#selectric — Public Fediverse posts

Reviving the IBM Selectric Composer Fonts (2023)

https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/

#HackerNews #IBM #Selectric #Fonts #Typography #RetroTech #CreativeRevival #DesignHistory

Reviving the IBM Selectric Composer Fonts (2023)

https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/

#HackerNews #IBM #Selectric #Fonts #Typography #RetroTech #CreativeRevival #DesignHistory

Reviving the IBM Selectric Composer Fonts (2023)

https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/

#HackerNews #IBM #Selectric #Fonts #Typography #RetroTech #CreativeRevival #DesignHistory

Reviving the IBM Selectric Composer Fonts (2023)

https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/

#HackerNews #IBM #Selectric #Fonts #Typography #RetroTech #CreativeRevival #DesignHistory

Reviving the IBM Selectric Composer Fonts (2023)

https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/

#HackerNews #IBM #Selectric #Fonts #Typography #RetroTech #CreativeRevival #DesignHistory

Random memory prompted by a work conversation: When I was a kid, my mom was the secretary for our church, and typed all of the weekly bulletins on an IBM Selectric. My brain still processes the IBM Selectric Script font as her "handwriting".

https://www.dafont.com/selectric-script.font

#font #typewriter #ibm #selectric

I bring you the Filter Shaft End Play adjustment, from the IBM Selectric I And Selectric II Pictorial Reference Adjustment Manual https://archive.org/details/ibm-selectric-i-and-selectric-ii-pictorial-reference-adjustment-manual/page/2/mode/1up

It's full of these hand-drawn technical drawings that i (sort of) learnt to do in school.

Have you checked your Filter Shaft End Play today?

#TechnicalDrawing #Selectric

I am writing up this advert i found in Byte magazine and it uses _all_ the IBM Selectric fonts. So far 6, and climbing (because i haven't identified them all yet). [edit, later: the final count was 9, including 4 FIU firsts (plus loads of other dry-transfer fonts, some of which were also FIU firsts): https://fontsinuse.com/uses/75316/bill-godbout-electronics-advert-in-byte-magaz ]
#Selectric

My IBM #Selectric is seeing a lot of use at #39c3, even though it's kinda hidden :)

Check the glyph widths of your #GlyphsApp font against common #unitization systems (#Selectric, #Linotype, #Monotype ...) with this updated version of my Glyph Width Histogram script:
https://github.com/jenskutilek/Glyphs-Scripts/blob/master/Metrics/Glyph%20Width%20Histogram.py

Check the glyph widths of your #GlyphsApp font against common #unitization systems (#Selectric, #Linotype, #Monotype ...) with this updated version of my Glyph Width Histogram script:
https://github.com/jenskutilek/Glyphs-Scripts/blob/master/Metrics/Glyph%20Width%20Histogram.py

Check the glyph widths of your #GlyphsApp font against common #unitization systems (#Selectric, #Linotype, #Monotype ...) with this updated version of my Glyph Width Histogram script:
https://github.com/jenskutilek/Glyphs-Scripts/blob/master/Metrics/Glyph%20Width%20Histogram.py

Check the glyph widths of your #GlyphsApp font against common #unitization systems (#Selectric, #Linotype, #Monotype ...) with this updated version of my Glyph Width Histogram script:
https://github.com/jenskutilek/Glyphs-Scripts/blob/master/Metrics/Glyph%20Width%20Histogram.py

Check the glyph widths of your #GlyphsApp font against common #unitization systems (#Selectric, #Linotype, #Monotype ...) with this updated version of my Glyph Width Histogram script:
https://github.com/jenskutilek/Glyphs-Scripts/blob/master/Metrics/Glyph%20Width%20Histogram.py

Today is the 70th anniversary of two important #IBM #Selectric #typewriter patents! They helped set the stage for one of the coolest and most beautiful typing instruments every made! I wrote a small something for the occasion! https://sharktastica.co.uk/articles/selectric-golfball-70

@nekoewen I've still got an #IBM #Selectric. I keep it for "old times" sake.

