27 High-res Typesamples from ProfessorC’s extensive collection of Selectric Type Elements

Fellow collector and Selectric enthusiast ProfessorC volunteered to type out samples of a number of GP and IBM type elements on his carbon-ribbon Selectrics and scan them in at high-resolution. Many of these are not shown with type samples in the GP/DSC catalogs, so now we know what these fonts look like. The versions I’m posting are web-resolution, obviously, but I have 300dpi versions suitable for converting to computer fonts if someone familiar with that process wants to try. We still don’t have complete representation of Selectric typestyles, but we’re getting closer. ProfessorC’s collection is by far the most diverse collection of elements I’ve encountered so far. (:

Enjoy!

selectric-typeballs-2 selectric-typeballs-1 selectric-typeballs-3 selectric-typeballs-4

Updated: November 11, 2013 — 12:36 pm

5 Comments

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  1. Very cool!

    Calligraphy still looks fantastic to me.

    I don’t have time to make fonts from them, but I describe the basic process here:
    http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-fonts.html

  2. Those are some very nice fonts. I may need to get an IBM and start collecting the balls.

  3. Since I have resolved to acquire no more typewriters, perhaps a similar search for Selectric typefaces might provide an outlet for that energy. Smaller investment, and just smaller. If only I could figure out how to cure my Selectric II of its stuttering impediment.

    1. ahh! Selectric repair, it’s a complex and fun endeavor. I reccomend the Yahoo Golfballtypewriter forum for assistance. There’s a lot of old IBM techs in there you can diagnose just about anything.

  4. Hi there! I am an active type designer from Austria and very interested in the hi-res scans of the shown typefaces. Is it still possible to access them?

    All the best,
    david

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