About this objectAn Amstrad PCW 8256 Dot matrix printer. Part of a set used by the Hitchin Festival Box Office from the 1990s to 2019. The Amstrad set often attracted attention when customers were booking their festival tickets, due to its antique appearance. This printer printed tickets on to specially headed paper.
The printer is part of a donation 2022.33-39 which includes the Amstrad computer set and various notes on how to work the antiquated machine.
The computer made local headlines in July 2018 when Hitchin BID Manager Tom Hardy tweeted Lord Alan Sugar, founder of Amstrad, to say “Your Amstrad computer has been printing our Hitchin Festival tickets for 25 years! Still going strong with 50,000 tickets printed over the years. Is this a record?”. Lord Sugar replied “I can’t comment on the record but it must be close. Great machine. 0.00798p per ticket.”
MakerAmstrad
Maker RoleManufacturer
Date Madec. 1985
Period20th Century (1901-2000)
Place MadeSouth Korea
Medium and MaterialsPlastic
Metal
Inscription and MarksManufacturers details to the rear of the machine noting serial number, manufacturer location and more.
