Abstract: The printer is provided with a single tracing element for tracing characters under the control of stored digital instructions corresponding to a set of segments of the character. The tracing element is moved on the printing surface according to a pair of coordinates, within the limits of each character. To this end it is carried by a frame including a pair of hinged elements directed according to the two coordinates and moved by a pair of electromagnets. These latter are controlled by feed back circuits including a pair of position sensors. The frame is mounted on a carriage transversely movable according to other instruction for letter spacing. A movement of the printing element according to a third coordinate causes the tracing element to press the paper with a pressure corresponding to the thickness of the sign.