The metal bar often with either grooves or embossed with white lines or in later century models the clear plastic Perspex card guides often with pre-printed white or red lines and/or hash marks on either side of the a typing point are called the line indicator. The “line” it suggests is the potential or actual line of type across the page and is often called the typing line. If it’s properly adjusted it should be set to the base line of the characters you’re typing and also fit the characters either between them or point at the center of the characters. This way if you remove a page and then need to type on it again, you can very precisely level and align the typing line and the characters themselves so that no one will know the page was typed in one or multiple passes. It’s also useful if you accidentally use the permanent variable in the platen and shift the regularity of your lines, then you can properly re-align them and continue typing.
Careful use of the line indicator and the character spacing hash marks also allows one to very precisely align pre-printed forms for filling in data either on blank lines or within pre-printed boxes. As an example, you can find a well-aligned version of a baseball scorecard I typed back in March. It relies on using the correct pitch typewriter and aligning the home plate in the top center of the scorecard carefully designed by Lou Spirito. If you compare them, my alignment is more careful than Tom Hanks’ “this is maybe close enough” alignment, which can show how useful the line indicator can be for professional looking typed documents.
With a well-aligned line indicator, one can place text exactly on a line over the width of a paper. One of these sets of HHHs were added after the page had been removed. Can you tell which one?The miniscule line indicator is combined with index card fingers on the 1930s Corona Standard.
The character spacing on the line indicator rule can allow one to also guestimate where they need to either end a word or hyphenate it when they hear the bell at the end of the line. Later machines often had 5-10 spaces on their line indicators to allow just this sort of guestimate as this was often the number of spaces available before hitting the right margin after the bell.
Line Indicator and paper bail rule on a 1950 Royal KMG
On some models, the line indicator may have a V-shaped groove or small hole cut into it just below the top of the typing line. This is meant to allow the operator to insert a pencil or pen into that space and then using the carriage release to draw a straight horizontal line across the page. Doing the same thing, but with the platen knobs will allow one to create vertical lines on their pages quickly.
You can easily see the two v-grooves in the line indicator for making horizontal or vertical lines in this New Orga (Privat 5) typewriter.Note the oval holes in the Perspex to allow inserting the tip of a writing instrument to create either vertical or horizontal lines on a page in this Olympia SM3.
On old typewriters with poor or hardened rubber on the platen and rollers, which can allow the paper to slip a bit, or be inserted at a slight angle or on typewriters which don’t have paper guides, one can also use the line indicator to ensure the paper is level when inserted.
As a subtle paper and type alignment hint, most pica and elite machines will lay down type at six lines per inch, so one can use this fact along with the line setting of the carriage return to align the start of their page on either the fourth or the seventh single spaced line to give the page either a 1/2 inch or 1 inch top margin respectively.
Typewriter Rule Registration and Alignment
If you’re repairing or restoring a typewriter you generally want to properly register all the various typing rules on the machine so that they line up with each other. This can include rules on the back of the machine, the paper table, the front of the carriage, the line indicator, and the paper bail. Often one may be a permanent placement and not have adjustment capability in which case the others are aligned to it. Most of the rest of the rules will have oval screw holes which allow them to be shifted left/right to line them up and then screws to tighten them down. Alignment can be effectuated by putting a sheet of paper into the machine squarely and then using both edges of the paper to line up the same markings across all the rules.
The line indicator is one of the few rules that can also be adjusted up/down so that you can type out a line of HHHs or NNNs and adjust both sides so that you can level the line indicator to the baseline of the characters typed across the page to have everything level. It’s this careful alignment in the shop which will allow the professional typist to turn out the best quality material, particularly when it comes to typing out pre-printed forms.
Notice that the carriage rule shows 60 (out of a total of 140) while the paper bail rule reads 12. These rules are properly aligned, but the 0 on the paper bail rule corresponds to the center with 70 marks on either side for more easily centering text when necessary.The Royal HH has so many rules… but is still easy and joyful to use.
Older machines, particularly ones with manually set tab stops in the back of the machine to allow for accurately setting tabs, will have one or more rules hiding on the back of the machine. Be sure to account for these and adjust them properly as well.
Notice the oval slotted holes for attaching the screws on the tab rule on the back of this 1958 Olympia SM3. It takes some care to think about properly aligning this rule with the various versions on the front of the machine. Possibly because of the extra alignment work and materials involved in providing this rule and the fact that users probably didn’t actively use it, Olympia quit including it on models in late 1958.
Be aware that on some machines the design might sometimes allow two rules to coincide. As an example, the line indicator rule and the carriage ruler on the Underwood Touch Master 5 are the same rule.
The Underwood Touch Master 5 line indicator serves double duty as a carriage rule.
Hopefully now that you know about the subtle art of the line indicator and how it’s used, you’ll be able to better adjust your own typewriter and turn out more sophisticated looking pages.
On Thursday, I broke down my recent Royal KMG typewriter for a full clean/oil/adjust. I spent some time cleaning most of the removed body panels and auxiliary parts. Yesterday, in the cool of the morning I blew it out and flushed it with mineral spirits. Then re-assembled it all. I oiled and adjusted most of it back to as close to factory condition as I can without a full disassembly.
When I received this machine it was in mediocre shape at best. The $21 I spent on it was pretty indicative of it’s value. Somewhere along the way the paper table had taken a hit and been dented. I spent some time on forming it back up, and it’s in better shape than before, but could probably still use some more concerted and careful work with a rubber mallet. I was pleased to discover that the disconnected drawband wasn’t compounded with a broken mainspring. Royal made it pretty easy to re-tension the mainspring with their screw assembly in the left rear corner.
There are a small handful of small remaining issues that I’ll take care of fairly quickly in the coming weeks including:
the tab set is still a little rough and doesn’t have a consistent, strong return
the platen needs to be re-covered
the feet and rubber compression pads need replacement
the carriage return arm doesn’t have as consistent return as I’d like
the scale on the paper bail really ought to be reconditioned, but is in fairly average, workable shape for a 75 year old machine. I’m also not sure how I’d like to attack a reconditioning yet.
I’m sure to find at least one other subtle, but niggling issue as I put this lovely machine into my regular rotation of typewriters. I’m thrilled to have an elite typeface version of the KMG to pair with my pica typeface version.
Twins! 1950 Royal KMG standard typewriters with elite (left) and pica (right).
During my evacuation from the Eaton Fires, I picked up this 1957 Royal FPP on March 5, 2025, for $31.00. Apparently it had been previously owned by Luke Legg. While it was in somewhat workable shape, it needed a massive clean out. It may be one of the dirtiest machines I’ve cleaned up so far. I definitely wished I had an ultrasonic cleaner in my arsenal to help speed this one along. Research on that front has already begun in earnest.
