Typewriters are back in fashion
It's an analogue trend
My first typewriter
I remember getting my first typewriter back in the 1970s. It was made in Japan by Brother and, like most typewriters manufactured, was built to last. By the 1970s, typewriters for home use had become smaller than their larger office counterparts.
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My typewriter had a red and black ribbon, and there was a clever mechanical option that a key could be pressed, and by the power of a spring, the carriage could be moved to a precise location. Electric versions were also now proliferating, and the golf ball typewriter had been invented and came onto the market in 1961. This did away with the strike bars that carried the characters that had to strike the ribbon and leave the chosen letter printed onto the paper. This increased the potential typing speed, as there were no strike bars to get jammed, or travel a distance before hitting the ribbon..
Many today are buying typewriters and using them. They like the analogue action of a well-made typewriter, particularly the all-mechanical models. The clunk of the typing action and the warning bell when the line is coming to an end give them a feeling of connection to the machine and ultimately the words being typed.
The actor, Tom Hanks, appreciates typewriters and has collected over three hundred of them during the past fifty years. He states that over ninety percent of them are in working order, a testament to how well built these machines were. It’s not unusual to find a typewriter over a hundred years old still in original working order.
Will typewriters make a comeback as much as vinyl records have? We wait to see, although, I don’t thinks they will revive the typewriter industry unlike vinyl which has been very successful and continues to grow. You never know, I might be wrong and in a way, I hope so.
Would I go back to using a typewriter? I remember the frustration of making a spelling mistake and having to get out the Tippex liquid, or Tippex correction paper, to cover the errant letters. This was a time-consuming process, especially for someone like me. My typing skills meant that the wrong key was often struck, and that still happens today. I try to touch type as much as possible, and on screen an incorrect letter is quickly corrected. If I were to use a typewriter, I would have to slow down considerably to avoid as many errors as possible. With a word processor, errors can be corrected later, without any Tippex! I will therefore be sticking to onscreen word processing.
The advantages of a word processor are many. Text can be moved, copied, and pasted, charts and images inserted, spelling and grammar checked, and much more. However, for some who just wish to type and enjoy the feeling that a typewriter brings, those extra features are not necessary. A mechanical typewriter has one huge advantage – no power is required. The operator is the power source, and so if you are in an off-grid situation, a typewriter will allow you to produce something that looks more professional than illegible handwriting.
Brother DeLuxe 1350 Typewriter
As I was writing this story, I thought I would check to see if I could find a photograph of my 1970s Brother typewriter. I am delighted to write that within a minute of a search, I found the photo below. For my search, I used DuckDuckGo as I am cutting down on Google. This is the exact model with that extra red button on the bottom row that allows the carriage to be moved by spring power. I forgot about the lever on the left marked H - L. This allows the user to set the line spacing to high or low. Some folks who are buying these typewriters second hand mistakenly think, according to comments on Reddit, that it means Heavy and Light, referring as to how hard you press the keys. The model I once owned is the Brother DeLuxe 1350 Automatic Repeat Spacer.
In the late 80s, I did buy a battery/mains electric Canon portable. It had a tiny LCD screen to allow the user to type and see what was written before printing. It was very light to carry and virtually all plastic. It didn’t last long, and then I moved onto an early dedicated word processor and then computers.
I think it’s great that typewriters are coming back into vogue. I found a Brother, just like I owned, with the original case, in good condition, for £39.99 on eBay. One seller is asking almost £300! If you want to buy an old typewriter shop around, there are plenty of typewriters out there for you to buy. Just make sure you buy one that takes ribbons that are easily available and not one that uses cartridges that were less messy to change but probably no longer manufactured.
What are your thoughts on using typewriters? Are you old enough to have experience of using them in your work? Would you like to buy one now and go more analogue? Let me know by leaving a comment.