Epson Advert - August 1986

"300 Adverts" was once contacted by someone asking whether there was a name for the style of adverts popular in the 1970s which were almost all some sort of text, often comprising straightforward lists of features or abilities.

That question remains unanswered, but this advert from Epson is surely the zenith (or nadir) of that advertising style, given that it's two entire magazine pages entirely full of densely-packed text, which apparently represents how much text Epson's EX800 printer could churn out in 60 seconds.

Epson had mixed fortunes with its microcomputers - from the success of the HX-20 to the "meh" of the QX-10 - however it definitely came to define the dot-matrix market with its range of reliable printers, such as the popular FX-80, in much the same way as the early laser-printer market was defined by Hewlett-Packard and its LaserJet models.

This particular model - the EX800 - retailed for £505 + VAT, or £2,110 in 2024. It's not known if anyone has ever read the entire advert from beginning to end.