The Eastman Kodak Multiple-Stylus Electronic Printer

THE Eastman Kodak multiple-stylus electronic printer prints, at high speed, outputs from electronic computers, insurance premium notices, utility bills, addresses on magazine labels, addresses on cards and envelopes, and so forth. High-speed printed communication is also a field for this printer, as it can be operated by remote control, without synchronization. This nonphotographic electromechanical printer operates from a coded signal, supplied from any suitable source, such as from the holes in automatically fed punched cards, film, perforated tape, magnetic tape or magnetic wire, radio, coaxial cable, electronic computer, electronic storage, and so forth. The coded signal releases a predetermined sequence of operations to print the entire built-up rectangular-dot character, automatically, from a 5by 7 -dot rectangle, made up of 35 rectangular dots, five rows of seven dots each for serial print, or seven rows of five dots each for parallel or columnar print, as shown in Figure 1. Every character is connected permanently into a 35-switch electronic matrix printing storage which operates the printing styli. The number, variety, and form of characters desired are provided for in the electronic decoder and electronic matrix connections. Current models have single-case billing-type letters and numerals and special characters. The printing is done by a single row of five or seven styli, each stylus being operated by an independent polarized relay to print or not print (yes or no) rectangular dots, in accordance with the predetermined pattern of the amplified signals released from the electronic matrix. These styli strike impact blows on carbon paper to print rectangular-shaped carbon dots, row by row, on the paper under the carbon paper, for the character signaled, as the paper and the carbon paper at onefourth the paper speed, pass between the anvil and the styli. Heat fixes the carbon impressions. Current models print on ordinary paper, 0.003 inch thick in 4,200-foot-long rolls of the desired width, which is run