Abstract: A printer having a print wheel rotatable on a carriage. The carriage is guided for movement parallel to a platen. The printer may print at either a fast speed for draft quality output, or a slower speed for highest quality output. The lesser quality of output produced at the fast speed is more than adequate for draft documents.

Abstract: An impact printer of the daisywheel type mechanically links together two daisywheel printer carriages so that the total number of different characters that can be printed is doubled. Suitable coordination logic provides for operation in a first concurrent (or parallel) mode where the user's software looks ahead to provide for continuous printing along a single line. The other mode of operation is sequential where the twin print heads are substantially transparent to the user's system and thus the appropriate print head automatically positions itself to a printing position.