PURPOSE: To shorten the returning time of a recording head by accelerating the returning speed of the head in the course of later returning stoke at the time of starting the returning stroke.

CONSTITUTION: An input line 11 is connected to a computer, a fed character is supplied through a character code 12 to a character generator 13, the character is divided into segments, which are selected at timing for each row of a dot matrix for a character signal to be printed, thereby outputting drive signals G1WG7 of a wire of a recording head 6. A column counter 14 operates in response to the pulse from an oscillator 17, selects the column to be outputted from the dot matrix, picture element signals G1WG7 of the selected character at the timing are supplied to next printing mechanism driving circuit 15, are then shaped and amplified, is then applied to a solenoid of the printing mechanism of the head 6, thereby driving a wire and printing a character.