Typewriters are making a comeback among collectors and users
— -- Typewriters are back and taking the country by storm.
Siri, the personal assistant on the iPhone, offers directions, dispenses advice on where to eat, and even takes dictation. Just speak to her and she'll tap out your texts. Still, some say, technology hasn't killed some earlier forms of communication, namely, the typewriter.
"You'd be surprised at the number of people using typewriters," says Scott Paness, who owns a company in Nanuet, N.Y., that repairs and refurbishes the machines.
Type-Ins are being held at coffee houses, bars and bookstores from coast to coast. Early manual typewriters are being snapped up by a new generation of fans who are rediscovering the joys of vintage Smith Coronas, Underwoods and Royals, even IBM Selectrics.
"Typewriters are a wonderful marriage of machine-era technology and cutting period aesthetics," says Chase Gilbert, who owns and runs Kasbah Mod, which sells vintage typewriters.
Vintage typewriters are not just sought after by older folks nostalgic for a blast from the past. People in their 20s and early 30s, says Gilbert, love the old machines for a number of reasons. "Younger collectors buy the vintage typewriter both for its functionality and its looks. They love to see the typewriter sitting right next to their iPad and iPod."
Apparently, people still type, too. "They find that on a typewriter you really have to think. Then, too, there are no distractions with a typewriter. You sit down to type and that's it," Gilbert says. "You can't get distracted with Twitter, Facebook or email. The simplicity of the machine is appealing."
Not to mention that nobody half a world away can hack your typed pages.
Paness, the owner of A World of Fax & Typewriters in Nanuet, says he has seen an uptick in customers calling for both repair and refurbishing of manual and electric machines.
"People have them for show, but others definitely use them. You'd be surprised," he says, at the number of people and companies that still rely on machines like IBM's classic Wheelwriter and Selectrics, along with Nakajimas and Smith Coronas.
"These are not collectors," says Paness. "They're people who have never stopped using typewriters; they're typing on a day-to-day basis." Paness says it's almost essential to have a typewriter for three-part forms, single envelopes and filling out forms that are not on a computer.
Gilbert says the thrill of the hunt is what keeps him collecting.
"I discover quirky, oddball machines all the time," he says. "I love some of the toy typewriters, the Russian language keyboards, and typewriters with surprising manufacturing mistakes. I just grabbed a 1930 Remington Portable Model 3 with two-letter J keys."
