3 ms·

Were Daisy-wheels ever used in typewriters, or was that just a printer thing?

ckz 3y ago
I believe there were many daisy wheel typewriters, but I (correctly or incorrectly) tend to associate them with true electronic typewriters as opposed to electric ones. IBM Wheelwriters and such.
- hackermatic 3y ago
  There were a lot of early typewriters that experimented with interchangeable type wheels, shuttles, and sleeves. Hammond and Blickensderfer are two of the better-known brands among collectors, but here's a whole list: https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_single_element.htm https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_single_element.htm
  - ckz 3y ago
    Amazing! Isn't there also a single element one that uses an inverted cylinder with the type on the inside? In general, I'm discovering what a deep rabbit hole I've dug myself into. Last weekend I was trying to decide between a Corona Silent, a similar-vintage Remington I haven't yet identified, and an SCM Corsair. Looking for a nice portable contrast to a Selectric that isn't fatiguing to use. Edit: Re. that first point, believe I was thinking (somewhat backwards) of the 1878 version of the Malling-Hansen Writing Ball: https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_hansen_writing_ball.htm https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_hansen_writing_ball...
    - hackermatic 3y ago
      If you're looking for a typewriter with a light touch, the Olivetti Lettera 32 and Underwood Universal are some of my favorites. I love my Remingtons, but all of mine (all of which are 1940s models) are pretty heavy.
weinzierl 3y ago
Yep, I had one, might still have it somewhere. Most of my friends had the Triumph Adler Gabriele which had a RS232 serial port and could be used as printer, but mine definitely did not and was a pure electronic typewriter without display and any interfaces.
roblatham 3y ago
Back in the early 1990s I typed my papers on a Smith-Corona typewriter with a daisy-wheel (Smith Cornoa called them "printwheels" but same thing.
epcoa 3y ago
They were produced by the million by Smith Corona for electronic typewriters and “wordprocessors” in the late 80s/early 90s. Those things had the worst fucking keyboards imaginable https://youtu.be/R2rhOUk-dsM https://youtu.be/R2rhOUk-dsM
Johnny555 3y ago
We had a Brother (I think) typewriter with a daisy wheel, it had a 16 character LCD panel so you could preview what you were typing and catch mistakes before it printed, but also had built in correction tape to erase mistakes. We had a couple wheels in different typefaces. But I still preferred the Selectrics at school, that kerchunk with each character typed gave it a good feel and I could type much more accurately than the brother where the printing was disconnected from the typing.
phaedrus 3y ago
The rural high school I went to had these instead of computers until 1996 or 97.
yetanotherloser 3y ago
Electronic ones, yes. I have a couple of AEG/Carrera ones with daisywheels.

ckz 3y ago

I believe there were many daisy wheel typewriters, but I (correctly or incorrectly) tend to associate them with true electronic typewriters as opposed to electric ones. IBM Wheelwriters and such.

hackermatic 3y ago
There were a lot of early typewriters that experimented with interchangeable type wheels, shuttles, and sleeves. Hammond and Blickensderfer are two of the better-known brands among collectors, but here's a whole list: https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_single_element.htm https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_single_element.htm
- ckz 3y ago
  Amazing! Isn't there also a single element one that uses an inverted cylinder with the type on the inside? In general, I'm discovering what a deep rabbit hole I've dug myself into. Last weekend I was trying to decide between a Corona Silent, a similar-vintage Remington I haven't yet identified, and an SCM Corsair. Looking for a nice portable contrast to a Selectric that isn't fatiguing to use. Edit: Re. that first point, believe I was thinking (somewhat backwards) of the 1878 version of the Malling-Hansen Writing Ball: https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_hansen_writing_ball.htm https://www.officemuseum.com/typewriters_hansen_writing_ball...
  - hackermatic 3y ago
    If you're looking for a typewriter with a light touch, the Olivetti Lettera 32 and Underwood Universal are some of my favorites. I love my Remingtons, but all of mine (all of which are 1940s models) are pretty heavy.

weinzierl 3y ago

Yep, I had one, might still have it somewhere. Most of my friends had the Triumph Adler Gabriele which had a RS232 serial port and could be used as printer, but mine definitely did not and was a pure electronic typewriter without display and any interfaces.

roblatham 3y ago

Back in the early 1990s I typed my papers on a Smith-Corona typewriter with a daisy-wheel (Smith Cornoa called them "printwheels" but same thing.

epcoa 3y ago

They were produced by the million by Smith Corona for electronic typewriters and “wordprocessors” in the late 80s/early 90s. Those things had the worst fucking keyboards imaginable https://youtu.be/R2rhOUk-dsM https://youtu.be/R2rhOUk-dsM

Johnny555 3y ago

We had a Brother (I think) typewriter with a daisy wheel, it had a 16 character LCD panel so you could preview what you were typing and catch mistakes before it printed, but also had built in correction tape to erase mistakes. We had a couple wheels in different typefaces. But I still preferred the Selectrics at school, that kerchunk with each character typed gave it a good feel and I could type much more accurately than the brother where the printing was disconnected from the typing.

phaedrus 3y ago

The rural high school I went to had these instead of computers until 1996 or 97.

yetanotherloser 3y ago

Electronic ones, yes. I have a couple of AEG/Carrera ones with daisywheels.