Dot like printer employing overlapped current applying sequence to coils

Abstract

A dot line printer for carrying out printing on a print paper while shuttling a hammer bank back and forth in a direction to traverse the print paper. To lower the peak level of the current flowed in an electromagnetic coil provided in association with a print hammer and to reduce an electric power consumption, a predetermined number of print hammers are divided, for example, into four groups A, B, C and D. The print hammers belonging to group A are arranged at a constant interval wherein three print hammers belonging to groups B, C and D are interposed between adjacent two print hammers of group A and are disposed in positions displaced toward the leftside group A hammer from their home positions defined by equally spaced apart positions between the adjacent two print hammers of group A. Currents are adapted to flow in the coils of the print hammers belonging to different groups, e.g., A and B, in overlapped relation to each other, whereby the levels of the currents flowed therein are lowered due to magnetic interaction by the coils of another group.