dot printer
- noun
- /dɑt ˈprɪntər/
- Archaic
:
impresora de puntos
- Unlike modern printers, the dot printer uses small dots to create characters on the page.
Examples
-
She connected the dot printer to her computer to print the invitations for the party.
-
The old dot printer still produces clear text and images for my documents.
-
And then we use LCD dot printer to write the first line at the top that says ask the.
Synonyms
1
4.5
A machine that makes letters and pictures on paper using dots
A machine that prints letters and numbers as small dots using thin wires that hit an ink ribbon
A printer that makes letters and pictures by hitting paper with small needles
A printer that makes letters from dots by striking paper with thin metal wires
How Clear
- Specialized
1
3.1
6
3.4
- Specialized
6
3.3
- Archaic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally built from 'dot' (tiny spot) + 'printer' (printing device): it denotes a printer that produces output as patterns of dots, which a learner who knows both words can infer. This noun+noun compounding is a common, non-idiomatic pattern (cf. 'dot-matrix printer') and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it should be understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The name dot printer comes from the simple way the printer makes letters: tiny metal pins hit an ink ribbon and leave many small dots that together form letters and pictures. That's why the name means 'a printer that makes characters from dots'.