Printer issues

Can someone tell me what the actual deal is with 24-pin vs 9-pin printers? I need one for printing out bank checks, and the only difference between the 24-pin model and the 9-pin one seems to be $0.83 the price tag

It probably comes down to how you’re hooking it up to the PC. You might be looking at a 24-pin parallel cable connecting to a 24-pin port on the computer, or perhaps a 9-pin serial connection using a matching 9-pin cable. 🙂

Joshua Garcia3 said:Probably just how you hook it up to the PC—either using a 24-pin cable with a 24-pin parallel port on the machine, or a 9-pin serial port on the computer paired with a matching 9-pin cable. 🙂

thanks

Nenene 😁 That’s basically just the needle count on the print head—more needles generally means you're getting a denser, higher-quality print. If you’re planning on cranking out a multi-copy payment slip or something similar, a 9-pin setup is going to struggle—it just isn't up to the task. Honestly, an HP LaserJet Pro is going to be significantly faster than any old 9-pin model.

Benjamin King2 said:Nenene 😁 That’s basically just the number of pins in the print head. More pins usually means a denser, higher-quality print. If you're trying to churn out a multi-part form or something similar, a 9-pin setup probably won't cut it. Plus, a 24-pin model generally prints faster than a 9-pin one.

Yeah, you're spot on. I honestly forgot what those machines actually looked like 😁. A long time ago, I had an old unit that was loud enough to drive my wife crazy whenever it was running an HP LaserJet Pro—it was the predecessor to this one. Back then, we all just referred to them as 24-pin models, so I guess that terminology threw me off for a second. 🙂

cosmicraven7 said:Can someone explain the difference between a 24-pin and a 9-pin printer? I need one for printing checks, and the gap between the 24-pin model and the 9-pin one is $0.83 pretty big in terms of price

Go with the 9-pin version over the 24-pin any day.

Why?

Because they're faster and way more reliable. When you're looking at dot matrix printers, you want something that just works, not necessarily something that looks pretty.

The 24-pin models were basically just a workaround for when inkjets or lasers weren't cheap enough to compete on print quality.

Honestly, the most important thing you should actually be looking for is a front-feed option if you're doing checks.
And for that kind of setup, an HP LaserJet IV is perfect (== $1000 Hot Spot)