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  1. Last 7 days
    1. reply to u/Ripraz at tk

      I analogize typewriters to cars: there really isn't a "beginner friendly" option, they're all just cars or typewriters. This being said, how well built and engineered they are and some of the smaller optional features or "trim lines" can differ a fair amount. With typewriters, one of the biggest trim differences is the tabulator (does it have one and how do the controls work? If you're a screen writer, you really want one, but if you're doing other general writing, you can get away without one typically.)

      With Olivetti, you're probably going to find peak typewriter manufacturing and materials from the 1930s into the early 1970s. The best stuff is likely in the 50s and 60s where their design chops are also the strongest. Their stuff in the mid-70s and after becomes more plastic and isn't as solid (eg. Lettera 35).

      https://typewriterdatabase.com/olivetti.56.typewriter-serial-number-database

      Some suggestions: <br /> Standards: Graphica, Linea 88<br /> Portables: Studio 42, 44, 45; Lettera 22, Lettera 32

      Be sure to take a peek at the individual typewriter galleries and individual machines in the database to see the shifts in design over time, if that interests you.

      This comparison/review on YouTube, of which there are surely others, is pretty solid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW6Ji275FdE

      As a beginner, you might appreciate skimming through Dr. Polt's book before or after buying a machine:<br /> Polt, Richard. 2015. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century. 1st ed. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press.

  2. Jan 2026
    1. Typewriter Profile: Comparing the Olivetti Lettera 22, Lettera 32, and Studio 44<br /> by [[Damon Di Marco]] of CreateX3.com on YouTube<br /> accessed on 2026-01-19T11:32:11

      Marcello Nizzoli designed the Olivetti Lettera 22, an ultra-portable, and the standard Lexicon 80. He used the automotive idea of press-forming steel to the Olivetti line.

      In 1959, the Illinois Institute of Technology chose the Olivetti Lettera 22 as the best designed product of the last 100 years. It also won the Compasso D'Oro Award in 1954.

      1963 Lettera 32 introduced<br /> Square keys

      1965 Olivetti Studio 44 introduced<br /> Between the standard and the portable<br /> Comes with a case, but is heavier than many portables

      Prefer original spools with spool nuts.

  3. Aug 2025
    1. It's an Olivetti Valentine. An iconic piece of design with mechanicals almost identical to the Lettera 32. Its designer, Ettore Sotsass, was apparently not fond of it ("I worked as an architect for sixty years of my life and all people know is this fucking plastic machine" - or something to that effect) and its first production run was not particularly popular.

      source for this?? interesting, if true

      https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1mxxqkl/dieter_rams_typewriter_model/

  4. Jul 2025
  5. Jul 2024