Apple StyleWriter
| Apple StyleWriter | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| StyleWriter with its cut sheet feeder (All About Apple museum, CC BY-SA 3.0) | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Ink-jet printer |
| Release date | March 1991 |
| Discontinued | January 1993 |
| Interface | Apple RS-422/RS-423 serial, 57.6 kbit/s |
| Compatible | Macintosh with System 6.0.7 or later (not the Macintosh 128K, 512K or XL) |
| Power | External AC adapter, 9.5 V DC; 23 W maximum at 120 V |
| Resolution | 360 dpi (Best), 180 dpi (Faster) |
The Apple StyleWriter is a monochrome thermal ink-jet printer for the Macintosh, introduced in March 1991 and discontinued in January 1993.[1] It prints at 360 dpi from a disposable cartridge that holds both the ink and the 64-nozzle print head, and it relies on the Macintosh to render each page: the Macintosh sends a QuickDraw bitmap over the serial port, and the printer reproduces it dot for dot. The fonts are TrueType outlines installed on the Macintosh, which needs System 6.0.7 or later; Apple's procedures list every Macintosh except the 128K, 512K and XL as compatible.[2]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Printing method | On-demand serial thermal ink jet; replaceable cartridge with a 64-nozzle head |
| Resolution | 360 dpi (Best); 180 dpi (Faster) |
| Speed | About 1/3 page per minute in Best mode |
| Cartridge | About 20 g of black ink; up to 500 pages |
| Printer memory | 64K RAM, of which 8K is the input buffer |
| Interface | Apple RS-422/RS-423 asynchronous serial, 1 start bit, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, 57.6k baud |
| Paper | 16-24 lb (52-90 g/m²), 20 lb recommended; 50-sheet cut sheet feeder; 25-sheet output tray; envelopes, labels and transparencies through the rear manual slot |
| Power | External AC adapter delivering 9.5 V DC; 23 W maximum at 120 V, 25 W at 220 V |
| Environment | 15-30 °C, 20-70% relative humidity |
| Size and weight | 32 cm high with the rod support fitted, 33.6 cm wide, 23 cm deep; 3.4 kg with the sheet feeder |
Apple gives three different figures for the Faster mode: about 2/3 page per minute in the features list of its technical procedures, 1/2 page per minute in their specification table, and "1 draft" on its later specification sheet, which also gives 0.5 page per minute in best mode.[2][1]
Revisions A and B
[edit | edit source]The StyleWriter was made in two revisions, and Revision B added background printing. The logic board and the printer frame assembly must be replaced like for like: a Revision A board only in a Revision A printer, and so on.[2][3] To tell them apart, open the front access cover, turn the carriage worm screw until the V-groove of the large grey gear faces up, and slide the carriage hook assembly to the left through the groove. The gear next to the spring at the right-hand end of the worm screw is black on Revision A and grey on Revision B.[3] The Revision A logic board has QG2-5053 printed on it and the Revision B board QG2-2403.[4]
| Module | Revision A | Revision B |
|---|---|---|
| Main logic board (with fuse) | 661-0629 | 661-0716 |
| Printer frame assembly | 661-0630 | 661-0718 |
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The external AC adapter supplies 9.5 V DC. On the logic board it passes through a 2.5 A fuse and a noise filter to two DC-DC converters and a regulator, which make +5 V for the logic, +14 V for the carriage and paper feed motors, −5 V for the interface chip, and the print head heater voltage. The heater voltage is one of 22.2, 23.0, 23.8 or 24.6 V, chosen automatically from a code set by contacts on each cartridge to allow for differences between cartridges.[5] The logic board carries an 8-bit processor at 10 MHz, two 64K × 4 DRAMs, a printer controller clocked by a 20 MHz crystal, and 26LS32/26LS30 serial line receivers and drivers. The 64 nozzles are driven as an 8 × 8 matrix of COM and SEG lines, and each pulse boils the ink so that a drop leaves the nozzle at about 12 m/s.[5]
The cartridge works best at 23 °C. Below 20 °C, measured by a sensor on the logic board, the printer warms the nozzles with the head heaters before printing.[5] Apple's procedures say that both Apple and Canon versions of the cartridge work in the printer.[6]
The StyleWriter's AC adapter fits the Macintosh Portable, and the Portable's adapter fits the StyleWriter, but their polarities are reversed. Plugging in the wrong adapter blows the input fuse of whichever device it is connected to.[7]
Maintenance and troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]- Apple StyleWriter General Maintenance: safety, cartridge handling, purging, capping, cleaning and the fuse.
