1 - Stevetype33
- Touch Typist
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- From: UK
- Registered: 16-3-2013
- Posts: 172
Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
I was looking at at add for an Imperial 66 with an extra-wide carriage, and the seller said this was for 'foolscap' paper. However, the UK foolscap is only 8inches wide, a little less than A4 in fact.
It got me thinking as to the type of documents that would be used on these extended carriages. I've heard they were often used for legal papers, but can't think what these might have been...
Any ideas?
- beak
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
The wide-carriages I have seen seem intended to accept A4 landscape, and rather than for use on the writing paper this way, I expect that this is/was mainy used for typing the address on a full-size A4 envelope, which must otherwise be done with a sticker if it is to be in the traditional landscape orientation.
I have seen several images of these machines used for typing large charts such as timetables and work rostas.
Since obaining a wide-carriage model some months back, I have, in fact, found no reason to use the full width, but an office worker decades ago most likely would have found use often during the working week.
I could imagine using a carriage wide enough to accept TWO A4s portrait; in such a format two leaves / four pages, all on a single sheet, could be bound easily to A4, but doubt that I ever will!
Last edited by beak (19-6-2013 08:07:50)
Sincerely,
beak.
- Stevetype33
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- From: UK
- Registered: 16-3-2013
- Posts: 172
Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
I was wondering if there was some document format that demanded a large paper size, but I guess it would be prudent for an office to have at least one of these machines knocking around for the odd occassion they might be useful eg typing large envelopes in landscape, as you suggested.
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Thread Starter- beak
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
This looks big eough to annotate tech drawings up to A1.
Any advances on this?!
I guess this would need to be bolted down so that it did not tip over.
Last edited by beak (20-6-2013 07:09:30)
Sincerely,
beak.
- Shangas
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- From: Melbourne, Australia
- Registered: 17-3-2013
- Posts: 298
Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
beak wrote:
This looks big eough to annotate tech drawings up to A1.
Any advances on this?!
I guess this would need to be bolted down so that it did not tip over.
Man, if the drawband on that damn thing snapped off, you'd be SO pissed off!
"Not Yet Published" - My History Blog
"I just sit at a typewriter and curse a bit" - Sir Pelham Grenville "P.G." Wodehouse
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon" - Robert Benchley
- beak
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
Look what just cropped up on eBay UK
This shows the extra wide feet that my picture was missing. Returning that carriage must take a fair bit of effort - not at all handy for ordinary letters.
Sincerely,
beak.
- thetypewriterman
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- From: Leiston, England
- Registered: 29-5-2013
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Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
These machines were often used for cutting duplicator stencils sideways, so that you could print two opposing pages of a newsletter or club magazine. Very few have survived because when the typewriter trade took them in part-exchange, they were difficult to sell and often ended up being dismantled for parts. As you can imagine, they wouldn't be a popular secondhand buy for 'normal' work, because of the sheer physical effort of repeatedly returning that huge carriage, and the amount of clear space needed to swing that carriage in !
- Adleruni
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- Registered: 11-4-2014
- Posts: 15
Re: Paper sizes and extra-wide carriages
I just picked up an R C Allen VisOmatic B from 1963, that has a 26 1/4" platen in a 34 1/4" carriage. I've heard that they were for typing on blueprints, wide business ledger work, and for small town newspapers to type right on the two page wide blank newsprint, or stencils. It actually isn't that hard to operate, as it's got a beefed up spring barrel.