It's not working (again) but it's easily fixed & I've still got a whole bunch of balls, no 3D printing required.

That’s no Moon, er, Selectric https://hackaday.com/2025/08/12/thats-no-moon-er-selectric/ #Retrocomputing #typewriter #Selectric #Juki

That’s no Moon, er, Selectric - If you learned to type anytime in the mid-part of the 20th century, you probably e... - https://hackaday.com/2025/08/12/thats-no-moon-er-selectric/ #retrocomputing #typewriter #selectric #juki

Talking Robot Uses Typewriter Tech For Mouth https://hackaday.com/2025/08/08/talking-robot-uses-typewriter-tech-for-mouth/ #animatronics #RobotsHacks #typewriter #Selectric #puppet #robot #ibm

Talking Robot Uses Typewriter Tech For Mouth - Many decades ago, IBM engineers developed the typeball. This semi-spherical hunk o... - https://hackaday.com/2025/08/08/talking-robot-uses-typewriter-tech-for-mouth/ #animatronics #robotshacks #typewriter #selectric #puppet #robot #ibm

They did the unspeakable and put Papyrus on a Selectric: https://typecast.munk.org/2023/09/11/custom-3d-printed-selectric-elements-are-here-vogue-papyrus/ (HT @chrisaldrich )
#Typewriter #Papyrus #Selectric

Hoping this little thing will hatch into a young Selectric.

#Typewriters #IBM #Selectric

#Technology that I don't think ever existed, but which *should* have...

The #microfiche #typewriter. [1]

It is a typewriter very closely resembling an #IBM #Selectric electric typewriter. The keyboard is virtually identical, though the platen and print head are different. Instead of the platen being a rubber roller, there is a slot with guides, into which you drop a standard-sized plastic film sheet - a #fiche.

The type element - the "ball" - is identical to a normal Selectric element, except for size. It's only a few millimetres in diameter. Typing is virtually silent, because the ball moves only a tiny, tiny amount at a time, so little you don't even notice it unless you watch for a full line of type.

Above the fiche slot is a small-ish translucent rear-projection screen, which shows the text of the page you're currently typing. Operators work in a dimly-lit room, and their faces are bathed in a diffuse, soft white light.

#retro #RetroTechnology #RetroFuture #TypeElement #TypewriterBall #ShouldHaveBeen #ShouldHave #If #invention #1960s #typewriter

[1] Or #microfilm

#Technology that I don't think ever existed, but which *should* have...

The #microfiche #typewriter. [1]

It is a typewriter very closely resembling an #IBM #Selectric electric typewriter. The keyboard is virtually identical, though the platen and print head are different. Instead of the platen being a rubber roller, there is a slot with guides, into which you drop a standard-sized plastic film sheet - a #fiche.

The type element - the "ball" - is identical to a normal Selectric element, except for size. It's only a few millimetres in diameter. Typing is virtually silent, because the ball moves only a tiny, tiny amount at a time, so little you don't even notice it unless you watch for a full line of type.

Above the fiche slot is a small-ish translucent rear-projection screen, which shows the text of the page you're currently typing. Operators work in a dimly-lit room, and their faces are bathed in a diffuse, soft white light.

#retro #RetroTechnology #RetroFuture #TypeElement #TypewriterBall #ShouldHaveBeen #ShouldHave #If #invention #1960s #typewriter

[1] Or #microfilm

#Technology that I don't think ever existed, but which *should* have...

The #microfiche #typewriter. [1]

It is a typewriter very closely resembling an #IBM #Selectric electric typewriter. The keyboard is virtually identical, though the platen and print head are different. Instead of the platen being a rubber roller, there is a slot with guides, into which you drop a standard-sized plastic film sheet - a #fiche.

The type element - the "ball" - is identical to a normal Selectric element, except for size. It's only a few millimetres in diameter. Typing is virtually silent, because the ball moves only a tiny, tiny amount at a time, so little you don't even notice it unless you watch for a full line of type.

Above the fiche slot is a small-ish translucent rear-projection screen, which shows the text of the page you're currently typing. Operators work in a dimly-lit room, and their faces are bathed in a diffuse, soft white light.