To help this machine along to recovery, I did use a similar 1958 Royal FPP with the cameo pink smooth colorway which may end up being a parts machine due to a broken portion of frame and what I’m suspecting to be some serious escapement issues. I pulled off a few pieces including the colored body panels, some e-clips, a few springs, and the carriage return assembly which was in better condition on the donor machine.
After a day and a half of clean up work, a light oiling, and some fine tuning adjustments, this can now enter my regular rotation of restored machines. Since I’ve got a few Royal platens and this one’s is too hard, I’m planning on sending it out for recovery. The rubber gaskets and feet are in excellent condition, so I don’t need to swap them out.
The internal felt was desiccated and crumbling to dust, so I’ve removed it completely. I’m considering whether or not I should replace it with some felt.
I’ve got two other Royal FPs including two in elite, one of which has a Clarion double gothic typeface. This one is obviously in pica and I’ve temporarily spooled it up with some pink ribbon. Given that I’ve got about fifteen standard machines now, I may be rehoming a few of the restored machines soon. While this one is solid, the fact that it’s pica and my favorites tend to be elite may mean this is one of them…
I often see people asking questions about the value of vintage typewriters. Questions like:
Is it really worth $550 to buy a clean, oiled, and adjusted typewriter from a repair shop?
What about the cheap typewriters I see for $20-50 on Facebook Marketplace? Are they any “good”?
What’s with the dramatic difference in prices? Am I being tricked?
For the sake of clarity, I’ll be addressing the majority of the typewriter sales in the secondary market which are broadly the most common typewriters made for the commercial market after about 1925. Most of these were manufactured in the realm of hundreds of thousands to several millions each and are thus decidedly not rare.
Within this market, the savvy consumer knows that the condition of the machine is generally the biggest driver of the sales price. Sadly the majority of machines you see for sale are in poor to absolutely dreadful condition, but are priced as if they are cleaned, oiled, and well-adjusted right out of a professional typewriter shop. If you watch patiently, you’ll notice these so-called “rare” machines never sell. If you’re buying, you should ask yourself the following: Is the exterior of the machine in good cosmetic condition with clear and intact decals? Is the interior clean and free from excess dust, oil and other residue which can affect performance? Does the machine function as well as one could expect or almost as good as if it just came off the factory floor? Is the type properly aligned on the page? Does it make clear, bright imprints for all characters? Do all the buttons, levers, and adjustment points work as expected? Does the escapement work across the length of the platen? Will paper feed through properly? Are the rollers round, even, and grippy? Does it have its original metal spools? Does it have new or even usable ribbon? All of these cosmetic and functional factors effect the ultimate sales prices in the market.
The truth is that the vast majority of typewriters on the broad online marketplace don’t fit many of these criteria. Most are barely capable of any of these. A large number are dusty “barn” machines that have been sitting around for decades and barely befitting the name typewriter. Far too many have “sticky” keys or other mechanical problems. Many have broken or disconnected drawbands. Others suffer from a broad array of other repairable and even non-repairable maladies.
Having purchased around 50+ machines from a variety of online shops and thrift stores for $9-150, I have never gotten what one might call a “perfect machine” as one would expect recently serviced from a professional typewriter repair shop. Only a handful required an adjustment or two and a solid cleaning and new ribbon to be close to perfect.
I’ve recently been to a handful of type-ins now, and I can attest that most people who have their own typewriters are amateurs who at best have dusted off the exterior of their machines and are charitably limping (a base level of typing) along as best as they can with what they have. While this is certainly fine and potentially acceptable to some, it’s definitely not the lush level of a well-adjusted machine. If you want to be a good steward of your typewriter and plan on using it extensively or even professionally as an author, it is definitely worth the time and attention to have at least one solid machine in your arsenal. If you have the funds, definitely replace the rubber feet and re-cover the platen on at least one machine to enjoy pure typewriting nirvana.
One will regularly see posts of unknowledgeable sellers who insist they “know what they’ve got” offering dirty and disgusting typewriters for $500 or dramatically more. Most of the typewriter collecting community see these typewriters for sale and have a good laugh knowing that the seller is comparing their machine to an immaculate version of their typewriter that has been lovingly restored.
A Typewriter Repair Cost Thought Experiment
As a thought experiment based on several years of collecting and restoring/repairing typewriters, I decided it might be useful to create a ballpark representative graph of what the typewriter cost space looks like to have and use a great functioning typewriter. To do this I’m going to look at the raw base costs of what it takes to have a professionally adjusted and cleaned typewriter serviced by three different personas in the space. I’ll look at the seasoned professional with 9 months to many years on the job in a typewriter shop, the avid typewriter collector with between 15 and 50 or more typewriters in their collection the majority of which they’ve self-serviced, and the beginner to novice typist who is potentially buying their first, second or maybe third typewriter and who may likely never go beyond that number.
The repair layout of a collector with a wide variety of tools
The primary variables we’ll be looking at will be time, experience, and general costs. We’ll also look at tools and their availability, the cost of the machine itself, replacement parts, and the cost per hour of labor. I’ll be ignoring the cost of storage space and other miscellaneous overhead costs of actually running a business which a repair shop might require, but that an amateur is only tangentially responsible for by using space in their home. We’ll try to keep as many of the variables constant across the spectrum for a reasonably useful comparison of cost and time for these personas.
Tools
The availability and cost of various tools will be a factor and vary dramatically across the three categories. If the beginner doesn’t already have them, they’ll want at least a minimum of a couple of screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench, some canned air, a toothbrush, and some mineral spirits for about $100. A collector will have all of these as well as a dedicated air compressor, a full set of screwdrivers, wrenches, and several basic pliers, a variety of brushes (nylon, brass, and steel), some oilers, spring (push and pull) tools, and possibly even more for an investment of $300 or more. Finally the pro will have all of the above in addition to a wide variety of specialty tools for less common repair and adjustment needs. Many of these are not easily accessible and many are no longer manufactured. This will include a wide variety of custom pliers, benders, and potentially even a dunk tank for cleaning typewriters. This equipment will often require an investment of one or several thousands of dollars. Because this larger investment is depreciated out over the span of years and used on hundreds of machines, I’ll set the tool price per typewriter for the professional at $5, the collector at $20 and $90 for the beginner.
A collector’s toolset including some custom and hard-to-find pliers and benders.
