| Non-impact printer | Impact printer |
| Produces text and graphics on paper without actually striking the paper | Produces text and images when tiny wire pins on print head strike the ink ribbon by physically making contact with the paper |
| Reasonably fast | Low printing speed |
| High quality of output, capable of printing fine and smooth details | Print quality poor in some types on low Print quality |
| Uses ink spray or toner powder | Uses ink ribbon |
| More expensive | Less expensive |
| Generally much quieter than impact printers because there is no striking mechanism | Generally noisy, because of the striking activity |
| Can handle graphics and often a wider variety of fonts than impact printers | Poor graphics or almost none at all |
| Print is possible on transparencies | Print is not possible on transparencies |
| Measured in DPI | Measured in CPS |
