Computer output
As early as the 1980s, Océ developed a digital printer for printing data files generated by large (mainframe) computers such as those from IBM. The output of such computers consisted of alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers) containing information about their relationships. Initially (in the 1960s), this output was mainly printed using automatic typewriters and dot matrix printers on continuous forms.
Electrophotographic copying machines, with their higher speed, offered an attractive alternative. For this purpose, they had to be modified to generate alphanumeric images themselves and project them onto the photoconductor. The software for image formation was executed by a computer, the so-called controller. Such a controller could do little more than form letters and place them in the correct positions. Océ developed the Océ 6750 computer output printer for this purpose, a further development of the Océ 1900 copying machine.
The Océ 6750 was introduced to the market in 1986. In the 6750, a light image was created by a modulated laser beam that was directed at high speed across the charged master. The laser beam was moved by a rotating mirror unit built by the Japanese company Topcon.