Index Typewriters
Yes, there was a time before personal computers and word processing software. We used typewriters. Electric. And before that manual. Those were the days before Backspace where one had to use typewriter erasers and hope that one did not erase of hole in one’s paper which would necessitate typing the flawed page again.
Those were not the good old days.
However, I did consider myself fortunate to be able to use a typewriter at all because my handwriting was deemed illegible. I even took a typing class in eighth grade so that I would not be doomed to type with only two fingers.
The typewriter keyboard was my friend. Even though its organization made no sense to me. Why would anyone design it so “a” was under my weak pinky finger instead of under my strong index finger?
Luckily, I lived in a time of standardized keyboard design. And I also was not condemned to using the now archaic index typewriters.
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In 1829 American William Austin Burt received a patent for his “typographer” which he invented to help speed up office work. Though it never really “caught on,” it is generally recognized as the first of it’s kind.
It was not until the early 1880s that index typewriters really came onto the market--a few years after keyboard typewriters. They were of a much simpler design where one hand selected a stylus from an index of letters while another hand depressed a lever that moved the type to a paper. The shape of the index varied widely; some were in a straight line, others a curved line, a rectangle, or even a circle.
One advantage of the index typewriters was their weight. At only 5-7 pounds, these machines were considered portable.
The major disadvantage was the speed. Or, I should say, the lack of it.
These machines were initially used because their cost was so much less than that of a keyboard design. But as the prices of those machines came down, the index typewriters quickly faded into nonuse.
For more information see: www.officemuseum.com and www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter
To just have fun looking at old typewriters try this: www.antiquetypewriters.com
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