Posted on 12/20/2011 6:00:06 AM PST by JoeProBono
NEW YORK, - New York typewriter sellers said the low-tech machines are experiencing a comeback among writers who like to avoid distractions.
Paul Schweitzer, 73, whose Gramercy Typewriter Co. was founded by his father Abraham in 1932, said he started working on laser printers when typewriters fell out of fashion in the 1990s, but he has lately had many customers bringing in old typewriters to be restored, the New York Daily News reported Monday.
"They have their computers, they have their blackberries or iPads or whatever it is, but they still would like to have a typewriter. They like the idea of pressing the keys and having the words hit the paper," Schweitzer said.
Donna Brady of Brady & Kowalksi Writing Machines said she and her partner have had a lot of interest in the typewriters they sell at Brooklyn Flea.
"The more disconnected we get from other humans because of electronic devices ... the more we kind of want to get away from those gadgets," she said. "A lot of people still want to be productive, but would like to get away from the screen."
I have forms that I have to fill out that cannot be done on a computer printer, so I have to print on them with pen and ink.
It would be nice to have an old typewriter around for doing these forms. Might help those getting them to read them too.
They are old tech but they are by no means low tech.
You could do them as a pdf.
OH BOY!!!
Now if teletypewriters make a comeback, I can start working again as a repairman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP9LWUIWvpU
Editors, apparently, do not.
(Inanimate objects cannot "experience" anything, much less a "comeback.")
IBM Selectric. Greatest typewriter EVER. Still wish I had one.
The Sexy IBM Selectric Was the iPad of 1961
That gal looks very ummm... healthy!!!
I’ve seen many operators that looked like that....or better, but I’ve NEVER seen any that dressed that way.
};^)
Even the design is cool.
IBM Selectric. Greatest typewriter EVER. Still wish I had one.Agreed!
In fact, I recently picked up a Selectric III for $20. Publicly, my reason was to have something to handle quick envelopes and the like, but actually I just liked typing on it.
Unfortunately, it turned out to need a tuneup to work properly, and I decided it wasn't worth it, so I got rid of it.
I found it interesting that I was unable to find carbon paper (to complete my "non-computer" writer's setup) anywhere! Apparently, carbon paper is now a specialty item.
Add-on for my #12
.....while working. ;)
Ebay has some “vintage” and “antique”.... some prices made my hair curl. Staples.com has a Brother ML-100 Electronic typewriter for $125. FYI! (they seem way more expensive than the one I purchased in college).
There was one of those in our office when I retired a couple years ago for filling out those horrible NCR three-part forms. I made a “Wayback Machine” sign for it.
BTW, typists beware: After 40+ years of production typing, the little finger on both hands now have Heberden’s nodes in the top joints. Painful, swollen, and they don’t bend well. (Playing piano now is difficult.) There’s a lot of speculation that it’s a result of excessive typing since those fingers take the brunt of abuse with the shift, enter, and tab keys. (Can I sue former employers? Hmmmm...)
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, meant news more than the sound of a AP teletype machine...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.