[DiogenesLamp]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2731448/posts ~ look at the material in the thread. There are several exhibits. This is the one with the complaint about “t”. Guess there are folks who imagine old cloth ribbons were perfectly inked from top to bottom ~

Thanks for the link. How can the inking of a ribbon explain the difference between the first "t" in the word "student" compared to the second "t" in that same word? (and the other letters as well?)

[muawiyah]

As the platen moves the ribbon is rolled up on the spindle. That means each time the key strikes it hits a different part of the ribbon.

If the ribbon has been rewound a number of times, or amateur re-inking has been employed, it will almost certainly never print the same letter exactly the same way ~ not even in the same word.

Someone else can verify the movements on any particular manual typewriter BTW,