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To: sinkspur
The IBM Executive typewriter used proportional fonts, and was a staple in the military.

It was first introduced in the late 1950s.

OK......Someone needs to research whether the specific font used in these memos existed on the IBM at the time.

Who can do this?

54 posted on 09/09/2004 8:06:26 AM PDT by Republic If You Can Keep It
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To: Republic If You Can Keep It
Someone needs to research whether the specific font used in these memos existed on the IBM at the time

It likely did. The Executive Selectric had an interchangeable ball, rather than hammers, that struck the paper. These balls representented the different fonts.

Some offices had ten or twelve different balls.

60 posted on 09/09/2004 8:09:10 AM PDT by sinkspur ("Can someone tell me where to find an ordained archpriest?"--Cardinal Fanfani)
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To: Republic If You Can Keep It

The easiest way I would suppose would be for some older soldiers here to compare there paperwork from the period and see if the type matches, may not be a perfect way but it is a way.


130 posted on 09/09/2004 8:52:27 AM PDT by aft_lizard (I actually voted for John Kerry before I voted against him)
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To: Republic If You Can Keep It

"OK......Someone needs to research whether the specific font used in these memos existed on the IBM at the time.

Who can do this?"

Tough to do. I've looked everywhere on the web, and cannot find a single example of a document typed on an IBM Executive. Nor can I find any font examples for that machine.

There are precious few of these in working order now. Perhaps a typewriter collector would have one.


228 posted on 09/09/2004 9:42:30 AM PDT by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: Republic If You Can Keep It

I believe with the IBM Selectric, the balls used could be any font. Replace the Selectric ball, replace the font. I used to have to do this to type letters in Spanish and French.

In looking at the font, it doesn't seem to be one that I wouldn't have used back then. Sorry but very few items were actually monospace with the Selectric. An old-style typewriter would be a different story.


473 posted on 09/09/2004 11:23:09 AM PDT by BushisTheMan
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