Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Diogenes

The IBM Selectric did; however, have interchangeable fonts that clipped into place. You could get special character fonts, but I am not sure whether the special characters included super and subscripts.


850 posted on 09/09/2004 5:57:56 PM PDT by myrabach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 351 | View Replies ]


To: myrabach
The IBM Selectric did; however, have interchangeable fonts that clipped into place.

If these documents were produced on a typewriter, the typewriter was not a Selectric. The Selectric does not have proportional spacing, the Executive does.

There is a Selectric that facilitates proportional spacing, but I'd bet my house that the "Selectric-Composer" was not used in this context.

The first IBM Composer was the IBM "Selectric" Composer announced in 1966. It was a hybrid "Selectric" typewriter that was modified to have proportional spaced fonts. It is 100% mechanical and has no digital electronics. Since it has no memory, the user was required to type everything twice. While typing the text the first time, the machine would measure the length of the line and count the number of spaces. When the user finished typing a line of text, they would record special measurements into the right margin of the paper. Once the entire column of text was typed and measured, it would then be retyped, however before typing each line, the operator would set the special justification dial (on the right side) to the proper settings, then type the line. The machine would automatically insert the appropriate amount of space between words so that all of the text would be justified.

http://www.ibmcomposer.org/SelComposer/description.htm


869 posted on 09/09/2004 6:06:09 PM PDT by Cboldt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 850 | View Replies ]

To: myrabach
The IBM Selectric did; however, have interchangeable fonts that clipped into place. You could get special character fonts, but I am not sure whether the special characters included super and subscripts.

Didn't see any when I went to selectric.org earlier today.

870 posted on 09/09/2004 6:07:37 PM PDT by CedarDave (USCG Vietnam vet to DC from NM on 9/12 for the "Kerry Lied...While Good Men Died" rally. Join us!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 850 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson