Sharp EL-1163

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By the 1970s, printing calculators were manufactured in desktop size, shrinking this type could not be achieved yet. Although the first palm-sized portable calculator (Canon Pocketronic, 1970) have small thermal printer unit using narrow paper strip similar to used in Morse telegraphs, easy-to-read usual type printer units weren't available for years, and due to high power consumption didn't allow to use these in portable, battery-operated calculators. In addition to developing cheaper, smaller, quicker, more reliable thermal printers, some manufacturer started to use electric discharge or electrosensitive mechanism developed in the USA in the 1940s. Great advantages compared to thermal or mechanical units were cheap construction, realiable operation, lasting printout, low power consumption, but the printing quality didn't allow smaller dots, and required special metallized paper. Later, different types of mini impact printers supersede this printing mechanism.

Sharp produced several models used this type of printer: in addition to the professional programmable calculator type PC-1300 in 1978, the ordinary printing calculator EL-1163 can take advantage of the full dot matrix printing head to print arithmetic operators and special symbols.