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does anyone know how to change letter pitch (spacing) modes on an old IBM personal wheelwriter typewriter?

Just what it says on the tin, there :)

Using one of these great, if clunky machines at work - tapping out book spine sticky labels in a library. Far quicker easier and more precise (and oddly satisfying) when compared to trying to laser print them with a computer. But... occasionally there's the odd Dewey code that's a honking great monster and won't fit on the label, or we have some books with impossibly thin spines... we need 12 CPI mode!

At another site, there's a much more spindly Brother machine doing a similar job that has the 10/12/15 spacing mode controls clearly marked: This IBM has the same capability but the controls are uber cryptic. And we can forget about having a manual for it - as far as I can tell, the typewriter was manufactured before the library was built and there's no way of justifying buying a 17.99 replacement manual just to get one keycode. I've tried everything likely and a few unlikely ones, no joy.

Old tech users of the world, come to our aid! :-)

Update:

And yes, before any smart-alec suggests it... I've googled, wiki'd and trawled IBM's website for this til I'm blue in the face already ^_^

Update 2:

To clarify: we have nothing but the typewriter itself, a few spare ribbons and a stack of miniature size sticky label sheets. Wouldn't even know where to start with exchanging the print head (which is a daisy wheel not a ball, anyway). The mode I'm talking about is just a change in the stepping of the motor that pushes the head across the page, anyway - the flimsy Brother handles it on the fly no problems, just push a button combination. Should be the same with the IBM as far as I can make out: even my mother's old manual remington from about 1973 had a switch for this!

2 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    you have to get a seperate typing ball for that, there are several that have different fonts and spacing.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    That explains the two coloured ribbon in the old things! Thanks!

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