Amstrad Cartridges

Amstrad Printers were often packaged along with desktop systems; the last of which was the PCW-16 released in 1994 although this did not have a Print device as part of the standard package. Amstrad however, did make lots of printers and fax machines that were on sale independently of their computer systems.

PPF Print and Fax Machines Range

The Amstrad brand made and sold a large range of printers but the most popular among customers was the PPF700 and later the PPF800. They relied on an ink film ribbon to provide the print and were a progression from the PPF200, PPF250 and PPF255 models that used an ink film roll. The company also produced a fax machine around the same time which was the PPF600 that also used an ink film ribbon to transfer print thermally. The PPF1000 fax machine; at the top of the range; used the same thermal transfer system, but this was a vast improvement in running costs, reliability and quality.
The ribbons were named in keeping with the model numbers which meant the ribbon for the PPF800 would be called model PPR800. Since the popularity of fax machines and printers of this kind has deteriorated in recent years, the production and sale of consumables has slowed.

Sourcing Consumables

As these products are no longer produced by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM); they are kept in use by aftermarket products. The ink ribbons and rolls are often compatible with similar machines that were built by Muratec or Murata. There are many third part manufacturers taking advantage of the lack of continued support for these machines. Although these ribbons will have their own model name and numbers, the vast majority are still advertised using the original PPR model names to avoid confusion. The bonus is that the aftermarket models are often more reliable than the original after benefitting from extra years of development.