Abstract: A system for placing data in a format for acceptance by a general purpose communications printer, the data originally being in a format for providing a television display to news wire service subscribers, and being originally in a format composed of signals representing a succession of characters. The data is temporarily stored and then read out in segments each containing signals representing the number of characters per line in the printer output, printer control signals are inserted between segments, and the resulting composite signal is then conducted to the printer locations, where it is placed in a form which can be applied to a printer.