Identify this Gadget?

[lookitsjonno]

I was at a clients recently and they had an intresting gadget - it was connected to the phoneline/network connection and it recieved commands from head office and printed them out onto thermal paper. It wasn't connected to a PC at all. Anyone know what it's called?

 

[Em3bbs]

A network attached thermal printer maybe?

 

[Jokester]

Fax machine?

 

[RomanNose]

A lightsaber used to write things on paper.

 

[cainer]

is it the bidi printer they used on grandstand?

 

[Rizo-UK]

Fax machine?

 

[lookitsjonno]

Thanks i'll look into Em3bbs suggestion.

And no, it wasn't a fax machine

 

[GravyMonster]

Yeah, that's Steve.

 

[Jokester]

Well I dunno, I would imagine a lot of younger people wouldn't know what a fax machine is these days.

 

[RomanNose]

I know what a fax machine but I have never seen one being used.

 

[kwerk]

Telex machine.

 

[indyskyz]

Telex machine.

lol kwer....oh maybe you are right

 

[Philtor]

Fax machine?

LOL!!

 

[Destination]

What is thermal paper?

 

[Aod]

What is thermal paper?

it's "paper" which has a thermochromic compound in it. the compound permanently turns black when exposed to heat, allowing for very simple, "ink-free" printing devices using nothing but a digitally-controlled heater array for the "printing".

commonly used in Fax Machines, Till Receipts, the Game Boy Printer etc...

Also;
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wiki+thermal+paper

 

[Destination]

Hmm, isthe paper not expensive?
Our fax machine must use ink, as we use normal paper within it, but oddly in ten years I do not recall the ink ever being changed.... Hmm.

 

[Aod]

Not especially expensive. more expensive than regular paper for sure, but not especially so.

How often does your fax machine actually print something? is the paper that comes out of it thin and have a sort of "glossy" feel to it?

 

[RetiredGreyFox]

Fax machine?

I actually laughed out loud at this but that's the answer isn't it?

I still use a fax most days at work.
Ours uses normal paper because it's got a normal print cartridge in it.

 

[wildman]

What is thermal paper?

bog roll thats heated up to body temperature to prevent you getting piles when you wipe your arse ?

 

[Jokester]

I actually laughed out loud at this but that's the answer isn't it?

I still use a fax most days at work.
Ours uses normal paper because it's got a normal print cartridge in it.

I've actually removed my fax number from my contact details because when anyone has ever sent a fax in the past the fax machine is built into the bulk office copier and all that happens is someone picks it up and shoves it in the paper bin thinking someone's printed something out and not collected it. Then a couple of days later I get a call asking if I got the fax. *rage*