#retro #RetroTechnology #RetroFuture #TypeElement #TypewriterBall #ShouldHaveBeen #ShouldHave #If #invention #1960s #typewriter

[1] Or #microfilm

#Technology that I don't think ever existed, but which *should* have...

The #microfiche #typewriter. [1]

It is a typewriter very closely resembling an #IBM #Selectric electric typewriter. The keyboard is virtually identical, though the platen and print head are different. Instead of the platen being a rubber roller, there is a slot with guides, into which you drop a standard-sized plastic film sheet - a #fiche.

The type element - the "ball" - is identical to a normal Selectric element, except for size. It's only a few millimetres in diameter. Typing is virtually silent, because the ball moves only a tiny, tiny amount at a time, so little you don't even notice it unless you watch for a full line of type.

Above the fiche slot is a small-ish translucent rear-projection screen, which shows the text of the page you're currently typing. Operators work in a dimly-lit room, and their faces are bathed in a diffuse, soft white light.

#retro #RetroTechnology #RetroFuture #TypeElement #TypewriterBall #ShouldHaveBeen #ShouldHave #If #invention #1960s #typewriter

[1] Or #microfilm

#Technology that I don't think ever existed, but which *should* have...

The #microfiche #typewriter. [1]

It is a typewriter very closely resembling an #IBM #Selectric electric typewriter. The keyboard is virtually identical, though the platen and print head are different. Instead of the platen being a rubber roller, there is a slot with guides, into which you drop a standard-sized plastic film sheet - a #fiche.

The type element - the "ball" - is identical to a normal Selectric element, except for size. It's only a few millimetres in diameter. Typing is virtually silent, because the ball moves only a tiny, tiny amount at a time, so little you don't even notice it unless you watch for a full line of type.

Above the fiche slot is a small-ish translucent rear-projection screen, which shows the text of the page you're currently typing. Operators work in a dimly-lit room, and their faces are bathed in a diffuse, soft white light.

#retro #RetroTechnology #RetroFuture #TypeElement #TypewriterBall #ShouldHaveBeen #ShouldHave #If #invention #1960s #typewriter

[1] Or #microfilm

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #PeripheralsHacks #HackadayColumns #IBMWheelwriter5 #IBMWheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #Wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #Selectric #Joystick #nRF52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #PeripheralsHacks #HackadayColumns #IBMWheelwriter5 #IBMWheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #Wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #Selectric #Joystick #nRF52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #PeripheralsHacks #HackadayColumns #IBMWheelwriter5 #IBMWheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #Wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #Selectric #Joystick #nRF52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold - What do you get when you combine a Raspberry Pi 4B, a Kaypro keyboard, and a 9″ Ap... - https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #peripheralshacks #hackadaycolumns #ibmwheelwriter5 #ibmwheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #selectric #joystick #nrf52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold - What do you get when you combine a Raspberry Pi 4B, a Kaypro keyboard, and a 9″ Ap... - https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #peripheralshacks #hackadaycolumns #ibmwheelwriter5 #ibmwheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #selectric #joystick #nrf52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold - What do you get when you combine a Raspberry Pi 4B, a Kaypro keyboard, and a 9″ Ap... - https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #peripheralshacks #hackadaycolumns #ibmwheelwriter5 #ibmwheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #selectric #joystick #nrf52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold - What do you get when you combine a Raspberry Pi 4B, a Kaypro keyboard, and a 9″ Ap... - https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #peripheralshacks #hackadaycolumns #ibmwheelwriter5 #ibmwheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #selectric #joystick #nrf52840 #atari

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One With the Curvy Centerfold - What do you get when you combine a Raspberry Pi 4B, a Kaypro keyboard, and a 9″ Ap... - https://hackaday.com/2024/12/16/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-curvy-centerfold/ #peripheralshacks #hackadaycolumns #ibmwheelwriter5 #ibmwheelwriter #joystickmouse #forcecurves #raspberrypi #wheelwriter #altoidstin #mousering #selectric #joystick #nrf52840 #atari

For background information on the Selectric Composer spacing system, see my article: https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/
#IBM #Selectric #font

The #IBM #Selectric Composer used a unit system of 9 glyph widths. I tried to adapt my FF Hertz Book #font to this unit system, and frankly it is a bit scary how well most glyphs fit out of the box. What’s going on in my mind? ;)
Some glyphs are problematic, like the r and the s that need to become very narrow, but that is a general problem with the Selectric Composer spacing.

