Show Off Your Typewriter's Personality! 📝✨

[phdezra]

Hi all.... fellow typewriter addicts, I have a confession: I'm absolutely obsessed with typewriter samples! There's something downright intoxicating about seeing how each machine puts its own unique fingerprint on paper – those perfectly imperfect letters, the satisfying ink density, the way each typeface has its own quirky character flaws that somehow make it absolutely gorgeous.

I've got a few typewriters myself, and honestly? I spend way too much time admiring other people's typed samples online like some kind of vintage typeface stalker.

So here's my shameless request: PLEASE feed my (and your) addiction!

Drop your typewriter samples here – doesn't matter if it's:

• The classic "quick brown fox" dance
• A snippet from your morning journal
• Part of that love letter you're pretending isn't cheesy
• Random thoughts you pecked out at 2am
• Even just "testing testing 123" – we don't judge!

We're all typewriter voyeurs here, and there's zero shame in that game! Let's turn this into a beautiful gallery of mechanical poetry. Your typewriter wants to show off – don't deny it that moment to shine!

What does YOUR machine's voice look like on paper?

Ezra

 

[phdezra]

And here is a page from one of mine (I check to ensure all are working from time to time.... here's from my Smith-Corona Super:

 

[Alan]

That is a nice page of type. I am impressed that there are no typos in that text.

 

[phdezra]

Thank you,

Though I'm pretty sure I had two words morph into one, and there is a spot where I meant to write "undone", which I did, but after striking "outdone" in error.

I do page like that for each of my typewriters from time to time. Though when it comes to reality and typefaces in some of these, I am becoming very partial to Pica 10 and dislike Elite 12 more and more — way too small IMHO. But to each their own.

As far as spelling (and grammar), yes, I try to be careful. As I write on my pages—no delete function. Thank you for looking. Let’s see what other have….

Ezra

 

[phdezra]

Hi all, After my Smith-Corona Super sample got exactly one response, I'm doubling down with some 1930s Corona artillery. Because nothing says "I'm serious about this (or my pen pal idea)" like deploying multiple machines from different decades!

For the tech specs crowd: We're talking about pairing up machines with somewhat different/shaken DNA here (still same copmany, this is going back in time from my first sample). Imagine your correspondent's surprise when they receive a letter from your feather-touch Olympia SM series, then you hit them back with the industrial authority of a Royal KMM. It's like a mechanical conversation across manufacturing eras!

Dozens more lurking, probably oiling their escapements as we speak. Comment if you're ready to put those restored beauties to WORK. Let's turn this into the analog revival it deserves to be!

Ezra

Here is #2 for me:

 

[phdezra]

Here is today's sample from my Olympia SM3, sweet and fluid but I dislike the Elite 12 typeface; I now only buy Pica 10 typeface typewriters — and most typewriters seem to be available in both. Though I’m not buying any new gear ATM.

Oh! I saw a posting on eBay/Etsy for a typewriter with a cubist font. Very cool for a 50 year old machine!

 

[phdezra]

Hi all,

Sample #4: Deploying the heavy artillery

Meet the Olympia SM9 - the BMW of typewriters. German engineering at its finest: precision that would make a Swiss watchmaker weep, touch sensitivity that responds to your mood, and build quality that laughs at planned obsolescence. This machine doesn't just type; it purrs through paragraphs like a well-tuned engine on the Autobahn. AFAIK, the SM9 was designed when "user experience" wasn't a buzzword - it was just called "not wanting to fight your typewriter." Every key press feels like butter, every carriage return slides like silk, and the whole thing weighs enough to double as home security. (But is has a "portable" case!)

I'm starting to think I'm building an accidental anthology here - "Typewriter Samples: A Collection." Maybe I'll bind them together with a ribbon (pun absolutely intended) and call it modern art. "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Typist" has a nice ring to it...!

But seriously, each machine tells its own story through metal and mechanics. This SM9 specimen represents peak analog technology - the last generation before everything went electric and lost its soul.

Keep calm and carry on typing...

Ezra

 

[phdezra]

Hi all,

Sample #5: The Century Club

Meet the Royal Model O - nearly 100 years old (with lovely glass keys). This mechanical dinosaur was typing before TV, computers, or even ballpoint pens were invented - and still running like a champ! Still here refusing to crash, freeze, or beg for updates.

I'm basically running a one-typewriter museum at this point, but hey - at least my audience is consistent! Peak 2025 energy right there.

But seriously - glass keys, people. GLASS KEYS.

Keep calm and carry on typing...

Ezra

PS Methinks this is Pica 10 typeface.... (look at the print size compared to the Olympia SM9 (Elite 12)

 

[phdezra]

Hi all,

Sample #6: The Silent Assassin

Meet the 1947 Remington Noiseless Model 7 - the ninja of typewriters. After living with my percussion section of Smith-Coronas, Royals, and Olympias that announce every keystroke like a marching band, this machine is genuinely SHOCKING in its silence. I didn't think "noiseless" was possible - I thought it was just marketing speak from the 1940s!

This thing types like a whisper but hits like a sledgehammer. Each letter gets properly embossed into the paper with all the authority of its louder cousins, but with the stealth of a cat burglar. It's like having a sports car with a muffler that actually works.

I'm officially running out of room for more typewriters, but apparently not running out of reasons to acquire them. My neighbors probably think I've finally lost it - "Why is Ezra's typing so quiet? Is he okay?"

But seriously, the engineering on this noiseless mechanism is genuinely impressive. Peak 1940s innovation when they solved problems with MECHANICAL GENIUS instead of software patches.

Sample #6 in the books!

Keep calm and type silently...
Ezra

PS Flying solo with black ribbon today - no red ink drama this time!