About Typewriters

History

• The typewriter is one of the few inventions that can claim several people as its inventor. Once the printing press was invented, several people tried to come up with a way to make the press smaller and more practical. The first typewriters started appearing in the late 19th century and featured several different construction styles. Some had dial-based construction, and some featured sliding scales. However, the hammer-key manual design prevailed, and by the early 20th century, was standardized. As technology began to increase, the manual typewriter gave way to the electric typewriter. These typewriters began appearing in the 1920s and used a small motor to speed up the manual typewriter's hammer design. The result was a faster and more reliable typewriter. As the decades wore on, these motors became smaller and more efficient, which resulted in a much faster type rate. This led to a large demand in the 1960s for fast typists, and opened up many employment opportunities, particularly for women. Although many consider typewriters to be extinct, they are still used today in limited applications and are celebrated though dedicated museums and antique value.

Types

• There are several different types of typewriters, but the two most prominent are manual and electric. Manual typewriters use no electricity and use a hammer-style mechanism that correlates keyboard strikes with printing letters. Electric keyboards need a power supply and get rid of the hammer mechanism in favor of an automated printed system.

Antique Value

• Many old typewriters have a very high antique value. Much of this value depends on rarity, age and brand. Most antique typewriters fetch anywhere from $200 to a few thousand. The most valuable antique typewriter is the Ford typewriter with ornate copper decor that was manufactured in 1895. This typewriter generally fetches prices in excess of $12,000.

Modern Use

• Believe it or not, typewriters are still in use today, although their scale is much more limited. Many professional writers like the responsive feel of manual typewriters,and prefer them to regular computers. Typewriters are often used in legal and banking institutions for official forms that are not optimized for word processing on a computer.

Symbolism in Films

• Typewriters have long been pop culture symbols for journalism and the art of writing. In feature films typewriters are often prominent symbols, and there is even a special camera shot used for typewriting shots that lets the viewer take the point of view of a typewriter. Common themes that are associated with typewriters in film are purity, honesty, simplicity and a hardworking attitude. This can be seen in films like Sunset Boulevard, Moulin Rouge and Capote.