A Printer serves as a device responsible for transforming the text and graphical output generated by a computer into physical copies on paper, typically on standard-sized sheets measuring 8.5" by 11". Printers are available in diverse sizes, speeds, levels of sophistication, and costs, with more expensive models generally reserved for tasks demanding frequent or high-resolution color printing.

Personal computer printers can be classified into two primary categories: impact printers and non-impact printers. Impact printers, in their earlier iterations, functioned much like automated typewriters, utilizing a mechanism that struck an inked surface to imprint each character onto the paper. A well-known and cost-effective example of an impact printer was the dot matrix printer, which produced lines of text by striking the paper sequentially.