Using The Eraser Ribbon On A Typewriter
| Field | Communications technology |
| Went Obsolete | mid to late 80s |
| Made Obsolete By | The Word Processor |
| Knowledge Assumed | This was pretty straighforward, really - if you had a newer model typewriter, you could simply backspace as far as you needed to, and the typewriter would work its way backwards through the last x number of characters you typed. Otherwise, you had to backspace to the appropriate point, switch to the eraser ribbon and retype what you wanted to erase. Even further back, before the days of eraser ribbons, you would have to hold a piece of Tippex paper (in a colour that matched the stationery) and retype the erroneous text. Going back even further than that, it was bottles of Tippex to paint over the errors - and woe betide if the Tippex had become thick and gloopy. Any further back than that and (for legal documentation which couldn't contain errors) you simply had to start again. Accuracy was a highly prized skill back then! |
Another solution was a round hard rubber disk with a small brush attached to it. There is a famous sculpture of one of these at the National Gallery of Art (see photo). I wonder if people even know what this is supposed to be when they see it. See: http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pinfo?Object=108119+0+none(approve sites)
| When useful When using an IBM Selectric or other typewriter with an erasing ribbon. They still see some use for carbon paper forms and among writers and collectors. |
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