Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

Wow avemal, you're really reaching back into time:o)
They were all that was available back in the 80's when I began my computer experiences. We used to buy the fan-fold paper by the case. Good memories, but I think, for the most part those days are pretty much history, but ''thanks for the memories"!
God Bless,
Papa Joe

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

Some models had multi-color ribbon options and drivers to print in color. The Okidata printer I once had used a color ribbon. It was surplus from from Air Force One and had internal Tempest grade copper shielding and weighed more than you would think would be allowed on a plane.

avemal Loc: BALTIMORE

Check this out.
Amazon Kodak Dock Plus 4x6” Portable Instant Photo Printer, Compatible with iOS, Android and Bluetooth Devices Full Color Real Photo, 4Pass & Lamination Process, Premium Quality - Convenient


HP also sells them Kodak Dock Plus 4x6” Portable Instant Photo Printer, Compatible with iOS, Android and Bluetooth Devices Full Color Real Photo, 4Pass & Lamination Process, Premium Quality - Convenient

Check out----------YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUuREgiXc_M

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I still have a Texas Instruments 855 dot matrix printer from about 1980. Epson is another company who made these. The one I have was fairly advanced for the time. It had plug-in modules that made it capable of printing different fonts (most were limited to a single font), and could be set for either 10 or 12 characters per inch. There was even a module that would allow it to print Code 39 bar codes.

All these early printers were character printers. The characters were 5x7 (or sometimes 5x9) arrays of dots in hard-defined windows. A few had the capability to print even in the spaces between the characters and could be made to print crude graphics, but never anything like a photograph. The TI 855 was pretty fast...it would print maybe three lines per second (none of these hot rod "pages per minute" ratings).

It's been years since I've seen even a bad third-party ribbon for my printer. The other problem is that they all tended to use a parallel interface and cable (popularly called the Centronics interface) to connect to the computer. I haven't seen a computer with a parallel interface in probably 25 years. There were adaptors to the RS-232 serial interface, but they weren't very good, if they worked at all.

You coula also get wide-carriage dot-matrix printers. TI's were the 810 and 820. These were "enterprise" printers. And for a few hundred dollars, you could buy a sound enclosure that made them quiter, even bulkier, but a little more acceptable in an office environment.

The huge IBM printers in the computer center that printed the output from our batch jobs are a whole separate story.

ddgm Loc: Hamilton, Ontario & Fort Myers, FL

I remember places that had them using a paper that was actually 3 pieces, customer copy, carbon paper and store copy. They would print out the receipt and separate the output, one to the customer, one for the store and the carbon in the trash. Only a dot matrix could work with this system. By the way, I too started out with a dot matrix printer in the early days with my Commadores.

Jerry G Loc: Waterford, Michigan and Florida

When I was a senior in high school, in 1967, we would be bussed over to an admin building so we could learn Fortran programming on the only computer in the school district, I had never even seen a computer before. After we wrote our programs we would type them on key punch cards that would be fed into the computer. The computer would then print it on a sprocket fed printer. The printer had four or five sets of type on a rail that would move back and forth across the the paper, a hammer, one for each space, would strike the type as it passed, very loud.

PlymouthWoodworker Loc: Plymouth, MA

Banks and other businesses still use them when carbon copies are required. They feed multiple part paper through them, usually each layer is a different color.

avemal Loc: BALTIMORE

Check out YOU TUBE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUuREgiXc_M

BebuLamar

Well the OP talked about the new HP Sprocket Printer (which by the way has no sprocket) which use the Zink or Zero Ink technology which the ink is in the paper itself.
I don't think I would be using it. It has its uses but I have no use for it.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

If you're referring to a dot matrix printer, I still have one and use it from time to time.
--Bob

BebuLamar

Check the OP latest post. He talked about the new HP spocket printer (which doesn't have any sprocket) that uses the Zink or No Ink technology.

Greg from Romeoville illinois Loc: Romeoville illinois

Are you referring to the HP device?

https://sprocketprinters.com/collections/all

EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace

Back in the day I have used dot-matrix printers to make carbon copies. Anybody remember carbon paper?

I just Googled carbon paper and found it is still available. Who knew?

TreborLow

It seems to me that the last time I rented a car, they printed on a sprocket printer. Insures registration with the forms and large supply of fan fold pages. I used one back in the early days and was thrilled with fact I could print anything at home!! Yes, very noisy.
Why do you want one?
Bob

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

My first printer was an EPSON and it used 8 dots. My computer was very advanced as it was modified to have a roaring 16 kilobytes of RAM when I threw a little switch added to the case. Unmodified it had 8 kilobytes of RAM.
It was a big deal when EPSON came out with a 9 dot printer so it could do the "j's".