The print wheel (or daisy-wheel) is a circular array of spokes, each with a character die on the end. To print a character, the wheel spins to align the appropriate die with a striking hammer. This knocks it into an inked ribbon, transferring the ink to the paper beneath. The image quality of the characters is very high, but it cannot print |graphics|, or, use different ~fonts~ without changing the print wheel. It should be noted that the wheel itself commonly is made of plastic and should be handled carefully. Also, the dies must be cleaned periodically as they can become clogged with ink and dust.