Typewriter
Next is the actual cost of the physical typewriter itself. Whether it’s a Smith-Corona Corsair from the late 60s, a Smith-Corona Silent from the 50s, a 1930s Royal P, or an Olympia SM3 from the 50s, even a dirty, disused, old typewriter is going to cost something. I’ll consider what we’re buying as a baseline run-of-the-mill machine of the type you’ll find at almost any thrift store that is in desperate need of a cleaning and which may have a few sticky keys, has it’s fair share of eraser shavings and cobwebs inside, needs a couple of small adjustments and perhaps one repair or replacement part that doesn’t include replacing rubber feet or a platen. As most beginners don’t know the market well, they’re highly likely to pay in the $50-150 range for such a machine while the savvier collector will end up in the $20-75 range. The pro shop will quite often acquire their machines as donations or bulk pick ups for $5-20 each and the cost of gas to get them depending on what sorts of makes and models we’re looking at. As an anecdotal bit of data, one professional restorer recently told me he wouldn’t go over about $60 to buy a garden variety Olympia SM3 which most collectors would probably be on the hook for about $120.
Three cheers for eraser crumbs!
Repair and Replacement Parts
Pro shops are often much better off than the other two categories as they often have a dozen or more parts machines which they cannibalize to repair machines. They may also have custom suppliers of screws and springs which dramatically reduce the cost of researching and buying from places like McMaster-Carr, Fastenal, or your local hardware store. We’ll place their replacement part cost at about $5. Collectors may have parts machines, but are also likely to have friends, acquaintances or sources parting out machines inexpensively for around $15. The beginner will struggle to find repair parts and would potentially pay in the range of $40 for the same pieces.
Cost per hour for cleaning and repair
Professional repair rates in the United States are currently in the $40-75 per hour range, but for our back-of-the-envelope calculation, let’s stay with the more conservative $40/hour rate. The collector doesn’t have the same level of knowledge as a pro, but isn’t dreadful and knows where to look for what they need, so we’ll give them a $30/hour rate for work. Finally we’ll pay the wholly inexperienced novice the United States minimum wage of $20/hour. This is sure to save them a lot of money compared to the pro, but it’s also going to take the novice a huge amount of research work and tinkering to come close to the proficiency of the pro, so perforce, it will take them far longer to come to having a machine as nice at the end of the process. I would expect the experienced collector to slowly come close to the level of quality turned out by the professional, but this is going to exist on a scale based on level of experience.
Professional
Collector
Amateur
Reticent amateur
typewriter
$30.00
$90.00
$120.00
$120.00
tool cost
$5.00
$20.00
$90.00
$90.00
cleaning time
$320.00
$480.00
$2,240.00
$3,360.00
repair parts
$5.00
$15.00
$40.00
$40.00
totals
$360.00
$605.00
$2,490.00
$3,610.00
A graph of typewriter repair graphing experience against time and cost
As a result of the ballpark numbers above, I’m going to graph a few points for the various levels admitting that there is generally going to be some variance around the values. This variance increases as we move from the professional level (small variance) to the collector and then onto the novice (a much larger variance). Because the experience and ability of the beginner is so large, I’m going to plot two points for them to emphasize this variability. We can now take some of our rough numbers and plot the cost values against the amount of time it would likely take each of these levels to put out a single, clean, repaired and reasonably well-adjusted typewriter, keeping in mind that the level of the beginner will almost always lag behind the capabilities of the advanced collector or pro.
The purple $375 data point is for the professional repair shop, the orange $605 is for the collector, and the two red values at $2,490 and $3,600 are for the wide ranges of the beginners.
A professional shop with only one trained repair person will likely repair, clean, oil, and adjust a single machine in about 5-8 hours while the collector can likely do the same in about two days of full time work on average. The beginner, presuming they are mildly mechanically inclined and willing to try will take two to three weeks of full time work to pull off the same level of quality. This generally presumes the typewriter is not in horrible shape to begin with and doesn’t have complicated issues like subtle escapement problems.
Analysis and Conclusions
This graph, while it has some obvious variability given some very conservative numbers, will give the beginner at least some idea of not only the time, but the cost associated with buying and self-repairing/restoring a typewriter to the level that a professional shop would. Here I should say that we’re explicitly not including the costs of any new rubber feet, rollers, or a recovered platen which would potentially add a couple of hundred dollars to the overall base-level costs. Despite the availability of online advice and fora, the beginner often isn’t aware of the hidden costs of tools, materials, time, knowledge and effort involved to bring their machine close to its original condition. Typically they’re usually looking for the bare minimum to get a machine working and not to get it working to its peak capabilities the way a professional shop would.
If you’re a professional writer interested in getting straight to work on a professional level machine, it’s incredibly easy to see from this chart that you shouldn’t waste the time, effort, or expense of trying to buy a $20 typewriter (or worse, overspending on a $300 dirty typewriter) to clean up for yourself and your daily work. It’s a definite no-brainer to check out your local shop and buy a machine for $400-600. It’s even a no-brainer if you have to drive several hours to a distant shop to do the same. You could probably even fly and come out ahead. There is certainly a similar calculus if you’re a first time buyer in the market for a gift for a significant other or even a young child’s birthday or holiday present. Is it worth the supposed “savings” to buy a cheap machine and then spend the time and energy to bring it back to life? You definitely don’t want a gifted machine in poor shape to become someone else’s white elephant when they realize it needs some serious repair or cleaning work. Worse might be to spend a few hundred dollars on a machine in mediocre condition and then need to spend another $500-$750 on it at a repair shop to get it into the same condition you could have just paid for $500 upfront.
Further, you’ll notice that professional typewriter shops are not making a huge profit margin for their time and experience, even at the comparatively much higher levels of paid labor. (Remember we also didn’t factor in any overhead, retirement funds, health care, insurance, regulatory compliance, etc.)
Now the question becomes a bit harder to answer if you’re an inveterate tinkerer who wants to have a typewriter or twenty. If you’ve already got a nice toolchest and some garage space, perhaps the cost of doing your own machines is worth the trouble? Do you have the mechanical chops to begin with? Do you enjoy the research and digging required to puzzle out the repairs and adjustments of your new-to-you typewriter? Is it worth the hobby time as an “investment” in yourself and your mental health? Would you be acquiring lots of machines? Or do you just want three? What level of repair work are you willing to add to the mix of your sort of typewriter collection? How sustainable is that level over time and across the number of machines?
