【NEC】 MultiImpact 201MX / MultiImpact 700XX / MultiImpact 700JX

In December 1997, NEC announced three printers that were the first domestic dot-impact printers to support USB connections. With the addition of these models, all major NEC printers, including its color inkjet printers and page printers, offered USB support. The three models were the MultiImpact 700XX (maximum print speed of 240 Japanese characters per second), a high-speed printer with a horizontal sheet feeder so it could print on eight duplicate forms, the MultiImpact 700JX (maximum print speed of 174 Japanese characters per second), a consumer model, and the MultiImpact 201MX (maximum print speed of 144 Japanese characters per second), which featured a round sheet feeder.

The three printers had the following features:

(1) USB support

USB support enabled plug & play, where computers automatically recognized connected printers and selected the appropriate printer driver, and hot plugging, where printers could be plugged in and unplugged even while the host computer was in use. This made printer connections much easier and simplified the creation of printing environments when building a system.

(2) Enhanced network support

The printers had a function for Windows NT and Windows 95 network environments that let users check the printer status visually or audibly on the host computer. Users were able to check the print progress status or paper-out errors from their desks as well as make fine adjustments to the print position and other settings. In network environments, this made the printers much easier to use.

(3) New postal code system support

NEC provided a customer barcode font to handle the new seven-digit postal code system. When the new postal code system began operation in February 2010, volume mailings with printed barcodes were delivered at a lower postal rate. This effectively reduced mailing costs for direct mail, invitations, and other volume mailings.