Platen colors are for Hardness. Here is the complete breakdown of typewriter platen colors, their hardness levels, and how they perform:## Typewriter Platen Color & Hardness Chart| Platen Color | Shore A Hardness | Typing Feel & Characteristics | Best Suited For... ||---|---|---|---|| Light Gray / Off-White | 85 – 87 (Soft) | Highly cushioned, muffled "thup" sound. Very quiet, but text imprint can look slightly less sharp. | Comfort typists, ultra-portable machines, and preventing paper piercing. || Teal / Muted Blue-Gray | 85 – 88 (Soft/Medium) | Iconic historic factory standard (e.g., Swiss Hermes 3000). Smooth, buttery feel with great acoustic dampening. | Vintage European portables and mid-century aesthetic restorations. || Bright Blue | 88 – 90 (Medium) | Modern custom synthetic rubber. Perfect "sweet spot" that yields a crisp print without loud impact noise. | Modern custom restorations, antique portables (like Corona 3 or Remington). || Standard Black | 88 – 92 (Medium/Firm) | Replicates the original factory specification for most classic manual typewriters. Excellent, crisp lettering. | Standard everyday manual typewriters (e.g., Smith-Corona, Underwood, Olympia). || Bright Orange / Red | 93 – 100+ (Hard) | Incredibly dense and solid strike backing. Controls heavy vibration but creates a very loud, sharp snap. | Electromechanical/electric typewriters (like the IBM Selectric) and heavy office machines. || DIY Heat-Shrink Blue/Black | 95 – 100+ (Rock Hard) | Often a cheap cosmetic cover-up over a dead platen. Feels like hard plastic, sounds deafening, and punches holes in paper. | Avoid for regular typing; requires a backing sheet if used. |
via Mitchell Vassiliou at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10164208015789678/
