List of Apple printers

Apple has produced several lines of printers in its history, but no longer produces or supports these devices today. Though some early products use thermal technology, Apple's products can be broadly divided into three lines: ImageWriter (dot matrix), LaserWriter (PostScript laser), and StyleWriter (thermal inkjet).

Early products

Apple's first printer release was the Apple Silentype, released in June 1979, shortly after the Apple II Plus. The Silentype was a thermal printer, which used a special paper and provided 80 column output. Also compatible with the Apple III, the Silentype was a rebranded Trendcom 200.[1][2]

The Apple Dot Matrix Printer (often shortened to Apple DMP) is a printer manufactured by C. Itoh and sold under Apple label in 1982 for the Apple II series, Lisa, and the Apple III.[1] Apple followed this release with a Qume daisy wheel engine, the Apple Letter Quality Printer (also known as the Apple Daisy Wheel Printer), in January 1983. This printer could print at forty characters per second.[1] Also in 1983, Apple released its only plotter, the Apple Color Plotter. This printer moved and rotated four color pens along the horizontal axis, the device moving the paper into order to allow its pens to render along the vertical axis.[1] The Apple Scribe Printer was a thermal transfer printer, first introduced in 1984 alongside the Apple IIc for a relatively low retail price, and compatible with the Apple IIe computer.[1]

ImageNameTypeInterfaceDPIIntroducedDiscontinuedNotes
Silentype ThermalMac ConnectN/AMarch 19801982DI-9 DIN connector[3]
Dot Matrix Printer Dot MatrixparallelN/AOctober 1982198425-pin[4][5]
Daisy Wheel Printer Daisy WheelparallelN/AJanuary 1983unknownOffers graphics[4][6][7]
Color Plotter PlotterserialN/A1983unknown9-pin[8]
Scribe Thermalserial1441984unknownReviewed[9]

Dot-matrix series
Main article: ImageWriter
ImageNameTypeInterfaceDPIIntroducedDiscontinuedNotes
ImageWriterDot matrixserial144June 1, 1984December 1, 19859-pin[10]
ImageWriter IIDot matrixserial160x144September 1, 1985Late 19969-pin[11]
ImageWriter LQDot matrixserial320x216August 1, 1987December 1, 199027-pin, Letter Quality[12]

Laser printer series
Main article: LaserWriter

The LaserWriter was a laser printer with built-in PostScript interpreter introduced by Apple in 1985. It was one of the first laser printers available to the mass market. In combination with WYSIWYG publishing software like PageMaker, that operated on top of the graphical user interface of Macintosh computers, the LaserWriter was a key component at the beginning of the desktop publishing revolution.[13][14]

