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Wide printer ribbons

djg

djg

Experienced Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
428
Location
MD
I have a ODEC/Data 100 1422 line printer that came with 1 5/16" 150' mylar multistrike film ribbons. Also have receipt that says they were bought in 1983. When I put a new one on it doesn't print that dark. As far as I can tell the printer is properly adjusted. Do they deteriorate with time? Is nice that the print chain is clean since only the film ribbons had been used. Anyone know where I can get 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 width ribbon either film or ink? My searching wasn't doing well. Don't think they are going to be $8 each if I can find them.

Didn't see a printer group. Printer is connected to my PDP-8.
 
They do dry out, and quite quickly if not sealed. Reinking was a thing when ribbons were common, and you could buy ink, but I haven't seen it for some time.
There are still a few offering the service - (ribbonsunlimited - not used them myself) , but for DIY there are lots of tips out there with a quick search e.g. reinking-dot-matrix-printer-ribbons
The WD40 or similar is also useful to free up the head pins when they gum up and don't fire as well as they should.
 
Maybe stamp pad ink? I do know the wd-40 does work with typewriters, never tried it on ribbon on a printer.

Edit, just want to throw in, maybe plotter ink?
 
djg said:
I have a ODEC/Data 100 1422 line printer that came with 1 5/16" 150' mylar multistrike film ribbons. Also have receipt that says they were bought in 1983. When I put a new one on it doesn't print that dark. As far as I can tell the printer is properly adjusted. Do they deteriorate with time? Is nice that the print chain is clean since only the film ribbons had been used. Anyone know where I can get 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 width ribbon either film or ink? My searching wasn't doing well. Don't think they are going to be $8 each if I can find them.

Didn't see a printer group. Printer is connected to my PDP-8.
Click to expand...

I'll also testify in favor of WD40. I had LA75 ribbons still sealed in package, but bone dry. WD40 worked like a miracle.
-Alon.
 
Ribbons made for the Mod 35 and similar TTY's were cotton fabric. Ribbons for dot matrix printers were made with nylon fabric. I had a contraption marketed by a company (Computer Friends?) that drew a ribbon over an inked pad that returned it to a like new state. I used it to re-ink ribbons for my Heathkit H14 printer. I found that, while nylon fabric ribbons seemed to be able to be re-inked indefinitely, the wires in the dot matrix print head would over time wear holes in the cotton fabric ribbons. But I was able to re-ink a ribbon for about $0.05.

www.nytimes.com

PERSONAL COMPUTERS; HANDY DEVICE RE-INKS WORN-OUT PRINTER RIBBONS (Published 1984)

www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

The above article mentions one of the company's products, one designed to re-inking one variety of cartridge. The version I had was made to re-ink any ribbon that made one pass from spool to spool, like in many older printers and typewriters.
 
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