IBM Wheelwriter
The IBM Wheelwriter 15 (Series II) from 1988
DeveloperInternational Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Manufacturer
TypeElectronic typewriter

The Wheelwriter is a line of electronic typewriters that was manufactured by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) from 1984 to 1991 and by Lexmark International (a spin-off of IBM) from 1991 to 2001. Typewriters in the Wheelwriter series use swappable daisy wheel cartridges to produce high-quality letterforms on the page via an ink ribbon and an impact printing head. Cartridges can be swapped out to allow the user to switch between a wide array of typefaces. The Wheelwriter was IBM's first daisy wheel typewriter and represented the technical apex of IBM's typewriter families, replacing their long-lived and commercially successful IBM Selectric typewriter series on its introduction in 1984.[1][2]

Features

All models in the Wheelwriter range possess some amount of electronic memory, acting as a data buffer and allowing for a number of advanced features, including algorithmic centering of text on a line, basic spell-checking, and word-by-word erasure of text (either via white correction ribbon or via Lift-Off adhesive correction ribbon), among other features.[3]

A variant of the Wheelwriter, called the Wheelprinter, is essentially a Wheelwriter without the keyboard and with a parallel communication interface, allowing it to be used with a number of personal computers (including IBM's own PC).[4]: 157–161  The Wheelprinter is capable of printing 25 characters per second.[5]

History

The Wheelwriter was introduced in October 1984 with two models: the Wheelwriter 3 and the Wheelwriter 5; the Wheelprinter was also announced simultaneously. The Wheelwriter was IBM's first daisy wheel typewriter and served as the replacement to their long-lived and commercially successful IBM Selectric typewriter series.[5] All models in the Wheelwriter series were manufactured by IBM's Information Products division out of its Lexington, Kentucky, headquarters.[6]

In 1985, IBM introduced the Actionwriter, a cost-reduced version of the Wheelwriter intended for home users, small businesses, and schools.[7] The Actionwriter was revamped in 1988, with IBM renaming it the Personal Wheelwriter.[8]

In 1991, the IBM Information Products Corporation was spun off into its own corporation, Lexmark International, who subsequently retained the tooling and manufacturing rights to the Wheelwriter series.[6] Wheelwriters continued to be marketed as IBM products and were distributed and resold by the latter, however.[3] By 1995, manufacturing of the Wheelwriter was relegated to one production line out of Lexmark's Lexington facility.[9] By the late 1990s, the Wheelwriter was one of the last electronic typewriters still manufactured in the United States, Lexmark holding a majority of the American market share in that category.[6]

Late entries in the line are capable of storing entire pages (for perfect duplication) and moving the printhead over predefined locations on a page (useful for batch filling out form fields).[10]: 20  Such late models include such models as the Wheelwriter 1000 and Wheelwriter 7000 (the former for classroom and home use and the latter for enterprise use).[11]

The Wheelwriter line was discontinued between the end of 2001 and the beginning of 2002.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Somerson, Paul (December 11, 1984). "IBM Stages Coup with Revolutionary Printers". PC Magazine. Ziff-Davis. 3 (24): 33–35 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Maloney, Dan (January 14, 2017). "Vintage IBM Daisywheel Prints Again After Reverse Engineering". Hackaday. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Lewis, Peter H. (August 1, 1993). "An Impressive Line from Lexmark Breaks Old Ground". The New York Times: A10 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ Dickinson, John (April 30, 1985). "Printers from IBM: Traditional & Trendy". PC Magazine. Ziff-Davis. 4 (9): 157–163 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Howlett, Karen (October 17, 1984). "IBM unveils desk-top printers, new generation of typewriters". The Globe and Mail. Bell Globemedia Publishing: B8 – via ProQuest.
  6. 1 2 3 Ellis, Caron Schwartz (February 1, 1998). "Many IBMers moved on to form significant companies in county". Boulder County Business Report. Boulder Business Information Corporation. 17 (2): 6 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Low cost typing". UPI Archive. United Press International. June 5, 1985 – via Gale.
  8. ↑ Evans, Sherli (January 1989). "IBM keeps the typewriters coming". Modern Office Technology. Penton Media. 34 (1): 46 et seq. – via Gale.
  9. ↑ "Lexmark sees future in color inkjets". Computer Dealer News. Plesman Publications. 11 (10): 8. May 17, 1995 – via ProQuest.
  10. ↑ Twist, Robert (May 1999). "Typewriters: Standing the test of time". Office World News. B.U.S. Publishing Group. 27 (5): 1, 20 – via ProQuest.
  11. ↑ Hershey, Robert D. (December 20, 1999). "Out of the Past, the Click and Clack of Low Technology". The New York Times. The New York Times: C20 – via ProQuest.
  12. ↑ "Typewriters by Lexmark". Lexmark.com. Lexmark International. Archived from the original on December 1, 2001. Compare with next available archived snapshot.
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