from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
daisywheel printer
<printer> A kind of {impact printer} where the characters are
arranged on the ends of the spokes of a wheel (resembling the
petals on a daisy).
The wheel (usually made of plastic) is rotated to select the
character to print and then an electrically operated hammer
mechanism bends the selected spoke forward slightly,
sandwiching an ink ribbon between the character and the paper,
as in a typewriter.
One advantage of this arrangement over that of a typewriter is
that different wheels may be inserted to produce different
{typefaces}.
(1998-04-28)