What is "line printer"

n. (context computing English) A high-speed impact printer, most often used by older mainframes, that prints an entire line in a single operation

n. printer that serves as an output device on a computer; prints a whole line of characters at a time [syn: line-at-a-time printer]

The line printer is an impact printer that prints one entire line of text at a time. It is mostly associated with unit record equipment and the early days of digital computing, but the technology is still in use. Print speeds of 600 lines-per-minute (approximately 10 pages per minute) were achieved in the 1950s, later increasing to as much as 1200 lpm. Line printers print a complete line at a time and have speeds in the range of 150 to 2500 lines per minute. The different types of line printers are drum printers and chain printers. Other non-impact technologies have also been used, as thermal line printers were popular in the 1970s and 1980s, and some inkjet and laser printers produce output a line or a page at a time.