Epson LQ-590IIN dot matrix printer, 24-pin, mono, USB, parallel

A dot matrix printer prints with pins through an ink ribbon, so each impact carries through to the layers underneath. The LQ-590IIN prints an original plus six copies, a seven-part form in a single pass. In warehousing, logistics and accounting, where a dispatch note has to reach the customer, the driver and the archive at once, no laser or inkjet printer can do this.

The print head has 24 pins. The more pins, the more tightly the dots are placed and the cleaner the character shapes, so a 24-pin head produces crisper, more legible text than a 9-pin one. That matters when a printout carries small figures or barcodes, or when the text has to be readable even on the last and faintest copy.

Both single sheets and continuous paper can be fed from the front or the rear, with output at the rear. Continuous paper can stay loaded at the back while single forms are printed from the front, so there is no need to swap paper every time. This layout suits workstations that alternate between reports and individual documents.

The printer has Hi-Speed USB, compatible with the USB 2.0 specification, plus a parallel port. The parallel port matters wherever older till systems, warehouse software or industrial computers without USB printer support are in use. The interface list also names a wired network, but another data field marks Ethernet as absent; the printer has no Wi-Fi.

The MTBF, or mean time between failures, is 25,000 power-on hours according to the manufacturer. That shows the printer is built for continuous use in warehouses, production and offices where it is never switched off. The body measures 437 × 375 × 177 mm and weighs 7.4 kg, so it stands firmly on the desk.

Warehouses, logistics companies and production sites printing multi-part dispatch notes and waybills; accounting departments, pharmacies and public offices using carbonless forms; businesses whose older software needs a parallel port. And any workstation where the printer has to keep running for years without a break.