Typewriter help!?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a typewriter but I really need to know more about them--what kind of ribbon do I buy? What kind of ink do I buy? Does it matter? Are they heavy? The one I'm looking at says nothing but 'JACK KEROUAC TYPEWRITER 8 X 10 Photo Beats Ginsberg etc' and I don't know what that means either. Can anyone help me?

Answer 1

Typewriters are turning into dinosaurs, but a manual typewriter like that may only need a standard calculator-style ribbon, easily obtained at any Office Depot.

They can be terrible heavy

Answer 2

Some help:

The kind of ribbon depends on the kind of typewriter.
You don't buy ink. The ribbon holds the ink.
Yes, they're heavy.
"8x10 photo" makes me wonder if you're looking at an ad for a photo of a typewriter, not a typewriter.

Some questions:

What are your plans for this typewriter? They are almost obsolete because computers can do everything a typewriter could and much more. But they're still useful for filling out forms, though PDF files are replacing typing on forms, too. Is there some reason you prefer a typewriter to computer?

Where are you looking when you see this Kerouac Ginsberg thing?

They are kind of neat. Some people collect typewriters just because they're so charming. They make more pleasant noises than computers and they have a lot of personality.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Typewriters are great!

I have a really cool, more modern one. I haven't used it in quite a while, but I am thinking of digging it out and using it again.

They are kind of clunky and heavy, and if you get an electric one, you have to have a power source to use it.

They don't use ink. They use a ribbon, and, if it's a more modern one, a corrector ribbon. The stuff can be hard to find, but I have seen them in office supply stores and you can always order them from the manufacturer.

The really cool thing about typewriters is that they make a good noise, and that, unlike a computer, if you are writing something lengthy, you get a great feeling of accomplishment every time a page reaches the bottom and you have to insert a new one. I would probably write more if I had a stack of papers that I could watch growing, telling me I am making progress.

I don't know anything about the Kerouac reference. Make sure you are buying a typewriter, and not a photo of Kerouac's typewriter!

Good luck!

Answer 4

Jack Kerouac was a writer who used a typewriter. Some brand names are: Smith-Corona, Royal, IBM, Brother. There are manuals and electrics. The manuals need a lot of key pressure whereas the electrics don't require anymore pressure than a computer keyboard. Manuals are a lot lighter than electrics. Ribbons vary according to machine. No ink is needed.

Find a place that sells them and try a few out.

Good luck and happy typing. :)

Answer 5

RowanOak has the best advice. Award her 10 points. Don't buy one. However, if you decide to, there are still resources to keep them up. You can't buy ink. You have to buy a spool of ribbon that is specific to your model. I have two manual typewriters. This means that you punch your fingers down on the keys like a piano, and that causes the type to strike the paper through the ribbon, like a piano hammer hits the string. This hurts fingertips and damages fingernails. My solution is to buy rubber coverings ("socks")for fingertips. These are available at office supply stores for people who have to riffle through paper, one page at a time. In my town of Metuchen, N.J., there is a store that will recondition manual typewriters and service IBM Selectric typewriters from time to time.

You might look into a reconditioned IBM Selectric. They're electric, and they "feel" like a computer word processor. But they type ink onto a page. There is no "undo." You have to install a ribbon of white to "white out" mistakes, or buy a bottle of of "Liquid Paper" to paint over and retype.

There is an old joke. How do you know when a (*fill in the blank*) has been using your computer? When you see streaks of Whiteout painted on your screen.

Answer 6

so you are talking manual. Nah most of them are pretty light. Those damn IBM selectrics weigh a ton. I have on in my attic I'd like to dump. Each model takes its own ribbon. There are specialty places out there where you can buy ribbons. Or if you happen to know Holly Golightly, she might send you one as a gift. (Shameless Breakfast at Tiffany's reference)

The thing is you have to really pound those suckers and they are murder on a girls nails. I have one but Ive gone strictly laptop, baby. I think Jack would have too. I think Jack would have been crossing the country from Starbucks to Starbucks with a laptop using the Wifi and writing while he drank chai tea and ate the tops off muffins. Pax - C.

Answer 7

Don't buy a typewriter. It's nearly impossible to find ribbons for them.