Amstrad PCW - Help & Support plus Disc Conversions to PC

Discs, Spares & other Support for

AMSTRAD PCW

WORD PROCESSORS

Original PCW8256 PCW9512

also known as the Schneider 'Joyce'
in some countries

Quick links ...

Discs	Spare Parts
Using Inkjet & Laser Printers	Finding Ribbons on the Internet
Please note that we are no longer able to supply PCW printer ribbons or offer a PCW repair service.

Site Map

Amstrad PCW Discs - 3" and 3.5"

- CF2 3" discs for the Amstrad PCW8256, PCW8512 and PCW9512

Brand NEW 3" CF2 discs by Maxell & original Amsoft (not the cheap imports illegally being sold as Amsoft's) at £4.50 each.
Box of 10 Brand NEW Maxell CF2's - all in card sleeves & cellophane sealed - Very RARE now so a bargain at £45.00 Sorry now SOLD OUT
Fully tested and ready formatted second user Amsoft or Maxell CF2s at £2.00 each. Please specify single density format (to suit 8256 & 8512 'A' drive) or double density (8512 'B' drive & 9512) when ordering so that we can format them ready for immediate use on your PCW.

- 3½" 720k MF2DD for PCW9512+/9256, PCW10 and 3.5" replacement drives

Brand new at £10.00 for box of ten. Sorry now SOLD OUT
Second user, reformatted for PCW use and fully tested at £7.50 for ten.

Above prices exclude postage as this depends on quantity & destination country

Please e-mail first to check availability and accepted payment methods -
We can accept payments via

Amstrad PC & PCW Printer Ribbons

We regret that we no longer stock ribbons.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to previous customers but all is not lost as there are several suppliers still advertising ribbons at reasonable prices on the Internet, including on E-Bay.

Internet Search Tips .....

Amstrad referred to their ribbons by their own in house part numbers (060070 etc) but most 3rd party manufacturers used instead an international standard reference system for ribbons - CARMA numbers. Using these avoids wading through heaps of irrelevant search results as well as guarding against buying the wrong item.
CARMAs define the ribbon width, orientation and cassette size but, due to rationalisations in manufacturing over the years, each ribbon suitable for an Amstrad PCW has amassed two or three different references, so it is important to search for all variants - see below.
If the right CARMA ref (from below) is shown as being (say) a Seikosha or Juki ribbon, worry not as many ribbon cassette shapes were used by several different printer and typewriter manufacturers (and the 8256/8512 printer was effectively a Seikosha in disguise).
The four figure CARMA numbers are followed by a two-letter code for the ribbon type: FN (Fabric Nylon), DN (Double density Nylon), MS (MultiStrike - the shiny-backed type like a videotape) and SC (Self-Correcting)
PCW8256/8512/10/9256 - 2741 (try first) plus also 2888 & 2944. These were originally available in both MS and DN flavours but MS - the highdays & holidays good quality species - was dropped many years ago so are best avoided if offered as they are bound to be old stock ... and prone to mould. The original distinction between DN and FN seems now to be less important so try both 2741DN and 2741FN
PCW9512/9512+ Daisy Wheel - 2746 (try first) and 2949. Similarly originally available as both FN and MS but conversely it was the FN that was dropped many years ago so now it's just MS. BEWARE the 2746SC - this type fits a 9512 but gives a poor print as it is actually a typewriter ribbon. Always check the ribbon spec & CARMA ref carefully as some E-Bayers are unaware of the relevance of the ribbon type suffix.

We do hope that this helps !

Amstrad PCW Spare Parts

We are sorry that due to disproportionate postal costs, we are no longer able to supply large or heavy items like complete printers but the following are still available, while stocks last :

Printers -

Dot Matrix printer Bail Arm springs We have both A and C types in stock at £2.50 each plus a large letter sae. Don't forget to say which type of printer you have (there's a small circular sticker on the underside of the printer with an A or C on it - if not there, tell us what colour your paper thickness lever is - red or blue).
Dot matrix pins misfiring ? Sorry, brand new 'A' and 'C' series print heads now sold out

. . . or click here to find out about running a more modern inkjet or laser printer from your PCW instead .

Please e-mail first to check availability and accepted payment methods -
We can accept payments via

Printing with External (non-PCW) Printers -
Why not run an Inkjet or Laser printer from your PCW ?

In a nutshell, if a printer is DOS compatible on a PC, has a parallel port (not just a USB) and you have the relevant printer driver for it on your Loco SoD disc, LocoScript 2, 3 or 4 could drive it direct from a PCW.

The PCW 9512/9512+ is fitted with a standard PC-type parallel port so, with the relevant "printer driver" file(s) on your Loco SoD, you can print to:

most older Canon Bubblejets eg BJ10, BJ/BJC2xx and BJ/BJC4xxx
many early Epson Stylus inkjets eg Stylus 200, 500, 600, 740 but not 400/440
most old HP Deskjet printers eg 5xx. 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, 3820, & 6122
any HP Laserjet DOS compatible laser printer eg HP Laserjet 1200, Panasonic 44xx, Brother HL6xx, 7xx, 2070n, 5240 & 5250dn; Samsung 1750 and 2250. We also understand the Dell 1710 to be Laserjet compatible.

.... so at last you can have bold, italics, and a variety of type sizes as well as the luxury of auto sheet feeding ... even from Loco2.

The same applies to Amstrad 8256 and 8512's that are fitted with a CPS8256 serial/parallel interface or equivalent, but if you are still running the original LocoScript 1, you will need to upgrade to Loco2.28 or higher.

Please note :

We believe that there are now very few DOS compatible printers still being manufactured, at least in the sub £250 bracket. In fact we believe the Brother 5240 & 5340 DL laser printers to be the only ones around but we have yet to try one out ... and things do have a habit of changing in this industry. (if anybody has tried one, please let us know !). Meanwhile, remaindered merchants and second hand are now the only realistic options.
whilst 'external' printers work OK in LocoScript, they cannot necessarily be driven by other programs you run from CP/M. Your program's documentation should indicate the types of external printed supported.

For more info. please e-mail

Amstrad PCW disc conversions to PC & Mac

If you want to ....

publish that book you still have on old LocoScript discs
know what's on those funny-looking CF2 discs you have inherited from a relative
re-visit your university thesis but no longer have a PCW
take a security copy on CD of all the work you have saved on your PCW
e-mail your latest poems or articles written on your PCW to your publisher or magazine

........ we offer a range of conversions from 3" CF2 or 3.5" LocoScript discs to a variety of PC & Mac formats (incl MS Word, MS Works and Kingsoft Office) from just £5 per disc.

click here for full details about our PCW disc conversions

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"In Technology's Guard's Van rather than the Vanguard"

Tel (01726) 81 2257

e-mail malc@luxsoft.co.uk

All prices quoted are correct as at time of posting this page but prices can and do fluctuate
so please call or e-mail for latest prices and availabilities.