding :)
-Ian