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Glite Dictionary
chain printer

chain printer

7.5
A fast, noisy machine that hits metal letters against paper to make many pages of text
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : impresora de cadena
  • Unlike modern printers, the chain printer is noisy but reliable for large print jobs.

Examples

  • The chain printer produced high-quality text.

  • The old computer lab still uses a chain printer for bulk report printing.

  • A chain printer can print lines rapidly by striking type slugs onto paper via an inked ribbon.

  • Many businesses still use chain printers for bulk printing.

  • The chain printer produced high-quality text documents for the office.

  • During the presentation, the chain printer whirred steadily as it printed the reports.

  • In the 1980s, many companies relied on a chain printer for producing bulk printing jobs efficiently.

Synonyms

impact printer
vschain printer
  • Archaic
3.9

A printer that makes letters and pictures by hitting an ink ribbon against paper

uses movable type slugs mounted on a rotating loop of links to strike paper

Surface Forms

chain printer singular
chain printers plural

Morphology

chain + printer

The compound is compositional: 'chain' specifies the type or mechanism of the 'printer', so a learner who knows 'chain' (linked items/links) and 'printer' (device that prints) can infer it is a printer that uses a chain mechanism. Although the referent is technical, the noun+noun construction and the modifier function of the first noun make the meaning directly derivable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Chain printer is named for a machine with a moving chain of metal letters that hit the paper through an ink ribbon to make text. So the name explains that this 'printer' makes text by a chain that hits the paper.