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After caring for a better view I gave my ZX Spectrum compatible printing device a try: a TIMEX/Sinclair 2040 Personal Printer.
Personal Printing
The 2040 printer has a inbuild self test feature. After powering it up after a estimated pause of 25 years I started the self test by pressing the OFF button shortly while holding down the ON/ADVANCE button. The printer just started printing it’s test output without hesitation – nice!
Ok, so far, so good. Now the 2040 was connected to the ZX Spectrum and after powering both up I typed LPRINT "Hallo T/S 2040!" and pressed ENTER. And voilá – there it was printed (grey on white).
The Present
Astonishingly you can still (2017!) buy a brand new Alphacom 32 printer – though I don’t know whether these are really new or old new stock.
More important is the supply of consumables (read: thermal print paper with the right dimensions). But this seems to be no problem either – even the price isn’t that bad, compared to what I paid in 1985 (nearly half the price).
Related Links
TIMEX/Sinclair 2040 Personal Printer
Alphacom 32
Zebra Systems Inc.
DiscountTillRolls Ltd.