Multiplexed hammer dot band matrix printer

In a moving dot band and fixed hammer bank dot matrix printer having a hammer position defined as the spacing from center to center between two consecutive dot font elements of like size on said dot band, the improvement comprising:

• two adjacent hammer mechanisms assigned to said hammer position, each covering one half of said hammer position and having a hammer face pitch equal to one half of the dot font pitch between same size dots on said band with each said hammer being provided with a separate electrical actuation mechanism;
• means for ordering the operation of said electrical actuation mechanisms by even and odd groups defined by sequentially numbering all the hammers and taking the even and odd numbers as group designations;
• said ordering of operation being such that only members of the even or the odd group can be operated at any time interval and only the odd or even members, respectively, can be operated in the next preceding or succeeding time intervals;
• the arrangement in which said adjacent hammers have their faces vertically staggered and horizontally extended in overlapped relationship such that each hammer face overlaps a portion of each adjacent hammer's horizontal span;
• and
• each dot font element having a hammer impact surface extending vertically so as to be operated on by either the higher or the lower vertically staggered hammer faces.