IBM 1443


The IBM 1443 Printer is an obsolete punched card era line printer. It was offered in two models: Model 1 and Model 2; the latter could print up to 600 lines per minute.
This 1443 was initially introduced in 1962 for use with the IBM 1440 system, but also could be used on the IBM 1620 or IBM 1800 systems.
Decades later IBM recycled the 1443 model number to refer to a different product.

Technology

Beginning in 1920, IBM developed a series of printers
These IBM printers, and others of the early punched card era, use ""type bars."Prior to the 1959 introduction of the model 1403, IBM printers utilized technology originally developed for their line of accounting machines: type bars.
Type bars are vertical bars, one for each print position in a line. Each bar is one character wide with the printer's entire character set: either alphabetic characters, including numerals and symbols, or just numerals and symbols, molded into the front surface in a single column. In printing, each bar is raised up until the correct character for that print position was opposite the paper, whereupon the bar is pushed toward the paper, so that the correct numeral or letter pressed against the ribbon, striking the paper much the way type slugs leave an impression on paper in a standard typewriter. This action is relatively slow, as it takes time for each bar to be brought up into the correct position and then drop back down in preparation to print the next line.
Type bars were replaced by type wheels or a drum in later printers, most notably:
The 1132 was the last printer manufactured by IBM to use the 407's technology. In 1959 this technology was superseded with the introduction of the IBM 1403 chain printer; both the 1132 and 1403 were available with the 1130.

1443 printing capabilities

The IBM 1443 Printer was introduced as part of the IBM 1440 system The 1443 Model 1 prints alphanumeric, upper-case only, output at a basic rate of 150 lines per minute, and it can print up to 430 lines a minute with a restricted character set, depending upon the type bars used. The Model 2's corresponding speeds are 240 and 600 LPM.
These typebars are easily interchangeable, with options for character sets containing 13, 39, 52, or 63 characters.
Although the IBM 1440 system with which the 1443 was announced October 11, 1962 was withdrawn February 8, 1971, the printer itself was made available for other IBM systems: the 1620, 1710, 1720 and 1800. It also co-existed as a choice alongside the older IBM 1403 printer.
The print speeds vary according to the model and the character set.
;Lines/Minute
Character set Model 1Model 2
13430600
39190300
52150240

The 1443 printer uses 120 or 144 print hammers and hammer magnets, conceptually similar to the IBM 1132 printer's one-per-column print magnets.
Output is formatted at 10 characters per inch, with a choice of six or eight lines per inch, with additional options for single, double or triple-spacing.
The 1443 uses fan-folded paper with perforated edges for tractor feeding. A carriage control tape specifies form length and the form line where printing was to begin so that paper of various sizes could be used. A carriage control tape simplifies use of pre-printed forms and the programming needed to allow proper alignment.