Apple Scribe Printer
Encyclopedia
The Apple Scribe Printer was a thermal transfer printer
made by Apple and first introduced in 1984 alongside the Apple IIc
for a relatively low retail price of $299. It was a thermal printer, but was a significant advancement over the old Silentype
. It could print on regular paper (instead of special heat sensitive paper), and could print in four colors. It could do this using a unique heat-transfer method and a wax-impregnated ribbon. It could print in a “near letter quality” mode (with overlapping dots) at 50 cps, and a draft and graphics mode (80 cps). Its major limitations, however, were a print quality that overall was often not as good as some dot-matrix printers, a ribbon that was expensive and needed to be replaced often, and a slow printing speed which was a function of its unidirectional print head. The Scribe was eventually discontinued due to these problems and low sales. The Scribe was the first printer offered using the Snow White design language
that would later characterize many of Apple’s products. It was also the first printer to use same creamy off-white color first used on the Apple IIc and its peripherals, a trait which would continue with Apple’s other printers until 1987.
Thermal transfer printer
A thermal transfer printer is a printer which prints on paper by melting a coating of ribbon so that it stays glued to the material on which the print is applied. It contrasts with direct thermal printing where no ribbon is present in the process...
made by Apple and first introduced in 1984 alongside the Apple IIc
Apple IIc
The Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
for a relatively low retail price of $299. It was a thermal printer, but was a significant advancement over the old Silentype
Apple SilenType
The Apple Silentype was Apple's first printer, announced in 1979 and released in March, 1980 US$599 , shortly after the Apple II Plus. The Silentype's firmware was written by Andy Hertzfeld, who later worked on the Apple Macintosh. The Silentype is a thermal printer, which uses a special paper and...
. It could print on regular paper (instead of special heat sensitive paper), and could print in four colors. It could do this using a unique heat-transfer method and a wax-impregnated ribbon. It could print in a “near letter quality” mode (with overlapping dots) at 50 cps, and a draft and graphics mode (80 cps). Its major limitations, however, were a print quality that overall was often not as good as some dot-matrix printers, a ribbon that was expensive and needed to be replaced often, and a slow printing speed which was a function of its unidirectional print head. The Scribe was eventually discontinued due to these problems and low sales. The Scribe was the first printer offered using the Snow White design language
Snow White design language
The Snow White design language was an industrial design language developed by Hartmut Esslinger's Frog Design. Used by Apple Computer from 1984 to 1990, the scheme has vertical and horizontal stripes for decoration, ventilation, and the illusion that the computer enclosure is smaller than it...
that would later characterize many of Apple’s products. It was also the first printer to use same creamy off-white color first used on the Apple IIc and its peripherals, a trait which would continue with Apple’s other printers until 1987.