[netmilsmom]

I could see where Kerning would be impossible with an IBM Selectric, the one with the ball, but with the type writers with the hammers that struck each individual letter, it would depend on the speed of the typist.
I would think that the hammers would slam close together if someone could type 120 words a minute, overriding the movement of the carriage. My mom typed 120 WPM on one of those. I’ll have to see if there is anything around that she typed.

[CMAC51]

I could see where Kerning would be impossible with an IBM Selectric, the one with the ball, but with the type writers with the hammers that struck each individual letter, it would depend on the speed of the typist. I would think that the hammers would slam close together if someone could type 120 words a minute, overriding the movement of the carriage. My mom typed 120 WPM on one of those. I’ll have to see if there is anything around that she typed.

[CMAC51]

I could see where Kerning would be impossible with an IBM Selectric, the one with the ball, but with the type writers with the hammers that struck each individual letter, it would depend on the speed of the typist. I would think that the hammers would slam close together if someone could type 120 words a minute, overriding the movement of the carriage. My mom typed 120 WPM on one of those. I’ll have to see if there is anything around that she typed.

Oops! First reply got truncated...

Typewriters relied on a mechanical cycle, the carriage movement coicided with the return of the hammer. If the next key is struck too soon, the hammers colide and stick. Happened to me all of the time in typing class. Part of typing fast was getting in sync with the cycle. So, there is no way for the second hammer to arrive before the carriage moved during the return of the first hammer.

[mad_as_he$$]

Selectrics were not introduced until July, 1961. There were other kinds of electric typewriters before that that provided a power assist operation. I do not recall them being speed sensitive. Old manuals for sure were speed sensitive. My mother could tell who in her typing pool typed something on a manual by how the letters were spaced. Me, I could never see any difference.

[Interesting Times]

I could see where Kerning would be impossible with an IBM Selectric, the one with the ball, but with the type writers with the hammers that struck each individual letter, it would depend on the speed of the typist. I would think that the hammers would slam close together if someone could type 120 words a minute, overriding the movement of the carriage.

It doesn't work that way.

[itsahoot]

To slam that close together the keys themselves get locked together. The Qwerty keyboard layout was developed to keep that very thing from happening.

[bgill]

I’m also wondering about the hammers. It’s possible that some were bent closer to the next letter.

However, look at “Honolulu” and see the curve of the “n” in relation to the curve of the “o” that follows.