by Richard Polt | Jul 6, 2026 | ribbons
Now that Charlene Oesch of Baco Ribbons has passed away, many in the typosphere have been wondering what will become of her rare typewriter-inking equipment. I can report that it will not be junked; there is a likely buyer, and there are back-up takers in the...
by Richard Polt | Jun 22, 2026 | ribbons
Many typists, including me, were sad to learn that Charlene Oesch died recently. Her small business, Baco Ribbons, was my go-to source; I used hundreds if not thousands of her nylon ribbons on Underwood-style spools, as well as several big rolls and some specialty...
by Richard Polt | Nov 23, 2019 | ribbons
W. Heath Robinson was the British Rube Goldberg, known for his whimsical illustrations of silly machines. Here’s a cartoon he drew around 1930 to promote Kado carbon paper and ribbons.
by Richard Polt | Oct 18, 2016 | IBM, ribbons
It’s ribbon-changing time! I thought readers might enjoy seeing this process, and the documentation may be useful to some as well. The white line on the right housing for the ribbon is near the top, indicating that the ribbon is almost used up. When you...
by Richard Polt | Feb 8, 2014 | ribbons, WordPlay
I had some fun designing tins for the typewriter ribbons we sell at WordPlay’s Urban Legend Institute. You can get Altoids-sized tins on eBay for about $2 apiece. I designed the packaging image and brief instructions that I printed on labels. These make for cozy...
