Typewriter Paper
How to choose, what to do, musings on dust, etc.
This question reminds me of this image for some reason...
The truth is, I've never thought much about the question.
Because what I did was this....
In around 2023 when I got a Smith Corona Silent, I started writing on it. It was a slow, painful start, to tell you the truth. It took some years until this machine became a writing tool for me.
From novelty to writing tool.
Initially, while researching vintage typewriters online, I couldn't find much. What I found was technical and smelled of old, dusty library shelves, if you get my drift.
And dust is, of course, mostly human skin.
Anyway.
While researching, one of my main concerns was: where do I get paper and ink?
Fortunately, typewriters are still used all over the world. At that point in my research, even some courtrooms still used them to transcribe in high security locations. So you can still find ink.
Typewriter ink comes on a roll, called a spool. Some machines use an odd size (which refers to the width of the ribbon). I tend to focus on machines that use the universal size, wherever possible. There can be a little variance. For instance, I use the universal size on my Hammond folding multiplex (1923), and that will sort of work. I can also order the special size from a specialty distributor, and it works a little better.
Paper concerns.
Size.
Every machine from 1840 on seems to accent letter sized paper, fortunately. That aspect hasn't changed. Letter, as you know, is 8.5 x 11.
Now, Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road on a roll of paper, because changing pages was throwing off his rhythm (a plight I well understand). Once you're in flow, pages fly. As pages fly, they are harder to keep ordered, especially when you're outside on a seaside cliff. So as long as the typewriter is 8.5 wide or narrower, you can use it for most typewriters. The length doesn't matter quite as much. Though a Hammond is different (the remainder of the page tucks down into a little nook. Mostly, any length of paper will work.
If you want to use a narrower paper, like a little note pad, that works fine as well. You just adjust the rollers, paper holders, and margins as needed.
Thickness.
Ok, I get a lot of typewriter paper with older machines. It's ultra thin. It's as thin as it needs to be. Computer paper works fine as well.
Some people type notes on note cards. I typed many notes for a screenplay I was writing on index cards, on a 1937 Remington Noiseless, and it worked perfectly.
Grip.
If the paper is not gripping, which often happens, it's a roller / platen issue rather than a paper issue.
You can often sand down the rubber to get a better grip, or soak it in a solvent (keep off of the paint). You can send it off to get a new platen (though there is some disassembly required and, more bothersome, re-assembly). Sometimes the paper tray is bend, so the rollers won't feed. More often, the rear or front rollers (or both) are flat, and the paper won't feed.
You can get all new rubber from an old-school typewriter guy. They'll send it to JJ short, as far as I can tell, and might charge $1200.
If you're sitting with a lighter and dollar bills and need something to do, that might be an option. Not really necessarily.
Sometimes a hard platen will cause small characters like the period to poke through thin paper or appear as a dimple in the back (like braille). This freaks a few people out. You can replace the platen rubber, or use a little bit thicker paper.
Backing sheet.
Some people suggest using a backing sheet to get a better impression and preserve the slugs / platen. Unless you're working with a piece in a museum, of which 3 were made, I wouldn't worry so much about the slugs. You can type millions of words on a typewriter before they show signs of use. (I've had maybe 5 where they were worn out, and still worked, but were a little flat at the edges).
As for preserving the platen, people think that platens are supposed to be very soft. They're supposed to be 'soft enough', but not too soft. You can read this on a durameter. There's a range where they were, traditionally. Many new platens, I think, are too soft. They slow down typing, so they aren't always worth the trade-off, in my experience.
So change out the rubber if it needs it, for sure. And don't if it doesn't.
I often change out the feet, by the way. There are some great contemporary feet that really add to a typewriters usefulness, in my opinion.
The summary.
Write like your life depends on it. Grab whatever paper is around. I love experimenting with hand made paper, deckle-edge cotton papers I used to do printmaking with, paper with flower petals embedded, and simple old computer paper for drafting. Sometimes I use an old pack of typewriter paper for fun. It's so thin you can almost see through it, more for drafting than letters.
There are typewriters all over the world. The key is to set one up, and get working upon it.
I hope this helps.
Write on,
Steven Budden Jr.
Classic Typewriter Co.
classictypewriter.com/