26 Jan
2008
26 Jan
'08
2:33 p.m.
Subject: Re: the non-existence of printer collectors was Re: A sign of
the times
I actually have an interest in printers, but there are the following
problems:
<snip>
2) Printers were commoditized quite some time ago. Remember the Epson
FX-80? (And later the RX-80.) A printer was one of the few
peripherals that *everyone* who had an Apple ][/IBM PC (or clone)
needed. (Paperless office, my ass!) As a result printers were one of
the few things that could be commoditized across all brands of
computers from micros to mainframes -- although it would probably look
silly to have an Epson FX-80 hooked up to a mainframe!
I brought this topic up as a thread on vintage-computer.com/vcforums.
I keep one printer per system type in operational condition, and use them
for comprehensive testing of systems. Same goes for modems.
I think that the Diablo printer is worthy of collecting (I have an
Commdore-branded OEM model CBM 8300P, which is quite rare I believe). A
nice IBM Proprinter is worth holding onto. Boxed printers are easy to
store, I prefer printers in their original boxes, otherwise I am less
likely to keep them.
Bill D