Obviously the more machines you collect and repair, the more valuable it becomes to invest in the knowledge, manuals, tools, and materials to do the work. Once you’re into it at the level of 50 machines with the majority of them in solid repair status, you’re beginning to hit the levels of a professional repair person. This also presumes that as you’re progressing, you’re also spending the time and effort to collect (buy) the uncommon tools of the trade as well as repair manuals to be able to more efficiently do your work. If the fun of repair becomes drudgery and “work”, then perhaps it’s time to invest into your local repair shop’s future? Doing this can help ensure the ensuing generations can still appreciate and use these machines.
If you’re both a collector and an active writer, are you properly balancing your priorities of writing and tinkering? Is the tinkering beginning to stand in the way of your productivity as a writer? Are you using the excuse of perfecting small adjustments on your typewriter to actively miss your deadlines?
What about the more expensive Hermes 3000s and Olympia SM3s of the world? In the realm of dirty, used typewriters there are some shining pricing exceptions that will provide even more exceptional value. For the past year or so the popularity and reputation of the Hermes 3000 and the Olympia SM3 have put their prices much higher than a lot of the rest of the market. As a result, an un-serviced Hermes 3000 can start at $250 and the Olympia SM3 can start at $120 even for the experienced collector. (Yes, you can get lucky and find these at garage sales, but that takes additional time and effort which isn’t included in our cost evaluation chart.) Despite this premium, professional shops are still selling these cleaned, oiled, and adjusted in the range of $500-550. This makes them exceptionally great values from repair shops for budding authors and professional writers. It also makes them larger risks for beginners who may need to spend even more attempting to clean and repair them if they’ve got significant damage.
At the end of the day, there’s a huge gulf between the experience of typing on the dirty typewriter from Joe’s grandmother’s attic that you (over) paid $200 for and the clean-as-a-whistle well-adjusted typewriter that you smartly acquired from an experienced vintage typewriter repair shop for around $500. If you’re buying a machine for regular writing use, you’ll know and appreciate the difference. Of course if you just need something as a bit of decor, then do what you will and go on about life, but at least you’ll have a bit of an idea of what you’re missing out on. If you choose not to miss out, you’ll have a much better idea of what sort of work you might be in for and what the trade-offs are to get the sort of machine you’d like to ultimately have.
We often see typewriter cases and/or simple typewriter covers and people will post photos of how they display typewriters, but I saw a clever method on Saturday at a local type-in in Southern California.
Aaron Therol of Typewriter Connection brought along a signed Voss from Tom Hanks’ collection which included a sturdy green canvas typewriter cover with leather edge trim and an embossed leather Playtone logo. The cover included small, strong magnets sewn into the front and back edges which allow it to be physically attached to the front and rear of a typewriter’s metal body to keep the dust out while it’s sitting on a shelf in an open room and out of its case.
The cover was customized to the dimensions of the typewriter to cover from the front “chin” of the typewriter to the bottom of the back bottom edge. The color of the cover, trim, and materials can obviously be customized to the room and display shelving to highlight one’s collection and the decor of the room. In the case of this particular example the dark hunter green pairs well with the light metallic green of the Voss’s body and the dark colored keys.
With such a well-designed cover, one can then take the typewriter down off the shelf and place it on a typing surface and then the cover could double as a typing pad to dampen the sound as well as potentially preventing it from walking across one’s desk while being used. Given the weight of the piece, I would expect a piece of internal felt was (or could potentially be) sewn into it.
I look forward to seeing what the rest of the typosphere does with this clever method.
One of the biggest of the very few companies still manufacturing typewriters in the new millennium is the Shanghai Weilv Mechanism Company. Sadly, for the hobbyist space looking to get into typewriters, while these are easy to find online, they are notorious for dreadful quality control, lots of plastic, and poor type alignment. As a result, they make a terrible investment compared to the far more robust vintage and antique typewriters which were manufactured from the late 1800s into the 1980s.
If you know nothing about typewriters, but are looking to purchase one (either for occasional/regular typing or even as a display piece), I couldn’t recommend them given the fact that there are so many far better machines in the secondary market which are more robust and will last for centuries compared to these poor, plastic machines.
Prior to purchase, you should be aware that many reputable typewriter repair shops will often refuse to work on or repair them, and most probably wouldn’t even accept them as donations to be parts machines. Most collectors and typewriter enthusiasts I’ve encountered will almost universally recommend against purchasing these.
Shanghai Weilv Mechanism Company has licensed the names of some older manufacturers and are making typewriters variously rebadged and sold under the following names:
Generally, the internals of all these machines are identical with the biggest differences being the external shell styling and the colors in which they’re offered. Typically they sell in the range of $200-300 and given the ubiquity of the number $259, I would guess this is the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
Reviews
In case you don’t want to trust my individual opinion recommending against these, you might appreciate some specific reviews from others:
Dr. Richard Polt, long time typewriter collector, former editor of ETCetera, the Journal of the Typewriter Collector’s Association, maintainer of The Classic Typewriter Page, and author of The Typewriter Revolution (Countryman Press, 2015): Typewriter review: Royal Epoch
Lucas Dul, a typewriter repairman from Typewriter Chicago, reviewed a 2023 Rover:
Sarah Everett, typewriter collector and creator of Just My Type on YouTube, reviewed a We R Memory Keepers Typecast typewriter:
I’ve also collected some links which talk about some of the models:
Hopefully some of the data here has helped your decision for a well-informed purchase. You might notice that in online reviews, most of the people who purchase these machines and give them high marks seem to value them as decor and for their aesthetic. While this may be great, you could still get older vintage machines in a broader variety of looks for a fraction of the price.
Naturally, some will still want to buy one or more of these machines anyway. If you must do it, I would recommend that you can find gently used versions of these machines, often in their original boxes, at auction sites like ShopGoodwill.com for $5-15 several times a week.
Two common questions I hear from those just starting out into the typewriter space are frequently about the basics:
How do I use a typewriter?
How to take care of typewriters or do basic maintenance?
Naturally there is a ton of colloquial advice you’ll receive on these topics from social media and YouTube, but it’s uneven and not very complete. If you’ve just bought your first typewriter, you’re looking for a quick crash course in how to do the basics so you can start punching the keys, but still take care of your machine. With any luck, the resources on this page will get you up and running with your typewriter in no time at all.
Editor’s note: In an upcoming article, I’ll cover the basics for how to find/purchase and install typewriter ribbon in a variety of machines. In the erstwhile, know that Tom Hanks can teach you the basics or you can search YouTube for your make and/or model to see how others have done this or consult the manual for your machine if it’s available.
