Typewriters were a standard fixture in most offices up to the 1980s. It was widely used by professional writers, in offices, in business correspondence in private homes, and by students preparing written assignments. The typewriter quickly became an indispensable tool for practically all writing other than personal handwritten correspondence. The first commercial typewriters were introduced in 1874, but did not become common in offices in the United States until after the mid-1880s. At the end of the nineteenth century, the term 'typewriter' was also applied to a person who used such a device. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectively against the paper with a type element. Video showing the operation of a typewriterĪ typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Mechanical desktop typewriters, such as this Underwood Typewriter, were long-time standards in government agencies, newsrooms, and offices. JSTOR ( December 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
