Re: Apple Scribe ribbons available again...

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Edhel Iaur (drsmooth@relex.com) wrote:
: hochstrasse@ubaclu.unibas.ch (Urs Hochstrasser) wrote:

: >In article <54mfeh$edl@news.emi.com>, drsmooth@relex.com wrote:

: >> I thought the Scribe was a thermal printer, and didn't NEED ribbons?
: >> What's the deal?
: >It's a thermo _transfer_ printer. Any more questions? :-)

: So, it makes ink fly off the ribbon and onto the paper via heat,
: instead of slamming a pin against the ribbon?

Precisely.  My understanding is that it is a wax-based ribbon or something
like that.  And in the absence of a proper ribbon, you *could* use thermal
(i.e. FAX) paper in the Scribe.  Using the thermal transfer ribbon gives
you good-looking images on plain paper.  I distinctly remember being
really impressed with the Scribe output...and very disappointed at the
ribbon  life.

Incidentally, my parents have a Brother FAX machine which uses exactly the
same thermal transfer concept for printing on plain paper.  

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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