Found this interesting article this morning (from The Dallas Morning News on Knight Ridder news service)...
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Typewriters tap out niche for filling out forms and as Y2K survivalist supply
Louise Chandler has been using typewriters since before they came with a ''1'' key. That was in 1960, when the new typewriters of the day featured an electric motor and all 10 digits.
In those days, Chandler spent up to four hours a day in front of her typewriter. Today, if Chandler, a secretary in the Student Life office at the University of Texas at Dallas, works on the office's typewriter for more than 30 minutes, she's put it to heavy use.
''I'd say I use it from 20 to 30 minutes a day at peak use. It kind of depends on what I'm doing that day,'' she says. ''I rarely use it for memos anymore. I use it for deposit slips or if I have a couple of envelopes to address.
''Before everything went to computer, I might do 50 percent of my work on a typewriter. Now maybe 10 percent of the stuff I do is done on them. But when I need it, I'm glad it's there.''
In a world of word processing software and laser printers, the typewriter continues to find its niche, refusing to go the way of the buggy whip or vacuum tube.
Typewriter makers no longer make as many units, but sales are steady, manufacturers say. Companies, schools and other businesses and organizations still have needs for the venerable machines, which have come a long way from the nonelectric ''writing machines'' of the early 20th century.
Users have discovered they just can't quite live without typewriters, even though many people born during the last two decades have never used one _ or can recognize one, for that matter.
And with the gadgets that future machines are likely to incorporate, the typewriter could become one of the most advanced pieces of technology in the modern office.
From collectors items to workplace necessities, typewriters are defying extinction.
For Chandler, the typewriter has a very specific role to play.
''There are still a lot of forms that aren't available to us on computer. So they must go in the typewriter. That's mostly what I use mine for,'' she says. ''A lot of our students come in and use it to fill out their forms. And it's especially good for addressing envelopes or making labels. I use my computer whenever I have to write
something. But when I need to fill something out, I reach for the typewriter.''
It's employees such as Chandler that typewriter manufacturers are trying to reach. According to industry estimates, typewriter sales have stabilized over the past five years after yearly sales losses of about 25 percent in the early 1990s, when word processing software matured and computers became standard office equipment.
But, manufacturers say, nobody's come up with a machine that fills out forms better than a typewriter.
Dean Schulman is a senior vice president at Brother Industries Ltd., which claims more than 50 percent of the domestic typewriter market. He says about 1 million typewriters, down from 2 million in 1994, are sold each year, mostly to small businesses and home offices that need something to fill out the many forms that come their way.
''The death of the typewriter is highly exaggerated. There's no better way to do labels, envelopes or multipart forms,'' he says. ''Those are extremely difficult to do on a PC. Where there are many forms to be filled out, you'll find a typewriter.
''There's no question that computers are the mainstay of the modern office. But typewriters have found their niche as a standard product in the small office environment.''
Vincent Abbatiello, vice president of sales for the Smith Corona Corp., the second-leading manufacturer of typewriters, says one reason that the typewriter has lasted so long is because it hasn't changed much over the decades.
''Durability and ease of use have allowed the typewriter to stand the test of time,'' he says. ''It's not used at the level it once was, but it's still an important piece of office equipment. Everybody needs at least one in the business world.
''There are some special features that are popular, but most people look for functionality and economy. Typewriters are still popular because everybody knows how to use one. There's not much of a learning curve.''
But there often is a sudden realization of how necessary typewriters are in offices, say businesses that sell and repair the machines.
''We don't repair as many as we used to because people don't own as many as they used to,'' says Sarah Littlejohn, assistant manager at All Valley Typewriter in Burbank, Calif. ''But when someone brings one, they want it fixed immediately. That's because they usually only have one in the whole office. They don't realize how much they depend on their typewriter until it's gone.''
Frank Johnson, repair manager for Fulton Typewriter Store in Fulton, N.Y., says finding places that repair typewriters or people who can fix them can be daunting.
''It's a matter of supply and demand. Fewer typewriters mean fewer places to fix them,'' he says. ''The best way to find out where to get a typewriter fixed is to keep your owner's manual. It should have a list of authorized repair centers.
''But that list is getting shorter. Don't expect to get it fixed in a few days. Unless you're in a big city, you're probably going to have to send it away. You might be better off just buying a new one. They're pretty inexpensive.''
Typewriters can be found for less than $100.
Bonner Fuller, a longtime typewriter repairman at Keeney Office Equipment in Seagoville, agreed with Johnson.
''In the long run, you're probably better off just buying a new one. If you get one fixed, chances are it'll break down pretty soon after that, '' he says. ''It's very hard to find parts. That's the main trouble _ that there are no parts available.''
For those who want to repair their typewriters, finding someone with the necessary skills and parts can be a major problem, Fuller says.
''If you really need to get yours fixed, the best bet is to call around. But I can't think of more than two or three places in Dallas that will fix them,'' says Fuller, who's been fixing typewriters for 50 years.
''All the new mechanics ... don't really know how to fix typewriters. They all know how to fix copiers and printers. And if they don't have an old machine they can get the parts off of, you're probably not going to be able to get it fixed.''
Abbatiello and Schulman say low price is another feature that has allowed the typewriter to survive the onslaught of the computer age.
''The opening price point of our typewriters is $79. That's something everyone can afford,'' Schulman says. ''When you talk about a value statement, especially considering a new computer might cost $2,000, that's pretty popular.
''And some of the newer models can do a lot of things personal word processors can do. You can get a typewriter that comes with a disk drive, can send e-mail or print in color for about $300.''
It's those kinds of features that typewriter buyers can expect to see in the future, as well as some that are definitely high tech, Abbatiello says. He says that within five years, typewriters will have new features to make them more functional.
''You could see function keys like you have on a computer that would make, for example, printing labels a lot easier. If it's a label you use a lot, you would just hit F2 instead of typing the whole thing out, '' he says.
''You could see special slots for labels or envelopes. You can expect to see memory that will automatically line up standard forms or even a laser that will automatically set up a form and make sure it's typing in the correct spaces. The typewriter will still be here a decade from now.''
Schulman said that the turn of the millennium has spurred a spurt in typewriter sales.
''Now, more than ever, is the Y2K issue. With people hyping it, typewriters have become pretty popular,'' he says. ''At $79, it's not a major investment to make sure you have a way to write correspondence. You don't want to be in a place where you can't do form letters or mailings. A lot of people aren't sure whether all their computers are Y2K-compliant. They want to be prepared for when January 1 rolls around.''
It's that kind of peace of mind that Chandler finds comforting, especially in the face of what she says is the growing arrogance of modern word processing programs.
''I don't like it when my computer decides it knows what I want to do when it automatically assumes I want to indent here or put numbers there. I don't like it when a machine tells me what to do.
''If my old Olympia was in good condition, I'd use that for my personal stuff. Sometimes it just makes me feel better.''
PHOTO (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):
TYPEWRITER (KRT108 Horiz C), an old Underwood typewriter.
(c) 1999, The Dallas Morning News.
Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at dallasnews.com
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
AP-NY-08-18-99 1420EDT
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