The Mitsubishi Electric M8740 kanji-character printer had two configurations: a configuration that connected directly to host mainframes via a SCSI interface and a configuration that had a built-in LAN server. Mitsubishi Electric developed the printer and began selling it through its OEM partners in March 2000.
Functions that were normally performed with dedicated hardware boards — outline font rendering, graph printing, and image printing — were done in software by a general-purpose CPU.
The 17-inch LED array head extended the print width to 16.9 inches, which made 2-in-1 printing on A4 paper possible.
The printer was notable for its design, which was different from conventional kanji-character printers. The enclosure was based on a line printer, with paper fed in at the front and printed pages collected at the back.
| Print process | Xerographic process using an LED array | |
|---|---|---|
| Print speed | 5,226 lpm (at 6 lpi) 6,968 lpm (at 8 lpi) |
|
| Font memory size | Text: 16,000 characters Overlay: 16,000 characters |
|
| Character sizes | Kanji characters | 7，9，12，and 24 points |
| Alphanumeric | 10，12，and 15 characters/inch | |
| Print resolution | 480 x 480 dpi | |
| Typefaces | Heisei Mincho, Heisei Gothic | |
| Character spacing | Kanji characters | 2.5，5，6，7.5，8，and 10 characters/inch |
| Alphanumeric | 10，12，and 15 characters/inch | |
| Line spacing | Kanji characters | 3，6，and 8 lines/inch |
| Alphanumeric | 3，6，8，and 12 lines/inch | |
| Overlay printing | Yes | |
| Graph printing | CORE standard | |
| Image printing | Printing of uncompressed data and G III and G IV compressed data | |
| Vertical / horizontal text | Yes (but only for characters in text) | |
| Condensed printing | Prints reduced to 75% | |
| 2-in-1 printing | Yes | |
| Print media | Folded paper with sprocket holes on both edges | |
| Paper sizes | Width | 7 to 18 inches |
| Folded dimension | 7 to 14 inches | |
| Preprinted paper | Acceptable | |
| Specialty paper | Acceptable for designed paper (including recycled paper) | |
| Hopper sheet capacity | 2,000 sheets (55 kg weight paper) | |
| Stacker sheet capacity | 2,000 sheets (55 kg weight paper) | |
| Power supply | 200 VAC three-phase | |
| Power consumption | ７.0kVA | |
| External dimensions (w x d x h) | 1,400 x 850 x 1,500 mm | |
| Emitted heat | 6,000 kcal/hour | |
| Weight | 650kg | |
| Operating conditions | Temperature | 15−35℃ |
| Relative humi | 20−80% | |
