Electronics 1990
IBM
Every 500 years or so, an exceptional printer comes along
FROM THE PRINTED PAGEOriginal ad copy
OCR transcription from the archived page. Scanning and reading-order errors may remain.
Every 500 years or so, an exceptional printer comes along. Johannes Gutenberg, 1454. The new IBM LaserPrinter, 1989. Introducing the new IBM LaserPrinter: 25% faster printing, advanced features and a revolutionary streamlined design. A printer that can raise your productivity as much as the new IBM LaserPrinter doesn't come along every day. Not only does its advanced design make it outperform the HP LaserJet Series II, which up till now has been the benchmark in laser printing. But also, its advanced design gives the IBM LaserPrinter a dramatically new, more space-efficient shape. Yet with all this, there's one area in which the competition rises above us: their price. We just advanced the art of laser printing a full 25%. The new IBM LaserPrinter gives you state-of-the-art print quality a full 25% faster than its main competitor. Why other printers can't follow in our footsteps. The advanced design and engineering of the IBM LaserPrinter give it a footprint that's 33% smaller than its main competitor's. And that 33% gives you more usable workspace. IBM LaserPrinter | HP LaserJet Series II Speed [illegible] Footprint [illegible] Paper-handling options [illegible] Collates letters/envelopes [illegible] Plotter emulation [illegible] Resident fonts [illegible] Font card slots [illegible] Standard weight [illegible] Dots per inch [illegible] Printer emulation [illegible] List price [illegible] It also takes the lead in paper-handling options by offering automatic collating of letterheads, second sheets and envelopes. Plus more ample storage capacity. See history in the making by having your IBM Authorized Dealer or IBM marketing representative demonstrate the exceptional new IBM LaserPrinter. Locate your nearest dealer by calling 1 800 IBM-2468, ext. 194. The new IBM LaserPrinter. Suddenly, nothing else measures up. IBM
Commentary
The headline takes up the width of the spread, then the fold splits its last thought: “an exceptional printer” sits above a new machine that claims to follow Gutenberg. On the left, a painted workshop and a caption dated 1454; on the right, a product photograph captioned 1989. The joke is deliberately extravagant. IBM asks the reader to bridge five centuries, then narrows the proof to office dimensions and pages per minute. The product caption is a model-era clue inside the image, while the supplied scan’s filename gives this archive entry its 1990 year.
The body copy is much more combative than the museum-like opening suggests. It names the HP LaserJet Series II as the benchmark, asserts 25% faster printing, and says the IBM model’s footprint is 33% smaller. A comparison table tries to make those claims inspectable across speed, paper handling, emulation and price. Its smallest figures are not fully legible in this scan, so the safe conclusion is about the argument’s structure: an attention-grabbing historical comparison leads to direct product comparisons. The ad even concedes one point with a wink: the competitor is above IBM “in their price.”
The dealer demonstration and 1 800 number matter. This was a machine readers could be asked to see in action before purchase, with output quality and physical space both part of the decision. Contemporary buyers can compare specifications, reviews and sample output online, yet the need to see how a device performs in one’s own workflow remains. That is a comparison of buying habits, not a claim about this ad’s results.
For a young copywriter, the headline’s “Every 500 years or so” creates an implausibly large frame that the two captions make instantly readable. The repeated “25%” and “33%” then pull the claim back into measurable office terms. “Nothing else measures up” closes by making measurement itself a pun. The useful technique is to earn a broad creative leap with specific, checkable support; a clever historical analogy alone cannot sell a printer.
IBM’s roots go back to the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company founded in 1911 and renamed IBM in 1924. Its company overview now describes software, consulting and infrastructure businesses focused on hybrid cloud and AI.
The competitive need to prove productivity and workspace value persists. The particular LaserJet benchmark, dealer route and stand-alone office laser printer belong to this sale; IBM’s present company story is far broader than the machine in the photograph.