Abstract: An impact printer with a hammerbank having print hammers retained by a permanent magnet for impacting a print ribbon, and a mechanical driver for moving the hammerbank across print media. First and second coils for each hammer are wrapped around first and second pole pieces, one of which is asymmetrical to the other pole piece. One of the pole pieces can have a generally elongated longitudinal form with the coil wound around the longitudinal form and the other can have a generally arcuate form, with the coil wrapped on a portion between the ends thereof. The coil wrapped around the arcuately formed pole piece is thicker than the coil wrapped around the longitudinal pole piece. The result is to provide pole pieces and coils for an impact printer having differing spatial relationships that can be staggered, or formed asymmetrically for more compact coil and pole piece placement to improve printer efficiency.