At the start of World War II, typewriter manufacturers quit making them to focus on war efforts as well as to save precious steel for the war. As a fortunate result of this, being able to use and maintain them became a way to show one’s patriotism for the general effort and the United States Navy was there to help. Thus the Navy made several short films about the basics of typewriter use and maintenance. Though made in 1942 and 1943, these films cover a lot of the basics incredibly well and even extend to later typewriters made into the 1980s, so some of the best advice can be quickly found and consumed in under an hour.
Lots of this advice could or would have been learned in a high school or college-based typing class or in secretarial schools from the mid-century onwards. Sadly a lot of it is now missing from basic keyboarding courses which place all of their focus and practice on touch typing.
Below, I’ve compiled may of the most useful films I could find online for the basics of typing, typing methods, typing techniques and even some advanced methods when using manual typewriters. It’s likely that even the most advanced typists will be shocked and amazed by these films and learn something from watching them.
Beyond these examples, several manufacturers and entities made instructional and industrial films and even sales films covering some typewriter basics over the years. Some may be machine specific, but their advice is applicable not only to those machines, but a broad array of many others which are all incredibly similar with respect to functionality. For machines that differ from the norm, you can often compare your particular machine and its manual to various others which are available online.
Content warning: Some of these films from the mid-century have outdated gender roles.
Office Etiquette. 16 mm, Industrial. EBF Human Relations Film produced by Encyclopedia Britannica Films Inc. in collaboration with Hamden L. Forkner, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, 1950. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLF1STKnBTU.
Of course if you need some additional basics, which aren’t included in some of these, you should know:
Early typewriters conserving on the number of keys and what they were able to type relied on the operator knowing that different characters could be double purposed or superimposed to create new characters. These included:
Using either the lower case “L” key or, less frequently for custom typefaces, the “I” key to type the number “1” which was often excluded from the keyboard.
To make an exclamation point, you would type period “.” followed by a backspace and then an apostrophe ” ‘ “.
Recently Paulo philosophically asked me, a typewriter collector, “Why another typewriter? I haven’t been able to find an answer yet.” (My attempt at a translation/synopsis from his Portuguese.)
In addition to answers from the collector’s perspective, bonus points for answers that are also directed to answering this question which comes from your significant other who doesn’t understand your obsession. (I’m also posing this on the day that I’ve sadly chosen for family sanity to move 20 machines from the house out of immediate sight into the garage. 😔)
Earlier this week I started stripping down my recently acquired 1951 Remington Super-Riter typewriter. The machine’s serial number puts it into the 15th month of production of the Super-Riter which replaced the storied Remington 17 and the Remington KMC.
This machine, which weighs in at a solid 33.7 pounds, provides a similar Keyboard Margin Control (KMC) functionality which it’s predecessor the Remington KMC did. This allows one to very quickly and easily set the margins by holding down the key and moving the carriage. I find it to be wonderfully ingenious and much more robust than Royal’s Magic Margins similar feature which is much easier to accidentally activate and subsequently mess up your carefully set margins.
The keyboard also features a key return button (marked KR) which allows one to quickly clear key jams by pressing a button. This helps prevent one from getting inky fingers otherwise caused by pressing the jammed keys back down by hand, an action which also requires taking one’s hands off the keyboard to effectuate.
This model has a relatively standard American keyboard with 42 keys and 84 characters. It has a tabulator with a keyboard-based tab button at the top flanked by tab set and tab clear buttons.
While they look like doubleshot plastic, the keys are done in two molded plastic pieces which are friction fit together. The keys are also friction fit onto the key levers so they’re (relatively) easy to remove for cleaning.
The platen is easily removeable and potentially replaceable by pulling a small lever on the front of each side of the typewriter.
Different from many typewriters of this era, the side plates for the carriage are friction fit onto the machine utilizing a pip on the front and two on the back. A thin screwdriver wedged into the back will loosen them and allow their removal. Once these are taken off, the paper table lifts off easily. (Apparently someone was unaware of this on this particular typewriter and an incredibly thin piece of the metal holding the paper table on was shorn off. Hopefully this note will save future paper tables from damage.)
Restoration
Surprisingly all the panels of the body are removable from the chassis with just ten screws (and the removal of the knob on the ribbon reversal). The paint and finish of the typewriter were in dreadful condition and cleaning with some Simple Green and a soft bristled brush followed by a wipe-down with WD-40 have done some wonders, but it still leaves much to be desired. There are some drips of red paint and more than a fair share of chips and wear. On the positive side, the decals are in great condition. Because all the body is easily removeable, I’m very tempted to use this as a candidate for either stripping and repainting or potentially a plating process (nickel seems fun here perhaps).
This is my second Remington standard with the Fold-A-Matic feature, which again, made cleaning out and making adjustments of the interior much simpler. A prior servicing had sprayed oil everywhere inside the majority of the typewriter which had long since hardened and gummed up with dust. With the use of some mineral spirits, a toothbrush, a brass bristle brush, and the air compressor the interior is about as clean as it can be without completely disassembling the entire machine and hand polishing everything.
The rubber on most of this machine is in acceptable condition. The feet are excellent for their age and still have some grip that prevent it from walking across a desk. The rollers are still round and have grip. The platen is great for it’s age, but will certainly see recovering once the exterior is stripped and restored.
One set of pieces which didn’t survive as well are the brass grommets and rubber gaskets which are used to hold the side and rear panels onto the machine. I can easily clean up the brass portions, but the rubber will require complete replacement. In the meanwhile the machine is functional without them, but it will help to give the panels more stability and reduce small vibrations.
I’ve replaced the old, dried out ribbon with 1/2 inch blue and green bichrome from Fine Line. The typeface, based on the 1964 NOMDA Blue Book, seems to be Remington’s 534-10 pitch.
The only rare typewriter is a an unloved typewriter.
Always talk about typewriter club. Every chance you get. To family, friends, acquaintances, complete strangers…
If you’re new to typewriter club, you have to type.
Any reason is a good reason to buy and use a typewriter.
If you have only one typewriter, you must refer to it as “my FIRST typewriter”.
More than one machine is allowed to be your “favorite”.
The last typewriter you bought is the greatest one. Until the next one.
Never leave a typewriter outside, in a barn, or in a damp basement to rust.
Typewriters are to type with. While they can be used as mood-setting decor, they are meant to be used.
Always leave a typewriter in better condition than you found it.
“The hardest part of typewriter repair is believing you can do it. Everything else is just instructions plus a careful, thoughtful hand.” —Rt. Rev. Theodore Munk
A typewriter is not broken unless it is clean and broken.
We form things; we do not “bend” them.
Parts of a typewriter should only be removed permanently in order to repair another typewriter.
