The 3M D-8800 was released around 1977 and cost $28,990. It was designed for broadcast television use, and had advanced features for the time such as graphics and many fonts to choose from. It is powered by two Intel 8080 processors that communicated via DMA (direct memory access). Files were stored on floppy disks, and there was an LCD screen on the console for user instructions and feedback.
Thank you to Bob Felts' work and excellent preservation of this character generator: https://stablecross.com/files/D-8800.html