typewriter

A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device for producing printed characters on paper by striking ink from a ribbon onto the page. It converts keystrokes into letters, spaces, and punctuation, using type elements that imprint onto paper.

The modern typewriter emerged in the 19th century. Christopher Latham Sholes, with his collaborators Samuel W. Soulé and Carlos Glidden, patented an early typewriter in 1868. It was refined and, in 1873–74, marketed by Remington as the Remington No. 1, the first commercially successful model.

Most early typewriters used typebars (type slugs) arranged in a type basket; pressing a key caused the corresponding type slug to swing up and strike ink from a cartridge or ribbon onto the paper located against a platen. A carriage holds the paper, advances horizontally with each keystroke, and returns to the left via a carriage return lever or electrically. The ribbon provides ink; a typewriter's shift key raises or lowers the type to produce uppercase and lowercase.

Types and evolution: Mechanical typewriters rely solely on manual power. Electric typewriters use a motor to drive the mechanism, easing typing force. Electronic typewriters add microprocessors and often storage and editing functions. Portable models were designed for travel. The IBM Selectric, introduced in 1961, used a replaceable typeball (golf-ball) printing element and became widely adopted in offices.

Impact: Typewriters standardized the keyboard, accelerated writing, and facilitated office work, journalism, and correspondence. They also enabled carbon-copy duplication through ink-ribbon systems. By the late 20th century, typewriters were largely supplanted by computers, though they remain valued by enthusiasts and for certain archival tasks.