Editing Dot matrix printing (section)

===Contemporary use===
The desktop impact printer was gradually replaced by the [[inkjet printer]]. When [[Hewlett-Packard]]'s {{cite patent |country=US |number=4578687 |status=patent}} expired on steam-propelled photolithographically produced ink-jet heads in 2004, the inkjet mechanism became available to the printer industry. For applications that did not require impact (e.g. carbon-copy printing), the inkjet was superior in nearly all respects: comparatively quiet operation, faster print speed, and output quality almost as good as a laser printer. By 1995, [[inkjet technology]] had surpassed dot matrix impact technology in the mainstream market and relegated dot matrix to niche applications.<ref name="Dyszel">{{cite journal |last1=Dyszel |first1=William |title=Hammering On |date=7 November 1995 |journal=PC Magazine |location=New York |publisher=Ziff-Davis |volume=14 |issue=19 |pages=285–296 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qxIpLj9BmV8C&pg=PA285 |access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref>

{{As of|2021}}, dot matrix impact technology remains in use in devices and applications such as:{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
* [[Cash register]]s,
* [[Automatic Teller Machine|ATMs]],
* Banking, passbook and cashier's checks,
* Time cards and parking stubs,
* Multi-layer contracts for signature,
* [[Fire alarm system]]s,
* Point-of-sale terminals,
* British and Irish fire stations for turnout sheets,
* Applications requiring continuous output on fan-fold paper.

[[Thermal printing]] is gradually supplanting them in some of these applications, but full-size dot-matrix impact printers are still used to print [[carbonless copy paper|multi-part stationery]]. For example, dot matrix impact printers are still used at bank tellers and auto repair shops, and other applications where use of [[continuous stationery|tractor feed paper]] is desirable such as [[data logging]] and [[aviation]]. Most of these printers now come with USB interfaces as a standard feature to facilitate connections to modern computers without legacy ports.