February 8, 1990 RADIO SHACK INTRODUCES 24-WIRE COLOR PRINTER WITH EPSON, IBM EMULATIONS NEW YORK -- Today, Radio Shack introduced the Tandy DMP 240, a narrow-carriage, 24-wire printer featuring color printing capabilities and print speeds up to 192 characters per second. Its built-in IBM Proprinter X24 and Epson LQ printer emulations produce high-quality text and graphics--important factors in producing reports, presentations and general correspondence. In addition to word processing and data processing modes, the DMP 240 provides the user with 24-wire graphics capability at a resolution of 360 dots per inch. A color motor kit, included with the DMP 240, enables the user to add color text or graphics simply by installing the optional four-color fabric ribbon. By utilizing the Epson LQ emulation mode, the user has access to many widely available software packages that support printing of up to eight solid colors. More variations are possible depending on the graphics software. Tandy's DeskMate Graphical User Interface has also been enhanced to allow DeskMate applications that take advantage of the Epson LQ emulation to print in up to eight colors. Paper and forms handling are made easy by the built-in, reversible push/pull tractor feed featuring automatic paper advance for tear-off. Fanfold paper and forms are not wasted as paper is advanced to the tear-off position at the end of printing. The paper automatically returns to the print position, without user intervention, when printing resumes. A paper park function allows fanfold paper or forms to remain in the printer while cut-sheet paper or envelopes are printed. An easy-to-use LCD push-button front panel provides control of menu and font selections as well as many other controllable printer features. Additionally, macro facilities allow the user to store four different printer configurations in memory, making it ideal for home or office environments in which the printer is used in different capacities. The DMP 240 printer has a semi-automatic sheet function for loading single-sheet paper. It accepts cut-sheet or fanfold paper, envelopes, or up to four-part forms. The printer includes four letter quality fonts--Roman, Sans Serif, Courier and Prestige all in 10, 12 and 17.1 characters per inch and proportional spacing, as well as a draft font. To allow the user to continue using the computer during printing, the DMP 240 stores up to 8,000 characters in its built-in memory. An optional 32 kilobyte memory upgrade is available through Radio Shack Service Centers nationwide for a total memory capacity of 40,000 characters. The printer can be connected to any PC-compatible personal computer using the standard IBM parallel printer port. Weighing approximately 12 pounds, the DMP 240 printer measures a compact 15.8 inches wide, 12.6 inches deep and 5.1 inches high. The Tandy DMP 240 dot matrix printer (Cat. No. 26-2839) and optional four-color ribbon (Cat. No. 26-2826) are now available, with suggested retail prices of $549.95 and $29.95, respectively.