Panasonic KX-P1124

What the Panasonic KX-P1124 was

The Panasonic KX-P1124 was an 80-column, 24-pin impact serial dot-matrix printer sold under the Panasonic brand by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Its Operating Instructions describe a multi-mode desktop printer that combined a fast draft mode with a slower letter-quality (LQ) mode, controlled from an 'EZ Set' operator panel and a menu-style Control Table. The same machine was later referenced by IBM's Technical Support Services as machine type 1515-P51 (IBM part number 31F0705), indicating it remained in service and support into the mid-1990s. This page records only specifications that can be traced to those authoritative documents.

Print method: 24-pin impact dot-matrix

Like other impact dot-matrix printers, the KX-P1124 formed characters by driving thin wires (pins) in its print head against an inked ribbon to strike the paper. The Operating Instructions specify a 24-pin head that builds a 24 x 9 dot matrix per character in draft mode and a denser 24 x 30 matrix in letter-quality mode, with a dot diameter of 1/127 inch (0.2 mm). Text was printed bidirectionally, while bit-image (dot graphics) printing was unidirectional by default with a user-selectable bidirectional option. The additional vertical pins of a 24-pin head, versus the 9-pin heads common earlier in the decade, are what allowed the smoother, near-typewriter LQ output; the general mechanism is covered in the overview of dot-matrix printing.

Print speeds, pitches and quality modes

Panasonic's specifications rate the printer at 192 characters per second (cps) in draft-elite and 160 cps in draft-pica, dropping to 63 cps in LQ-elite and 53 cps in LQ-pica. Beyond the standard Pica (10 cpi) and Elite (12 cpi), the printer offered Micron (15 cpi), Compressed (17 cpi) and Elite-compressed (20 cpi) pitches, giving maximum line widths from 80 characters per line at Pica up to 160 at Elite-compressed. It provided five letter-quality fonts, Courier, Prestige, Bold PS, Script and Sans Serif, in addition to the draft Pica and Elite faces. IBM's reference sheet lists the resolution as 360 dpi maximum, consistent with the manual's letter-quality horizontal dot pitch of 1/360 inch (0.07 mm).

Emulations, command sets and character sets

For software compatibility the KX-P1124 carried two switchable command sets: Epson LQ-2500 and IBM Proprinter X24, selectable from the operator panel. The Epson LQ-2500 mode placed the printer within the Epson ESC/P family of escape-sequence commands that most DOS-era applications used to select fonts, pitches and graphics on dot-matrix printers, a lineage that traces back to the Epson FX-80. Its character repertoire, per the Operating Instructions, comprised 96 ASCII characters, 96 italic ASCII characters, 32 international characters covering 13 countries (plus 32 italic international variants), and 158 IBM special characters across sets 1 and 2.

Interfaces, buffer and options

The printer shipped with a Centronics-standard parallel interface. An RS-232C serial interface was available as an option, supporting XON/XOFF and DTR handshaking at baud rates up to 19,200 bps. The Operating Instructions state a standard 6 KB input buffer that an optional 32 KB expansion (part KX-P43) enlarged to 38 KB total, with the buffer area usable for received data or as a download-font area. IBM's reference sheet lists the documented options as an RS-232C serial interface board, an automatic cut-sheet feeder and the 32 KB buffer chip.

Paper handling, ribbon and build

Paper was handled by a user-selectable push/pull tractor for continuous fanfold stock and a friction feed for single sheets. The manual specifies fanfold paper 4-10 inches (102-254 mm) wide and single sheets 4-11.7 inches (102-297 mm) wide by 5-14.3 inches (127-363 mm) tall, and rates the printer for an original plus three copies provided total thickness stays under 0.013 inch (0.32 mm). It used a black cassette (seamless fabric) ribbon, Panasonic part KX-P145 in IBM's parts list, rated at approximately 3 million characters in draft, while the print head was rated at about 100 million draft characters. The unit measured 430 x 359 x 143 mm (16.9 x 14.1 x 5.6 in) and weighed approximately 8.5 kg (18.7 lb); the manual directs users to the rating nameplate for the correct supply voltage rather than stating a single figure, so no universal voltage is given here.

Place in the dot-matrix era and reference scope

By the time of the KX-P1124, 24-pin printers had become the higher-quality tier of impact dot-matrix printing, offering near-letter-quality text that 9-pin machines such as the Epson FX-80 or Star NL-10 could only approximate, while retaining the low running costs and multi-part (carbon-copy) capability that kept impact printers in offices. They sat below the desktop laser printers that were beginning to displace them for high-quality work. The authoritative sources consulted here do not state a firm market-introduction date, so none is given; IBM was still documenting the machine in an August 1995 technical reference. This page is a historical reference rather than a buying guide and quotes no current pricing or availability; any specification that could not be traced to Panasonic's Operating Instructions or IBM's reference sheet has been omitted rather than estimated.