DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
The first Texas Instruments calculator prototype, the Cal-Tech, used in 1967 a thermal printer to output the results of its calculations and during the next 30 years most of TI's printing calculators and printers relied on thermal printer technology.
Thermal printing (or direct thermal printing) is a digital printing process which produces a printed image by selectively heating coated thermochromic paper, or thermal paper as it is commonly known, when the paper passes under the thermal print head. The coating turns dark-blue or black in the areas where it is heated, producing an image.
Thermal transfer printing is a very different method that uses a heat-sensitive ribbon instead of heat-sensitive paper, but uses similar thermal print heads. Within Texas Instruments' product line, this technology was used only with the HX-1010 printer offered in 1983 for the Compact Computer System CC-40.
Texas Instruments stopped manufacturing or supplying thermal printer paper for its products long time ago and we want to provide with the overview below both the specifications of the different thermal paper used with Texas Instruments printing calculators and printers and provide a cross-reference to more recent products.
| Type | Diameter | Width | Length | Texas Instruments Products | Replacement |
| TP-324 | PC-324 | ||||
| TP-00200 | PC-200 | ||||
| TP-12150 | 1.2" 30 mm |
1.46" 37 mm |
TI-5025 | ||
| TP-20225 | 2.0" 51 mm |
2.25" 57 mm |
TI-5040, TI-5050(M), TI-5135 | ||
| TP-25000 | BA-45, TI-45 MSP, TI-5000, TI-5008 | PM Company PMF05228 |
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| TP-27225 | 2.7" 70 mm |
2.25" 57 mm |
TI-5015, TI-5040, TI-5220, TI-5225, TI-5230 | ||
| TP-30250 | 3.0" 76 mm |
2.50" 63 mm |
85' 25.9 m |
PC-100(A,B,C), SR-60(A) | Appvion Alpha 800-2.4 |
| TP-xxxxx | 3.0" 76 mm |
1.97" 50 mm |
85' 25.9 m |
PC-800 | Kanzaki KPB-53Z-48 |
Alpha® is a registered Trademark of Appvion Operations, Inc.
Kanzaki Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Japan merged in 1993 with Oji Paper, japan.
Fine print: This list was compiled carefully but we are not responsible if someone destroys his or her calculator due to information of it.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, October 23, 2019. No reprints without written permission.