Comments on Strikethru: The Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC) ...

I remember our old mimeograph machine in school. W...

2009-08-02T03:21:13.113-07:00

I remember our old mimeograph machine in school. We would watch through a window during recess while a secretary churned out circulars for the whole school.

I even remember my Dad having a stack of mimeographing templates at home, which he would type into with his gray-and-white Olympia Traveler De Luxe.

LFP: Careful! Strikethru published a post bagging ...

2009-07-15T10:42:50.853-07:00

LFP: Careful! Strikethru published a post bagging on Olivetti's and wound up being pressured into getting one.

You could be next!

The red key is the tab. The very, very first Lette...

2009-07-15T07:48:52.630-07:00

The red key is the tab. The very, very first Letteras (1950/1) had no tab key and were sort of sandy taupe colored.

Word verification: dowma: the way of successful stock selecting.

One thing you can't really see on the video is...

2009-07-14T22:32:47.479-07:00

One thing you can't really see on the video is the complete messiness of the mimeograph process. Jake and Dan kindly loaded the machine with ink and they looked like they had been working at a car mechanics all day. They also seemed to delight in telling each other of various boxes of obscure solvents and inks they had found at church garage sales or ebay and how horrible smelling and mess messy they were. Definitely an interesting duo to teach this (nearly) forgotten technology.

I do have a picture of the arm tattoo, but the pro...

2009-07-14T22:15:55.926-07:00

I do have a picture of the arm tattoo, but the problem is, I'm in it.

Doesn't that article say something about the purple color of mimeographs? I read something about it somewhere. Purple was the standard color, but there were others.

Husband has no leg to stand on, because four of the typewriters are at work, technically keeping my Lifetime Total to six.

LFP, I do see your point on the strange plainness of the Lettera. Its maddening red key is enigmatic, like the Mona Lisa smile. It won some kind of fancy Italian design award though, so what do we know? I do like the red/blue contrast (I would swear I saw a red Lettera on eBay once. Did someone just spray paint one?)

Another great post! Enjoyed this, thanks! So...w...

2009-07-14T21:16:56.983-07:00

Another great post! Enjoyed this, thanks!

So...what *is* the red button on Olivettis for? I've been sitting here trying to puzzle it out, but I'm still not sure.

There's still something about their appearance that doesn't work for me, somehow. It's like...they're typewriter shaped, but without a real style of their own. They remind me of the cars I used to draw as a kid, something between a VW Bug and a station wagon--car shapes, but unidentifiable as any particular model.

Great report. I used to help my mom run the churc...

2009-07-14T08:11:14.114-07:00

Great report. I used to help my mom run the church's mimeograph (although I believe hers had the drum motorized) machine. Hand-cranked is sooooo much cooler.

Double digits, now? What did hubby get out of this arrangement? Because wasn't there suppposed to be, like, a hard-and-fast Lifetime Limit in effect?

Huzzah, a Lettera! I think the two of you are goin...

2009-07-14T07:47:11.614-07:00

Huzzah, a Lettera! I think the two of you are going to be very good friends.

Is purple ink the hallmark of a ditto'd vs mimeographed document? My earliest typing paper was a stack of purple-inked copies of grade school cafeteria lunch menus from the early '60s (grandma was head of the lunch room for years).

Word verification: tabang: what Emeril's gay brother says.

What, no pictures of the arm tattoo? Nice Lettera...

2009-07-14T03:59:46.556-07:00

What, no pictures of the arm tattoo?

Nice Lettera 22! Knew you'd love it.

Bah. I'm just bustin' ya because I'm j...

2009-07-13T22:51:47.504-07:00

Bah. I'm just bustin' ya because I'm jealous.

Well, actually I paid Jake 5 bucks. But still, Dan...

2009-07-13T22:49:20.268-07:00

Well, actually I paid Jake 5 bucks. But still, Dan told me I lucked out, and he was right.

Just two things: 1) That first Strikethru mimeo l...

2009-07-13T22:39:16.042-07:00

Just two things:

1) That first Strikethru mimeo looks like an 80's punk band logo (in a good way).

2) Dude(ette), you can't just tell folks things like "hey check this Lettera I got free styles" because it could very well lead to open revolt. Seriously. I have a pitchfork right here.