- Apple StyleWriter Troubleshooting Guide: status lights, self-tests and test prints, Apple's symptom/cure chart and the right-margin sensor fix.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Apple StyleWriter II, its successor
- Apple Portable StyleWriter
- Macintosh Portable
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple, "StyleWriter: Technical Specifications", Apple Support document 112476 (formerly SP458), retrieved 2026-10-02. Source for: no processor; QuickDraw; serial port; 23 W maximum, 0.19 A, 78.66 BTU/hour at 110-120 V, 48-62 Hz; 64K RAM; 1 page per minute in draft and 0.5 in best mode; 360 dpi; introduced 1 March 1991, discontinued 1 January 1993; 7.5 lb; 12.5 × 13.25 × 5.6 in.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Apple Computer, Inc., StyleWriter Technical Procedures (1991-1992), Basics, pp. 1.2-1.5 (PDF pp. 6-9), hosted as File:Apple StyleWriter Technical Procedures March 1992.pdf; described at Apple StyleWriter Technical Procedures. Source for: compatibility with every Macintosh except the 128K, 512K and XL; thermal ink-jet technology and the disposable cartridge with print head; Best (about 1/3 page per minute, 360 dpi) and Faster modes; background printing on Revision B; TrueType fonts and System 6.0.7; the 50-sheet cut sheet feeder; built-in diagnostics; the specification table (64 nozzles, about 20 g of black ink, up to 500 pages per cartridge, 200 ms line feed, unidirectional Best and bidirectional Faster printing, 64K printer RAM with an 8K input buffer, RS-422/RS-423 serial at 57.6k baud, paper sizes and weights, 15-30 °C and 20-70% RH, a 9.5 V DC AC adapter, 23 W at 120 V and 25 W at 220 V, 32 × 33.6 × 23 cm and 3.4 kg with the sheet feeder).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 StyleWriter Technical Procedures, Take-Apart, StyleWriter Revision Identification, p. 2.27 (PDF p. 63), and Illustrated Parts List (PDF pp. 75-77). Source for: identifying the revision from the colour of the gear next to the spring at the right end of the carriage worm screw (black for Revision A, grey for Revision B); main logic boards 661-0629 (Revision A) and 661-0716 (Revision B), both including the fuse; printer frame assemblies 661-0630 (Revision A) and 661-0718 (Revision B); fuse 941-5224, 2.5 A 250 V, pack of 10.
- ↑ Apple Computer, StyleWriter (Service Source), Additional Procedures, Revision Identification, p. 4 (PDF p. 74), and Exploded View (PDF p. 79), hosted as File:Stylewriter.pdf; described at StyleWriter Service Source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 StyleWriter Technical Procedures, Basics, Theory of Operation, pp. 1.8-1.14 (PDF pp. 12-18). Source for: the print cycle, purging and capping; the 9.5 V DC input, 2.5 A fuse, noise filter, DC-DC converters and regulator; +5 V (Vcc), +14 V (Vpp), the four heater voltages (VH) and −5 V (Vee); the 8-bit CPU at 10 MHz, two 64K × 4 DRAMs, the printer controller and its 20 MHz crystal; the 26LS32/26LS30 serial interface; the cartridge's 64 nozzles in an 8 × 8 COM/SEG matrix; ink ejected at about 12 m/s; the 23 °C optimum and warming below 20 °C.
- ↑ StyleWriter Technical Procedures, Basics, Ink Cartridge, pp. 1.17-1.19 (PDF pp. 21-23).
- ↑ StyleWriter Technical Procedures, Basics, Power-On, Self-Tests, and Test Prints, p. 1.29 (PDF p. 33).