An early impact printing device that produces text by striking a ribbon against paper using characters arranged on the flexible spokes of a central hub. The mechanism rotates the wheel to the correct character and a hammer strikes the spoke, transferring ink to the page. It produces letter-quality text but cannot print graphics and operates at very slow speeds compared to laser or inkjet technologies.
The noise from that old daisywheel printer used to drive the whole office crazy when we ran long reports.
Related terms
Dot matrix printer
An impact printing device that forms characters by striking an ink ribbon with a grid of tiny metal pins.
Letter-quality printing
An older standard for computer printers indicating output that matches the crispness of a good typewriter.
Line printer
A high-speed impact printer that prints a complete line of text simultaneously.