If you see a typewriter, you should take photos and upload the details to the Typewriter Database for other typewriter lovers.
The only acceptable way to dispose of a typewriter is to find it a new home. The only exception is in dire circumstances in time of war when one should follow the guidance of the Underwood manual and “Smash typewriters and components with a sledge or other heavy instrument; burn with kerosene, gasoline, fuel oil, flame thrower, or incendiary bomb; detonate with firearms, grenades, TNT, or other explosives.”
If anyone asks you about your typewriter, you must spend at least five minutes talking to them about it.
Blessed are those who give typewriters to children for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Trustworthy and legitimate typewriter sellers never use the phrases “it works” or “it just needs a new ribbon.”
Remember that typewriters are dangerous. They can be used for samizdat. As Woody Guthrie knew: “This machine kills fascists.”
The Typewriter Database does not list every single serial number, just ranges of numbers and years in which they were made. You are responsible for reading the charts and for figuring out which year your serial number fits into.
Keychoppers shall have the extremities they used to chop keys chopped off.
“In death, they have a name.” Lenore Fenton. Lenore Fenton. Lenore Fenton!
In the vein of Fight Club, what would the rules of Typewriter Club be? What are the commonly known rules that typewriter users and collectors know that the uninitiated should be aware of?
I’ll kick things off with a frequent admonishment:
The first rule of Typewriter Club: Don’t “lubricate” the segment with WD-40.
The second rule of Typewriter Club: DO NOT lubricate the segment with WD-40!
Feel free to follow this post and upvote your favorites so we can rank a potential final list.
While watching Wedding Crashers (2005, New Line), I noticed that John Beckwith (portrayed by Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) both have multiple card indexes in their offices in the movie.
One can’t help but wondering if their work leverages one of the variety of card index filing systems? Were they commonplacers? Zettelkasten users? Were they maintaining them as basic databases? Monster rolodexes? There are definitely a lot of them around.
It’s obvious that Jeremy actively uses his as in the opening scenes, his card index is on the credenza behind him and later in the movie it has moved.
Vince Vaughn obviously explaining the most important points of knowledge management in the office: a zettelkasten (or card index), bubblegum, and plenty of bourbon.On a side desk in his office Jeremy Gray has a 3×5″ and a 4×6″ card index near all of his most important reference volumes.Along with shelves full of reference books, John Beckwith has a huge collection of card index boxes of various sizes including 3 3×5″ boxes, 3 4×6″ boxes, and even one 5×8″ box.
A Zettelkasten for Wedding Crashers
Of course, the real aficionado of Wedding Crashers will suspect that at least one of Jeremy’s card indexes is full of weddings they’ve crashed, related research, and maybe women he’s encountered. Maybe names and legends of the people they’re pretending to be (“We lost a lot of good men out there.” “Guess who’s a broken man?”) Naturally there would also be a huge section with the numbered rules of wedding crashing as handed down by pioneer Chazz Rheinhold.
To be clear, I know what this is. (It’s a typewriter I’m most of the way through cleaning and restoring.)
Just for fun for the regulars and the collectors, let’s see who can come closest to a make, model and year for this lovely machine I recently acquired for restoration. Please, no more than two guesses per player.
I regularly see writers (or their friends or significant others considering buying them presents) interested in purchasing their first typewriter as a (distraction-free) writing tool. Naturally, unless they grew up with them or have other direct experience, the primary questions are: how much are they?, which ones are the better professional tools?, and where can they get them?
Having written up some suggestions in the past as well as a bit about the state of the current typewriter market, I thought I’d put the two together for future queries as the broad advice doesn’t change very much. This article might also be generally useful for anyone considering their first typewriter, or even getting into typewriter collecting in general.
This won’t cover any of the electric typebar typewriters or the later wedge typewriters, thermal typewriters, or electronic word processors which are similar, but potentially different beasts and markets.
In the Typewriter Market Condition is King
When it comes to manual typewriters, condition is king and a big determinant of the overall price. Sadly this fact is wholly unknown by the vast majority of people selling the typewriter they found in grandma’s attic. Knowing this fact will arm you for a much better purchasing experience as well as when it comes down to actually using them.
Sure there are a small handful of very popular portable typewriters like the Hermes 3000 or the Olympia SM3 which can go for a few hundred dollars even in bad condition, but for the most part a reasonably solid typewriter can be had for $10-75.
Too many people will also use the useless word “rare” to describe their typewriter for sale. This really only applies to some of the earliest typewriters from before 1920 which broadly aren’t as available now. Almost everything made from the 1930s on was mass produced in the hundreds of thousands or even millions, so applying the word rare is silly. Some colors or typefaces may be uncommon, but they are not rare and it usually doesn’t take too long to find multiple versions of the same thing for sale. None of the recommendations suggested here would ever be considered rare or even uncommon by any standard.
Balance of Budget, Time, and Facility with Cleaning machines
Your first typewriter is sure to be the balance of several variables including your particular budget, the amount of time you want to invest finding and then potentially fixing up your machine, and the facility you may have (or not) for cleaning and potentially repairing your typewriter yourself. Self-repair is certainly doable and there are significant resources for helping out the novice, but it does take some time, patience, and a few tools. If, as a beginner, you think that cleaning and repairing your own machine is the best use of your time, go for it, but you may be opening up a can of worms that’s really not worth it.
Budget Range
I’ll split the typewriter space up into the budget ranges based on what the buyer may have for potentially spending on a typewriter. This is NOT a split of historical budget ranges indicating the quality of the typewriters themselves. For example, in its day, an Olympia SG3 would have been at the higher end of the typewriter market while the highly mass produced Brother JP-1 typewriters would have been considered budget models by comparison. Today, with careful shopping, you could foreseeably purchase both in equivalent condition for the same $25, though to the user, the Olympia SG3 will obviously be more performant particularly for longer typing sessions.
Low budget is $10-75. For this range, one can get a typewriter that is generally functional, but which assuredly needs to be cleaned, properly lubricated, and possibly adjusted. (Remember: lesser condition usually means lower price.) To stay within this range, you’re going to need to be both willing and able to do some basic cleaning and potentially minor repairs yourself.
This isn’t to say that you wouldn’t stumble across a near mint Olympia SM3 that you can pick up at a yard sale for $15 and it needs no work at all, but it won’t be an every day occurrence. You’ll likely need to invest some reasonable time in searching for such a thing.
