15 or 17 CPI machines were generically called 'micro' in the trade (as opposed to Elite, Pica and Display Type [ 6 CPI ] ).  They were usually used for things like medicine bottle labels by retail chemists (drug stores).  Very few survive because few were made in the first place, and they were almost impossible to sell on secondhand.  As a result, the vast majority of these machines that were traded in, ended up being broken for spare parts.  Some daisywheel machines have a 15 setting as well as 12, 10 and proportional spacing.

...and would you believe it!   The Hermes Ambassador which arrived this morning has (without me even knowing it beforehand) 17 CPI!

Not only have I acquired a machine that I was very interested in testing, but it has a micro typeface.

Not in showroom condition, exactly, but fully functioning as far as I can tell.  This beauty, even with a cursory test, is clearly a machine worthy of the best restoration I can manage.   Some days, you just strike lucky, I guess.  I have the feeling that my SG1 is frowning resentfully at it from across the room.  I can feel a 'Big Guns' type-off coming soon; stay tuned.

Shan't say how much I paid for it, lest some here go as green as its keys!

Shall do.  Look in typeface database thread tonight or tomorrow.   ETA - it's there now.

PS to all.
I've hunted all over this Ambassador with a torch, but cannot find a serial number - anyone know where Hermes hide them on ths machine?

Last edited by beak (19-3-2015 06:28:15)

Thanks - it was there, under a layer of grease!.

Ektagraphic wrote:

Can one measure the CPI of a machine by literally just measuring one inch of typing? Is it based off a certain letter or character?

Even easier is to just hold a ruler up to the paper bail and see where the 1-inch mark falls, at ten character tick marks or twelve (or whatever it happens to be on that particular typewriter). That will give you the "pitch" or the characters-per-inch count.

Yes, you can count the characters in one inch of typing; it is not based on any certain character, because they all take the same amount of space. This is a characteristic of the way an escapement works, in even increments. Of course, there are exceptions in the very few proportional typewriters, Selectrics being the most common occurance, but a manufacturer had to really be willing to commit the expensive resources to develop a proportional system and the much larger market was satisfied with the fixed-pitch design.

HTH