Sinclair Cambridge calculator

Clive Sinclair had a fixed idea: technology should be affordable. Not affordable for professionals, or affordable compared to last year's model - affordable for anyone. The Cambridge, released in 1973, was his proof of concept for the calculator market. At under £30 assembled - or cheaper still if you built it yourself from the kit - it undercut the competition by a significant margin and brought scientific calculation within reach of students and enthusiasts who couldn't justify spending more.

It was thin, it was simple, and it did what it needed to do. Sinclair stripped out everything that would have added cost and kept what mattered. The same logic he'd later apply to home computers - the ZX80, the ZX81, the Spectrum - was already present in the Cambridge: make it work, make it small, make it cheap, and let people figure out what to do with it.

This Gizmo print captures the Sinclair Cambridge in precise technical illustration - the slim profile, the spare layout, the quietly radical object that showed a pocket calculator didn't need to cost a week's wages.

Gizmo is a collection of design-led art prints built around the machines that shaped how we made music, wrote code, played and connected with the world. Synthesisers and drum machines. Cameras and home computers. Calculators and handheld devices that once felt like the future.

Each print is a carefully constructed illustration that isolates what made an object memorable - its proportions, controls, typography, surfaces, and small acts of engineering intelligence. Not retro sentimentality, but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.

Adapted from and inspired by Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in

XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

Full delivery information →

Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

Full returns policy →