Japanese printer rivalry is beginning to spread to the UK and the result could be much cheaper printing.

Silver Reed and Brother, which until recently have been fighting it out in the typewriter business, have both launched printers that bring prices to new low levels. Brother has concentrated on the portable typewriter/printer style of system (Issue 35), but Silver Reed is going for daisywheel users with a vengeance.

Its EXP 500, distributed in this country by CW/P Computers (01-828 9000), prints at a pedestrian 14cps but its price of £299 includes VAT, a 12-month guarantee, and a parallel interface.

An RS232 interface comes for £50 extra.

You can use 10, 12 or 15 pitch daisywheels to vary the density of printing, and the unit also offers emulation to run off Wordstar and other word processing programs.

Well established in the UK as a supplier of typewriters, Silver Reed has 260 service centres around the country.