ImageNameTypeInterfaceEnginePPMDPIIntroducedDiscontinuedWeightNotes
LaserWriterPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect		Canon
LBP-CX		8300March 1, 1985February 1, 198877 lbs.[15]
LaserWriter PlusPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect		Canon
LBP-CX		8300January 1, 1986February 1, 198877 lbs.[16]
LaserWriter II SCQuickDraw
laser		SCSICanon
LBP-SX		8300January 1, 1988July 1, 199045 lbs.[17]
LaserWriter II NTPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect		Canon
LBP-SX		8300January 1, 1988October 1, 199145 lbs.[18]
LaserWriter II NTXPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect		Canon
LBP-SX		8300January 1, 1988October 1, 199145 lbs.[19]
LaserWriter II fPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect		Canon
LBP-SX		8300October 1, 1991May 1, 199345 lbs.[20]
LaserWriter II gPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect
AAUI		Canon
LBP-SX		8300October 1, 1991October 1, 199345 lbs.[21]
Personal LaserWriter SCQuickDraw
laser		SCSICanon
LBP-LX		4300June 1, 1990September 1, 199332 lbs.[22]
Personal LaserWriter NTPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect		Canon
LBP-LX		4300July 1, 1990unknown32 lbs.[23]
Personal LaserWriter LSQuickDraw
laser		serialCanon
LBP-LX		4300March 1, 1991May 1, 199331 lbs.[24]
Personal LaserWriter NTRPostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect
parallel		Canon
LBP-LX		4300March 1, 1992September 1, 199329.5 lbs.[25]
Personal LaserWriter 300QuickDraw
laser		serialCanon
LBP-PX		4300June 1, 1993unknown15.4 lbs.[26]
Personal LaserWriter 320PostScript
laser		Mac ConnectCanon
LBP-PX		4300October 1, 1993September 16, 199515.4 lbs.[27]
LaserWriter Pro 600PostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect
parallel		Canon
LBP-EX		8600January 1, 1993October 1, 199339 lbs.[28]
LaserWriter Pro 630PostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect
parallel
AAUI		Canon
LBP-EX		8600January 1, 1993September 1, 199439 lbs.[29]
LaserWriter Pro 810PostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect
AAUI		Fuji/Xerox
XP 20[30]		20800October 1, 1993November 1, 199481 lbs.two built-in paper trays[31]
LaserWriter Select 300QuickDraw
laser		serialFuji/Xerox
XP 5 (P1)		5300February 1, 1993January 3, 199526 lbs.[32]
LaserWriter Select 310PostScript
laser		serial
parallel		Fuji/Xerox
XP 5 (P1)		5300February 1, 1993January 1, 199426 lbs.[33]
LaserWriter Select 360PostScript
laser		serial
Mac Connect
parallel		Fuji/Xerox
XP 10 (P1)		10600October 1, 1993April 22, 199629 lbs.[34]
LaserWriter 16/600 PSPostScript
laser		Mac Connect
parallel
AAUI		Canon
LBP-EX		17600September 1, 1994unknown40 lbs.[35]
LaserWriter 4/600PostScript
laser		Mac ConnectCanon
LBP-PX		4600June 1, 1995unknown15.4 lbs.[36]
LaserWriter 12/640 PSPostScript
laser		AAUI
Mac Connect
parallel		Fuji/Xerox12600May 1, 1996unknown26.5 lbs.8 ppm duplex[37]
LaserWriter 8500PostScript
laser		Ethernet
Mac Connect
parallel		Fuji/Xerox20600August 5, 1997unknown70.4 lbs.11x17 paper tray[38]
Color LaserWriter 12/600PostScript
laser		Ethernet
Mac Connect
parallel		Canon12600June 1, 1995unknown110 lbs.3 ppm in color[39]
Color LaserWriter 12/660PostScript
laser		Ethernet
Mac Connect
parallel		Canon12600October 1, 1996unknown110 lbs.3 ppm in color[40]

Inkjet series
Main article: StyleWriter

The StyleWriter was the first of Apple's line of inkjet serial printers, targeted mainly towards consumers. They produced print quality that was better than the dot matrix ImageWriters, and were cheaper than the LaserWriters. All but a few models contained Canon print engines, a few were rebadged Canon printers, while the last few were rebadged HP DeskJet printers.

The Apple Color Printer was the first color inkjet printer sold by Apple. Introduced in 1993 alongside the StyleWriter II, it was a rebadged Canon BJC-820 printer.[41] Its maximum resolution was 360 DPI and connected to the computer via SCSI. Unlike many inkjet printers of the time, the Apple Color Printer did not suffer from print slowdowns caused by slow communication from the computer performing rasterization, since the SCSI bus is relatively fast. The model was discontinued in 1994 when Apple introduced the Color StyleWriter series of printers.[42]

ImageNameTypeInterfaceEnginePPMDPIIntroducedDiscontinuedWeightNotes
StyleWritermonochrome
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon0.5360March 1, 1991January 1, 19937.5 lbs.[43]
StyleWriter IImonochrome
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon1360January 1, 1993April 17, 19956.6 lbs.[44]
Portable StyleWritermonochrome
thermal
inkjet		parallelCanon0.5360June 1, 1993May 15, 19954.5 lbs.Cable adapter allowed connection to serial[45]
Color StyleWriter Procolor
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon2/0.5360February 1, 1994December 16, 199511 lbs.[46]
StyleWriter 1200monochrome
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon1360April 1, 1994unknown6.6 lbs.[47]
Color StyleWriter 2400color
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon3360September 1, 1994unknown7.9 lbs.LocalTalk option[48]
Color StyleWriter 2200color
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon3720x360June 1, 1995unknown3.1 lbs.portable[49]
Color StyleWriter 1500color
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon3720x360February 19, 1996unknown5.5 lbs.LocalTalk option, EtherTalk option[50]
Color StyleWriter 2500color
thermal
inkjet		serialCanon3720x360February 19, 1996unknown6.9 lbs.LocalTalk option, EtherTalk option[51]
Color StyleWriter 4100color
thermal
inkjet		serial
Mac Connect		HP5600June 16, 1997unknown11.7 lbs.[52]
Color StyleWriter 4500color
thermal
inkjet		serial
Mac Connect		HP5600June 16, 1997unknown11.7 lbs.[53]
Color StyleWriter 6500color
thermal
inkjet		serial
Mac Connect
parallel		HP8/4600June 16, 1997unknown14.3 lbs.EtherTalk option[54]

References
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