Remember When Computer Printers Printed on That Paper That Had Perforated Edges With Holes?

Remember when computer printers used that paper with the perforated edges with the holes?

I do.

The inside of a printer was a mystery to me but I imagined that the paper was threaded through  spokes, and that was what the holes were for.  All I know is that these edges made a big mess when they were ripped off and discarded.  A wastepaper basket overflowing with those edges was a common sight.Old Computer Paper

The printer used to make loud screeching sound as it spit out this paper.  And there was only one kind of print.  In middle school we spent three class periods making a missile out of ASCII characters.

Also, the individual pages of paper had not been separated.  The edges were perforated and the pages folded over each other like an accordion.  When the paper came out of the printer you ripped off what you needed along the perforation, like toilet paper.

Of course I witnessed almost all of this from afar, as I did not have a computer at that time.  These were the days when very few families had a computer.  But we all knew those few special ones, the anointed ones who could be counted to bring in a dozen connected sheets that read “Happy Birthday” when hung horizontally across the top of the blackboard.

It has been a long time since printer pages were perforated and had edges with holes.  Today you can get a laser printer for less than the price of dinner for two at a moderately priced restaurant.  The pages are printed in any type, with any picture.  If you want a missile, you just find a photograph of a missile and select “print” from the pull-down menu.  And the pages print out so fast and easily that you can do your editing on a hard copy if you want.  The wastepaper baskets are filled with these discarded drafts.

But at least they are no longer filled with the discarded edges with the holes.

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