In August 1980, NEC announced a mid-size, inexpensive page printer employing the laser-based xerography system. This printer was for Japanese language processing with mainframes (JIPS for the ACOS system).
Compared with previous line printers, this unit had an expanded printing range, and special functions such as different character types/sizes, suffixes and enlarged letters. At the same time, it had upward compatibility because it maintained the functions of a line printer for alphanumeric and kana characters. In this way, it smoothed the transition to Japanese language processing.
In 1982, NEC marketed a model with an option enabling image and diagram output (the N7384-31), and in 1983 they marketed a model with the same function, and the controller built into the printer mechanism (the N7384-35).
| Model name | N7384-21 | N7384-31 | N7384-35 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printing system | Laser beam exposure, Xerographic transfer | ||
| Fixation system | Thermocompression system | Flash system | |
| Resolution (printed dot density) |
240dot/inch | ||
| Character types |
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| Special functions |
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| Character spacing(char/inch) | 3,4,5,6,8,10,12,15 | ||
| Line spacing(line/inch) | 3,4,6,8,12 | ||
| Form overlay | Overlay using format and characters from floppy disk | ||
| Paper | Continuous folding ordinary paper with sprocket holes(width=6.5–18inch) | ||
| Printing speed(line/min) | - 3,330 (with 8line/inch) 2,500 (with 6line/inch) |
5,000 (with 12line/inch) 3,330 (with 8line/inch) 2,500 (with 6line/inch) |
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| External dimensions(mm) | 1605(W)×790(D)×1230(H) | ||
| Weight(kg) | 600 | 620 | 650 |
| Announcement/Sale date | August 1980 | August 1982 | April 1983 |
