A tractor feed mechanism required special paper with perforated removable
edges for printer tractors to grip.
A printout on tractor-feed
paper
Push feed
The tractor mechanism grips the paper before it reaches the print head and
pushes the paper to the platten.
Push feed
Pull feed
The tractor mechanism is above the print head.
Pull feed
A pull feed is more reliable but wastes a sheet of paper with every print
job.
Sheet Feed
A sheet feed has a mechanism to pull individual sheets of paper into the
printer. Once only on high-end printers, sheet feed is now the norm. A sheet
feed mechanism usually has a rubber roller that grips a sheet of paper from the
top of a stack and pushes it into the printer. There, other rubber rollers
handle the paper.
