A heavy 'blue box' that prints

[Jon Hales]

All

I've been contacted by the owner of a Centronics 779 impact (dot matrix) printer with an Intel badge - and in the familiar shade of blue. It is offered (as a gift) to any member of Intel_Devsys.

I'll be meeting the owner in connection with some other Intel parts and documentation that may become available to Intel_Devsys members. If someone would like the printer, I'll assist with transporting it.

Please have a look at the attached photos. If you would be interested, please let me know. I haven't seen the printer and can't say whether it works or would need repair. It is in UK and is set for 220v. There is a manual.

A brochure is at https://www.1000bit.it/ad/bro/centronics/Centronic-779-Printer.pdf. This states the weight as 20kg/45lbs. And the heading 'Electrical Characteristics' suggests it can be set for 115v at 60 Hz.

If no-one is interested in the printer, I may ask whether I'm allowed to circulate the photos more widely.

Best regards

Jon

[roger arrick]

Very nice. 

Would love to have this but I'm in TX.

Hopefully it can get a good home.

--  Roger Arrick -- Tyler, Texas, USA -- Ro...@Arrick.com --

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From: intel-...@googlegroups.com <intel-...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jon Hales <jonh...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2026 12:54 PM
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Subject: intel-devsys A heavy 'blue box' that prints

 

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[andre...@gmail.com]

Hi Jon,

 

I used one around 1980, these intel branded printers were built like a tank and even heavier than they looked.

 

I imagine it would be a few hundred dollars to ship to the US, plus whatever surprise tariffs are applied upon delivery.  I priced out shipping a 60 lb box from my house to yours and the cheapest was $300, but it did not offer any surface freight options.

So, like Roger, I should probably pass on this one.

 

Thanks

Craig

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[Jon Hales]

Hi Roger.

It's good to hear from you.

If there's no member of Intel_Devsys who wants the printer, then I'll perhaps ask you to post on your Facebook group on my behalf. However, I would only do that after meeting the current owner a couple of weeks from now. The owner liked the idea of Intel_Devsys, which meant I got agreement by email minutes after I made the suggestion.

I recognise that shipping and import duty would perhaps be an issue for US residents. However, I've hoarded large boxes and packing material for years and, for example, I shipped a Series II plus dual floppy unit to Lithuania and then an MDS-800 to the same person (before UK left the EU, but I think it would still be feasible). 

I know people have different opinions of eBay's Global Shipping. I've found it OK and like especially the assurance that all costs are refunded if the item gets damaged in transit.

As the owner put it: "it's part of a set of Blue Boxes, not just a printer".

Best regards

Jon

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[Mark Gent]

Hi Jon,

I must say that the printer seems to be in extremely good condition.
Is it still fully functional?  Are there still any ink ribbons available (I presume it requires manual re-inking to use them, correct?)
Size-wise it's a beast (in an impressively good way)

Does the owner has his heart set on it going to a good home with Blue Boxes?  I myself don't have any blue boxes and unlikely to get any, but the machine is a looker and it would be fun to be able to use a dot matrix printer again (my wife might disagree with that though, but if there is noone else...).

Whereabouts is the printer in the UK at the moment?

Cheers,

Mark

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[andre...@gmail.com]

I have never had a problem with global shipping and door to door w/ guarantee is nice.  Perhaps the owner could list it on ebay (even for a ridiculously high price for the moment) and select global shipping so we can get a feeling for the delivered cost?

 

Not to hijack Jon’s thread, but I have a bluebox that I need to get up and going and then rehome.  I have not powered it up at all, so have no idea of the screen condition, etc., but overall it appears to be in decent condition.

Located near Portland OR but can make it to central or eastern WA easy enough.

 

Regards

craig

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