| ??? 05/14/09 14:51 Read: times |
#165340 - Printing _on_ ribbons Responding to: ???'s previous message |
Richard Erlacher said:
Per Westermark said:
Many small dot-matrix ribbon printers may not have any formatting at all and just expect raw graphics data, and direct motor drive commands to step the paper forward. They are also often sold as just the mechanics, since they are intended to be integrated with other electronics - maybe a card reader, or a keypad and display or similar. While it's quite easy to believe that such things existed, I, personally, in well over 30 years in the industry, have never seen one. I have seen small dot-matrix printers that had a graphics mode, but never one that only operated at low-level, yet had the "standard" Centronics parallel interface that was most common on such printers. Big extrapolation. My post never talked about any Centronics interface. And the OP has never mentioned any interface. The use for Centronics dot matrix printers are almost only for multi-part forms. The other big use - ribbon printers (printers intended for printing on ribbons) don't tend to have any Centronics interface. And a lot of them are sold as naked mechanics, for integration into other equipment. Richard said:
It really is important to know what printer - after all, dot matrix printers have died away for most uses right now. Being impact printers, their strength may be to emit multi-part forms, or as an alternative when you need an archive classification from a ribbon printer. The thermal prints are so sensitive to sunlight or mechanical abuse. If the O/P has a printer that bears the 36-contact Centronics connector on the chassis, I'd bet he can use the standard Centronics (not the IBM-PC version) interface to drive it. Don't spend too much time kicking in open doors. IF the user has a printer with the Centronics interface, my first post is quite valid: "No much code needed. Just care about outputting data, driving the strobe and check if the printer is ready for more." In this case, we don't have any information at all what type of dot matrix printer that was intended. Remember that the OP may even have intended an ink-jet printer, and not an dot matrix impact printer. After all, an ink-jet printer is also writing using a dot matrix. It is just a convention - but not wrong - to call a injet printer an dot matrix printer. Richard said:
BTW, there were "ribbon" or "band" printers that were a special class of printer (relatively high speed) and were not in the same "league" with typical character-by-character dot-matrix or daisywheel printers that printed a single character at a time. Wrong kind of ribbon. This is a dot-matrix thread. I was talking about printing ON a ribbon. Richard said:
It would be good not to mix the nomenclature. This thread is about dot matrix printers. A link to a ribbon printer that does not have anything to do with the old line printers. http://www.elsen-machinery.be/ribbonpri...3godiRewcQ http://www.craft-robo.net/Ribbon_Pr...chine.html |
| Topic | Author | Date |
| Dot Matric Printer driver with 8051 | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| DMAP? | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| there is no such thing | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| Normally quite straight-forward | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| Interfacing Printer | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| Not a safe assumption | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| ribbon printers can have very raw interface | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| I'm not so sure ... | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| Printing _on_ ribbons | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
RE: OP has never mentioned any interface | 01/01/70 00:00 | |
| Definately | 01/01/70 00:00 |