I thought there was a thread here that discussed the silk vs. nylon characteristics? Just did a search; you might find this thread usefull. 

Anyway, maybe you should try buying some vintage, unused ribbon - there always seems to be plenty for sale - and see if that will replicate the look you're after. You might also want to experiment with different paper, which does have an impact on the type quality.

Last edited by Uwe (07-10-2014 22:11:03)

Thanks for sharing that other thread. I guess I missed it in my search. I haven't thought about the paper having an effect on the printing- I'll try different paper. This paper doesn't seem to take well to foutain pen ink as it feathers like crazy, so maybe it is somewhat of the same effect with ribbon ink. 
I know that I could probably wind a carbon ribbon onto some spools, but I would rather use an inked ribbon for now. Perhaps I will try that someday, though. Does it create any sort of dust from the carbon? 

Last edited by Ektagraphic (08-10-2014 06:04:07)

You should be able to buy silk ribbon one spool at a time from an eBay vendor - or ask typwriterman here, he sells ribbon too.

Here's one: Silk Guaze Ribbon
And another: Park Avenue Silk
One more: Silk Dual Spool

Actually, I found lots of them. 

NOS ribbons - if they're still sealed - are typically good to use. I've never used one yet that didn't provide like-new type quality. Post a type sample - comparison - when you get to that point; I'd like to see the difference.