You can watch Anna-Lena‘s presentation of her ANRT project here: https://vimeo.com/926559286
I did a straightforward digitisation of the Selectric Univers; she went beyond that and interpreted multiple styles, and made the fonts interpolate between the typewriter and the phototypesetting version with more natural spacing and exaggerated corners!
#Frutiger #IBM #Selectric #fonts

Anna-Lena Würth recently rediscovered #Frutiger's original drawings for the #IBM #Selectric UN #fonts.
For my own revival*, I worked from the original 11pt final size type specimens. Comparing with the original large drawings, I think I didn’t do too bad ;) (my a on the right)

* https://www.kutilek.de/selectric/

#Selectric

New blog post: "Changing the font… on a typewriter!" https://princessleia.com/journal/2023/10/changing-the-font-on-a-typewriter/ #typewriter #IBMSelectric #Selectric

New blog post: "I finally came home with an IBM Selectric II" https://princessleia.com/journal/2023/09/i-finally-came-home-with-an-ibm-selectric-ii/ #typewriter #selectric

@Cloudscout Beautiful! How did you clean the interior mechanism? I have two Selectrics and the only guy I knew who still serviced them (doing the "hot dip" clean-and-lube process) retired a few years ago. They were supposedly designed to have this service done every few years.

Also, interesting that your model has the numerals 1 and 0 on it. The only OG #Selectric I ever encountered in the wild lacked both, and you had to use a lowercase L and uppercase O as substitutions. (Maybe it was weird?)

In today's episode of Bet You Can't Eat Just One, look what followed me home.

#IBM #Selectric #SelectricII #Typewriter

I only got one of the two #IBM #Selectric #Typewriters. This one was manufactured in 1969.

Cette vidéo ne m'aide absolument pas dans ma grosse envie d'acquérir une machine à écrire IBM Selectric juste parce que c'est un gros machin qui fait du bruit avec des trucs qui tournent partout intéressants à voir comment ça marche et dont j'aimerais bien adapter également en terminal série
:youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kXnsvYfaF4
#Selectric #TypeWritter #MachineAEcrire

Cette vidéo ne m'aide absolument pas dans ma grosse envie d'acquérir une machine à écrire IBM Selectric juste parce que c'est un gros machin qui fait du bruit avec des trucs qui tournent partout intéressants à voir comment ça marche et dont j'aimerais bien adapter également en terminal série
:youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kXnsvYfaF4
#Selectric #TypeWritter #MachineAEcrire

Cette vidéo ne m'aide absolument pas dans ma grosse envie d'acquérir une machine à écrire IBM Selectric juste parce que c'est un gros machin qui fait du bruit avec des trucs qui tournent partout intéressants à voir comment ça marche et dont j'aimerais bien adapter également en terminal série
:youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kXnsvYfaF4
#Selectric #TypeWritter #MachineAEcrire

Cette vidéo ne m'aide absolument pas dans ma grosse envie d'acquérir une machine à écrire IBM Selectric juste parce que c'est un gros machin qui fait du bruit avec des trucs qui tournent partout intéressants à voir comment ça marche et dont j'aimerais bien adapter également en terminal série
:youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kXnsvYfaF4
#Selectric #TypeWritter #MachineAEcrire

Stories & toots about all things #Barbenheimer, #IMAX, #AI #JohnnyCash, #deepfake, #FableSimulation, #SouthPark, #Glorbo, #VanHalen, #M&Ms, #Selectric, #VisionPro and more!

http://gamesatwork.biz/2023/07/31/e426-barbenheimer-chic/