Medium budget might be $76-349. In this range you should be able to acquire a reasonable machine which you might then take to a local repair shop to get a reasonable servicing and repair or adjust any issues your “new-to-you” typewriter may have. This range should cover the cost of the machine as well as the servicing in most cases. Most repair shops charge in the $40-75/hour range and can do some miracles in just a few hours.
High budget is generally in the $350-600 range and for this amount you should be receiving a vintage machine in good to excellent cosmetic condition which has been thoroughly cleaned, oiled, and adjusted. It should function as well as it possibly can for regular daily use.
It’s quite likely that you’ll currently find some solid value in this range as some repair shops will be selling machines like the Hermes 3000 in excellent shape while online auctions for them in dreadful shape are almost as expensive.
Beyond the high range, you’re going to be looking at more exotic machines which are much less common, which have had higher levels of restoration work (usually all the rubber replaced and the platens recovered), or which have less common typefaces (script, Vogue, Techno, Gothic, etc.). As this tends to be more rarified space of collectors or those with very specific tastes, I won’t delve deeper here.
Typewriter Recommendations
In another article, I’ve gone deeper into the difference between standard typewriters, portable typewriters, and ultraportable typewriters. In this section, I’ll focus primarily on recommendations for writers who are looking for one (or maybe two) high quality typewriters for regular (daily or weekly) and heavy (several hours a day) use. This means these machines will tend toward the higher end of quality and manufacturing in the middle of the 20th century at the peak of typewriter engineering and manufacturing from the 1930s into the 1970s.
While some of these recommendations may be useful to collectors, there is such a much wider space of collectible typewriters and reasons for collecting them, that such an analysis is a much bigger topic. For those just dipping their feet into the world of collecting, I’ll recommend Richard Polt’s excellent book The Typewriter Revolution (Countryman Press, 2015).
Standard Typewriters
If you’re a serious writer, you’re sure to find a smoother and better experience with a standard typewriter, but they’re slightly larger and heavier (~30 pounds vs. ~15-22 pounds) than the portables. The benefit is that they almost always have the broadest range of features that a writer will ever need. These are usually the ones I recommend if you’re typing for several hours on end and have a dedicated space for your writing. Standards aren’t as popular with most collectors, so they also tend to be less expensive as a general rule.
For longer writing sessions, one of the additional subtle reasons to use a standard machine is that its larger size will take up more of your field of view. This can tend to help hold your attention for longer periods of time and aid in reducing distractions, which is often one of the reasons writers prefer composing on typewriters over computers.
I personally really love my fully restored Royal KMG, Royal HH, and Royal FP, as well as my Olympia SG3, my Remington Standard, Remington Super-Riter, and Remington 17 which are all rock solid writing machines. I’m still on the hunt for an Olympia SG1, which many collectors consider to be one of the best typewriters ever manufactured.
Here are some of the other more common standards for serious writers to consider by a knowledgeable restorer:
Portable Typewriters
I’d generally endorse most of the advice on the lighter, portable models you’ll find in the following resources. They are geared specifically toward writers, and all three have lots experience and reasonable bona fides to make such recommendations.
In this space, you may want to take some care for the particular models you consider as not all of them will have features like a tabulator (tab stops) to make indenting text easier, especially if you’re a screenwriter or playwright who needs this sort of functionality every few lines. (A tab button on the keyboard is a solid enough indicator that a machine has this functionality.)
Among the most commonly recommended portable typewriters are the Olympia SM2, SM3, and SM4 (all very similar, but slightly different in their tabulator functionality or lack thereof in the case of the SM2), Hermes 3000, Olympia SM7, Olympia SM9, the Smith-Corona Super and Smith-Corona Silent Super (5 Series machines), the Adler Tippa and Tippa S, the Royal Quiet De Luxe, and the Remington Quiet-Riter.
Ultraportable typewriters
While these can be interesting and pretty as well as easy to carry, most serious writers are not going to love typing on them for extended periods. They might be a nice secondary machine for traveling around and getting something done, but I wouldn’t recommend one as a first or second machine for most writers.
Typewriters you assuredly don’t want
Many newcomers will ask if a particular typewriter is a “bad” one or is generally known to have problems (aka a “lemon”). This is usually folly as most typewriters built into the 1980s were generally solid and not just meant to last, but were built to be repaired. Naturally the ones built of steel in the 50s-60s will be the most sturdy and the aesthetics will vary dramatically over the decades.
The one major caveat you’ll hear from almost any typewriter enthusiast and collector is to warn people against purchasing one of the brand new Shanghai Weilv Mechanism Company typewriters which variously go under the names: Rover, the Royal Epoch, We R Memory Keepers, Royal Classic, Maplefield, and The Oliver Typewriter Company. I’ve written about these manual typewriters elsewhere and included some reviews and things to know about and be wary of if you’re planning on buying something new instead of something either vintage or antique (over 100 years old). Professional writers will abhor these machines.
Where to buy a typewriter?
Repair shops
Your very best bet for a first typewriter (and even subsequent ones) is to go to a repair shop that also sells machines. Doing this will give you the chance to put your hands on them, try them out, ask lots of questions, then buy your favorite from a variety of machines. Your shopping time is worth money and productivity, so buy something you like out of the gate and you’ll save a lot in the long run. You’ll probably be happier and better off in the long run with something in the $200-600 range serviced from a repair shop. It will also give you something you can start using right away to get work done rather than faffing about with cleaning or potential small repairs, which can take up valuable time for the new and uninitiated.
There are a variety of online shops, many associated with repair shops, as well as individual sellers and antique stores that sell typewriters on independent websites. These can be particularly good as they’ll often have a level of expertise and experience in cleaning, repairing, restoring, and shipping typewriters.
I personally don’t have direct experience with any that I would specifically recommend, but they’re definitely out there and are usually marked by providing an abundance of photos and useful information about their wares.
Online Auctions and Sales Sites
An important caveat: The vast majority of sellers in the typewriter market with machines in the $40-300 range have exactly as much knowledge about them as you probably do (which for the non-collector/non-repair shop audience is to say little to none), so be incredibly wary of accepting claims that “it works” or “it just needs a new ribbon” without video and photographic proof. Most are pricing their less-than-stellar typewriters based on the higher prices repair shops are selling their best serviced machines for. Don’t fall victim to this ubiquitous ruse because the seller doesn’t know better.
