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Printers designed to produce a permanent monochromatic and, less frequently, color text or graphic copy (i.e., hard copy) on full-size (e.g., letter, legal) and/or nonstandard, large-format paper or other appropriate media (e.g., transparency) from data stored in computers or computer networks by impact on a matrix of small pins that create dots on the printing media. These printers typically include a head that strikes the page, a soft, inked ribbon, roller mechanisms to move the paper, controls, and paper trays; the dot matrix print head strikes the ribbon against the paper, producing text in a variety of fonts and graphic forms. Dot matrix printers have been used as computer peripherals and/or by computer network users, but this application is currently less common; they are used mainly to produce multicopy documents (either carbon or carbonless) due to the impact mechanism.
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