OregonJim wrote:

Thermal printheads manufactured in the '80s and '90s were infant technology - their rated life was far shorter than those made today, which are now rated for approx. 1 million linear inches.  That's roughly 150 rolls of standard thermal paper.

Most high volume receipt printers are thermal TRANSFER printers, not thermal DIRECT printers like typewriters.  They require wax or resin-impregnated ribbons to print.  The ribbon is literally melted onto the paper.  The printheads are still of limited lifetime, but the wear is distributed to the ribbon.

The link below was about all I could find online on the subject.  Vintage thermal printheads don't seem to be of interest to anyone.

https://www.satoamerica.com/support/tech-tips/understanding-thermal-print-head-life

This is excellent information! And good to know given my love for thermal typewriters. I’ll check out the link when I’m at home. Thanks for your insightful contribution to this thread!

OregonJim wrote:

My biggest issue is the lifetime of the print head.  I was tasked with designing a portable barcode printer back in the early '90s, about the same time as these thermal typewriters were on the market.  We researched those thermal print heads and, IIRC, they were only good for 100k to 250k characters before burning out.  That's about 20k -50k words on a typewriter, or roughly 100 - 250 single-spaced pages.  Who knows how much of that lifetime was used up by the previous owner(s)!  In the end, we decided to use inkjet cartridges with integrated print heads for our product instead of thermal (Canon Bubblejet - it was new technology at the time).  Run out of ink, get a new cartridge - and with it, a brand new print head.  I'm fairly sure the limited lifetime of the print head is one reason why thermal typewriters didn't last long on the market...
 

I have many thermal typewriters in my collection, none of which have bad printheads. In one of the manuals, it suggests cleaning the printhead. I haven’t even had to do that.

I’m curious about the limits you mention above. Both thermal label printers and receipt printers use the exact same technology, but they can last many years. So I wouldn’t worry about the printheads failing.

Far more pressing, I think, is the availability of thermal paper. How much longer will it be manufactured?

Hello!

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Thank you!

Sincerely,

Gregory Short, Curator & Host
Type Pals | Typewriter Club LIVE
Type Pals Podcast | Type Co-Op

beak wrote:

Never seen one.  Never even heard of them!  But an interesting idea.  My big question would be; does the typing fade to illegible as did the faxes themselves?

Yes. Stored in a dark, cool, dry place, they should last quite a long time. The main enemies are sunlight and heat.

Okay, you can't keep warm with a thermal typewriter, but I am obsessed with them nonetheless. I would choose a thermal over any other electronic typer any day. Here's why:

1. They're probably the quietest typewriter you can get. Take it to the library!
2. No ink or ribbon required. All you need is thermal fax paper or even receipt paper.
3. They're light and very portable.
4. They're usually very inexpensive. My cheapest was $17, and the most expensive was $50.
5. They're discreet, looking not much different than an old laptop.
6. Even though they're far from new, they feel very futuristic... in a retro sort of way.

Currently, I have a Sharp, two Brothers, three Canons, and a Silver-Reed. A Casio is on the way. I really need to stop, but the Canon Typestars, especially, are tempting. I want to collect the whole line!

Anyone else not hate thermal typewriters?