Brother EP43 laptop typewriter

In the mid-'80s, someone at Brother came up with the idea of making a battery-powered laptop typewriter. The resulting product is small, sleek, lightweight, and easy to use -- but was quickly rendered obsolete by the emergence of laptop computers and telecommunications in the late '80s.

The print quality is fairly good, but the thermal ribbons don't last long (about 32 pages, Brother claimed) and are expensive. Or you can take out the ribbon and print directly onto thermal fax paper. Some portable computer printers were made using the same mechanism. The printing is slow, but an LCD and memory buffer allows you to keep typing while the printing catches up.

Category:

Science & Technology

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[GoRetro100]

Just out of curiosity.. How much did one of these cost back then? And how much are they worth now?

[vwestlife]

@GoRetro100 No clue, and not much.

[Lachlant1984]

Are Brother still around today? Where was this typewriter made?

[vwestlife]

@Lachlant1984 I donated it to a charity rummage sale. I'm guessing it was probably made in Japan.

[Lachlant1984]

The printer seems very quite, ideal for an office situation back in the time this was new, is the printer quiet? How long would you say the batteries last? Do Brother still make the thirmal ribbons for it? Do you have the AC Adaptor for the unit? I really like the idea of this unit, I would have liked something like this back in 1993 if my family hadn't bought the StarWriter 85.

[vwestlife]

@Lachlant1984 The printer is very quiet since there is no impact. There were portable PC printers made in the early '90s which used the same design. I have no idea if the ribbons are still made. If they aren't, you can always print onto thermal fax paper without needing a ribbon.

[NLGAMER1000]

omg wtf thats so cool



[GeckoDude2010]

I wonder what the Difference is Between Someone Acting as a SmartFax Flooding Tek Messages vs. People responding to some posts with a queue or Printer Spooling issue, makes them kinda seem similar to Typewriter Messaging! Almost brings about the concept and idea of a pager text message alert!

[zestydude87]

I had this exact same typewriter when i was in high school in the late 80s. I used to ttype essays in study hall with it and you could barely hear it. The fact it could run on batteries was a huge plus for me taking it from class to class.

[Danielt34107426]

Im really interested in this, but i cant find it to purchase!!! Used or new, i would love to get one of these!!

[johnrk556]

I had the Canon Typestar that worked the same way. Trouble was the ribbons didn't last long and they were expensive! No replacement for a real typewriter, but lightweight and fun-

[Jenniflare]

.Bought mine '86-'87,was round $135. Couldn't have done my papers without it .Being a procrastinator,I carried it to school and worked up to the last minute possible.Still have it and plan on having daughter work on her typing skills.

[johnnyberry]

I had one of these when I was a freshman in college back in 1986 -- brand-new it was $299. The thermal ribbon was hard to find -- Service Merchandise Catalog was the only place I could find them - sold in packs of three. For a short while you could buy thermal paper in reams. I used it until 1994 when I lost the adapter, and the replacement adapter burned up the unit so I threw it out. I miss it - wish I still had it.

[HLD452]

That's really neat. Lighter than laptops we have today. I wish I have one though I have a Royal 200 portable typewriter and a Smith Corona SL 575 electronic typewriter. Does the ribbon goes one way without reversing like on a manual typewriter does?