In this segment of the market you’ll find a huge range of potential sellers from some incredibly professional typewriter repair and restoration specialists who deal primarily online to clearing house thrift stores all the way down to typewriter flippers (those who buy a dusty, half-functioning typewriter at a yard sale for $5 and then list it on Etsy for a 1000% markup without doing any additional work) who use AI to write flashy, nostalgic descriptions of typewriters that bear no resemblance of the particular machine they’re selling and then to your neighborhood gadfly trying to sell grandma’s vintage 1950’s Smith-Corona Silent as a $3,000 antique because he “knows what he’s got” yet somehow misstates the date of manufacture as well as the model. (And if you happen to be reading this Marvin, no typewriter on the planet has the serial number H123456L, that’s the setting indicator for the touch control functionality.)
This means you might spend some time checking out how specialized the particular seller is in typewriters by looking at their past sales. Do they only sell typewriters, do they sell lots of things, or are they new accounts with only one item? The best ones will have lots of good photos of machines and cases from a variety of angles including close ups of the typeslugs, typesamples of the machine’s output, and even video of the machine in use. Serious typewriter sales people will list the serial numbers and the dates of manufacture, though many less serious sellers and “typewriter flippers” will have posted their machines to an online forum to crowdsource this information which they wouldn’t otherwise have.
This segment most deserves the warning: caveat emptor (buyer beware). If someone is selling a $500 machine that “works” without any proof and who says it “just needs new ribbon” (a simple purchase of $10 or less) hopefully shouldn’t be fooling anyone but themselves, yet I know it happens.
Facebook Marketplace is almost always local individuals, but can also include some pro shops from time to time. Prices can often be 2-3x what they ought to be, but you can visit machines in person, try them out, and negotiate things down based on the actual condition.
Craigslist.com is a reasonable space and often very much like Facebook Marketplace with a poorer UI.
eBay is an online auction space where some very professional repair people auction off their work along with thrift stores, antique stores, and the general public. It requires a bit of due diligence to suss out what’s being offered and the condition, but usually doesn’t allow the ability to actually test out the machine and see the exact condition first hand. There is a bit of protection if the shipped product doesn’t live up to the hype. Be careful of inexpensive “buy now” listings with exorbitant shipping prices in the $100+ range.
Etsy can have some excellent listings from a range of sellers, but it also tends toward the more expensive pricing end of the spectrum for what you end up receiving. Again, you can’t try before you buy here.
Offerup is a broad platform similar to Marketplace and Craigslist with some reasonable listings. Sadly some of the listings can be old and out of date or the seller is no longer paying attention to their account.
ShopGoodwill.com is a platform run by Goodwill that usually has a wide variety of dozens of machines every day from across the country. In addition to not being able to try before you buy, it can be very hit or miss to attempt to judge a machine’s condition solely on just a few photos. The level of expertise on typewriters is generally abysmally low here, so the level of detail about the machines for the non-expert is equally low and the packaging and shipment can be a problem in 10-20% of orders. This being said, one can get some excellent deals on standards on a regular basis in the $10-30 range and portables in the $30-60 range, particularly if you purchase from a local Goodwill that will allow the arrangement of an in-person pick up. This gets around $20-50 shipping fees and the potentiality of damage in shipping. Some of the higher end portables like the Olympia SM3 will go for $120 in unknown condition while the Hermes 3000 can go for $250 or more. At these rates, you’re far more likely to get better value by buying at a local repair shop.
Surely there are many other online options not listed here. I’m sure people will mention a few with caveats and reviews in the comments.
Yard Sales & Estate Sales
You can find some really great machines at yard sales and estate sales, but the trade off is the time and effort you need to invest in searching for them, particularly if you have an idea of something specific you’re looking for. Here you’re trading the cheapness of a working $10-20 machine for a lot of searching time. Naturally this option probably isn’t the best one to take if you’re getting a typewriter as a gift for someone’s birthday this weekend. You’ll want to plan ahead and give yourself several weeks or months to hunt around for the right thing.
Sometimes sellers will think their machines are more valuable, but usually the $50-100+ machines can be negotiated down to a more reasonable $5-25 range. Usually if it’s out, it’s something they want to sell or get rid of.
With this route you can also directly put your hands on machines and at least test things out pretty thoroughly before committing to buying. If something is dirty or broken, you’ll see that pretty quickly compared to attempting to buy something poorly listed online. Be sure to bring your own paper and maybe even ribbon for testing if this is what you’re shopping for.
Thrift Stores and Antique Stores
These can be a great source for inexpensive and functional machines. Depending on the outlet, Antique stores will have a somewhat larger markup and won’t negotiate down as much as they ought to.
Type-ins
While in person type-ins aren’t terribly frequent, they can be great places to meet other typewriter afficionados and get the chance to try out others’ machines to see what sort of typewriter feels best to you. It’s not uncommon for participants to buy, sell, and trade typewriters at these events.
Typewriter Service
Beyond the basic regular maintenance of keeping dust out of your machine and occasionally changing your ribbon, you may require the service of a professional shop for your initial purchase. This can be a relatively quick and inexpensive way to bring a machine up to fighting shape after decades of dusty disuse. It also does a lot more to support the broader art and craft of repair and the typewriter community.
If you’re handy and have even a bit of a mechanical bent, you can take advantage of a wide variety of online repair manuals [1][2] and cleaning advice, repair resources and advice including a huge number of YouTube tutorials for almost every typewriter out there. Doing this can be incredibly cost effective, but it always helps to have a relationship with your local shop for potential repair parts or maybe even a loaner if you need one.
If nothing else, it can also be inspiring as writer (or if you’re giving it as a gift) for the new typewriter’s owner to have an idea of other writers who have used that machine in the past.
As an example, I find it inspiring that the Royal KMG I use regularly was manufactured from 1949-1952, and was known to have also been used by writers including Saul Bellow, Edward Abbey, Joan Didion, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, Mister Rogers, Rod Sterling, Carl Reiner, Grace Metalious, Wallace Stenger, John Ashbery, and George Sheehan.
For the first time buyer, particularly with time constraints, it may seem like shipping a great looking machine is an excellent idea for the pittance of $20-40. Poor packaging of typewriters by untrained or ill-educated online shops is one of the leading deaths of typewriters. Even reasonably well packed machines can be dramatically damaged in shipment, so unless you’re purchasing from a shop that has lots of experience in shipping typewriters, save the money and hassle and buy something locally that you can pick up.
If you want to go deeper into the world of typewriters, collecting, using, repairing or even talking about them, I keep a list of useful typewriter resources.
Questions?
Hopefully this has been a reasonably thorough precis of all the things I wish I had known before buying my first typewriter and encapsulates a lot of basic typewriter knowledge I’ve accumulated throughout the first fifty machines spanning my typewriter collection. If you have additional questions, feel free to ask below.
In the meanwhile, just jump in and start looking around. Good luck and happy hunting!
