Thunderscan: A clever device transforms a printer into a scanner
10 hours ago
- #Macintosh
- #Apple
- #Thunderscan
- Worked on the Silentype printer project for Apple in 1979, improving the design by simplifying the controller board.
- Collaborated with Victor Bull, learning about thermal printers and Apple's operations.
- Reconnected with Victor Bull in 1984, leading to involvement with Thunderware's Thunderscan project.
- Thunderscan was a low-cost solution to turn an ImageWriter printer into a high-resolution scanner.
- Faced challenges with Thunderscan's slow speed and initial low image quality.
- Improved Thunderscan's software, implementing better gray scale rendering and bidirectional scanning.
- Thunderscan shipped in December 1984, becoming a popular, affordable scanning option for Macintosh users.
- Over its lifetime, Thunderscan sold approximately 100,000 units before being surpassed by flatbed scanners.