The
line printer is an
impact computer 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.