If you own a dot matrix printer, then you will be needing a printer ribbon. The ribbon is coated with dye or resin that is pressed onto the paper to transfer text or images. Most are made from nylon saturated in black or colored ink. Most also come with a spool housed in a plastic casing.
Kinds of printer ribbons
There are two kinds of printer ribbons: black and colored.
The black ribbon is used to print monochromatic documents or images. It comes with a black resin or dye and is usually used for text, bar codes, and simple labels.