Online Computer Terms Dictionary - D

daisywheel printer

<printer> A kind of impact printer where the characters are arranged on the ends of the spokes of a wheel (resembling the petals on a daisy).

The wheel (usually made of plastic) is rotated to select the character to print and then an electrically operated hammer mechanism bends the selected spoke forward slightly, sandwiching an ink ribbon between the character and the paper, as in a typewriter.

One advantage of this arrangement over that of a typewriter is that different wheels may be inserted to produce different typefaces.

(1998-04-28)