Near letter-quality printing

Near letter-quality (NLQ) printing is a process where dot matrix printers produce high-quality text by using multiple passes to produce higher dot density.[1] The tradeoff for the improved print quality is reduced printing speed. Software can also be used to produce this effect.[2][3] The term was coined in the 1980s to distinguish NLQ printing from true letter-quality printing, as produced by a printer based on traditional typewriter technology such as a daisy wheel, or by a laser printer.[4]

In 1985 The New York Times described the marketing of printers with the terms "near letter-quality, or N.L.Q." as "just a neat little bit of hype",[2] but acknowledged that they "really show their stuff in the area of fonts, print enhancements and graphics".

  1. ^ "IBM Printing Draft Quality on OKI Microline Dot Matrix Printers".
  2. ^ a b Peter H. Lewis (December 17, 1985). "Getting the most out of a dox matrix printer". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Printer Utilities: One need not spend a fortune to get fancy fonts, however. Many reasonably priced dot-matrix printers can be persuaded to perform like the more expensive models through the use of printer utility software."
  4. ^ Erik Sandberg-Diment (June 4, 1985). "Personal computers; Letter quality, almost". The New York Times. Letter-quality printers, which use a traditional typewriter technology such as that of a daisy wheel or some other print head having fixed characters on it for stamping characters onto paper, definitely produce the crispest and cleanest-looking copy, particularly when printing on rag bond paper.