Name: ThinkJet |
Product Number: 2225 |
Introduced: 1984 Original Price: $495 |
The ThinkJet represented the commercial birth of inkjet printing technology. The original ThinkJet was impressive - high print quality (192x96dpi), fast (150cps) and cheap. It was targeted at the mainstream Epson impact dot matrix printers of the day. There were four models of the ThinkJet - the 2225A with an HPIB interface and inbuilt mains power supply, the 2225B with an HP-IL interface powered by a rechargeable battery, the 2225C with a Centronics parallel interface and inbuilt mains power supply and introduced later in the product's life, the 2225D with a serial interface powered by a 9VAC external plugpack. Between all the variants, this was the most connectable HP printer ever!. However, the ThinkJet had some drawbacks which limited its acceptance and slowed the uptake of inkjet technology: it required special paper which was inconvenient for users, printheads were expensive, hard to get and unreliable (HP included instructions with the printheads which explained how to reprime the units using a bent paperclip). The printer's key benefit as far as customers were concerned was its quiet operation. Office workers were used to impact printer's jackhammering; the ThinkJet was whisper quiet. It was a big seller in libraries worldwide. The ThinkJet was also the smallest printer produced by HP until 1992. The ThinkJet was the first HP printer to carry the "Jet" name, subsequently adopted by tens of millions of printers, including "LasetJets".