Typewriter Video Series - Episode 217: EP43 & Cartridge Printing

[@gsetful]

I remember that back in the days, here in Italy, thermal paper for the brother was very expensive and tricky. Couldn't be stored in damp environment (I live in Venice) and couldn't be photocopied... A total disaster. The ribbon, on the other hand, had a decent printout only with the smoothest paper. The machine on the other hand is soo cute. Peace and Love

[@aluysioathayde2388]

Hi Joe. Here in Brazil, I use my thermal typewriter - a Typestar 6 - to write my journal sheets almost everyday. Probably, I will buy a Neo2, and if/when the dollar goes down I will try the Freewrite. Love your videos!

[@mwarau]

I love my thermal typewriter. After seeing some of your first videos on these, I got one fairly cheap to see if it was the thing for me. It is. I look at it as a Neo with paper. The Neo is great as a grab-n-go, but the thermal is better for more intentional writing where taking the time to set things up isn't an issue. Having a sheet of paper to review periodically is great to regain a thought and is perfect for edits.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

It is such an advantage over the Neo, having a sheet of paper to read.

[@typepals]

I'm glad you're enjoying your thermal typewriter. Hopefully it doesn't become an obsession like it has for me.

[@Joe_VanCleave]

@@typepals A good obsession!

[@andrewnicholls3730]

Hi Joe. Hope you are staying safe. I use my thermal typewriters for three main things. Firstly, poetry. Off the cuff, top of the head poems that I can easily sit down and push them out. Secondly, rough draft of stories. I am currently on a second revision of a book of short stories called "scatterings". I use the thermal typewriter to play around with the stories, trying things out etc. Lastly, and most recently, I use a thermal typewriter for short journal entries, cutting up thermal paper into roughly A5 size and then hole punching them and keeping in an A5 ring binder. Thoughts, ideas and memories. And being quiet it means the wife is happy too!!

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I'd love to read you book. And having a quiet machine isn't just for coffee shops anymore (remember those days ...), but for keeping peace at home.

[@typepals]

I mostly use thermal typewriters for blogging, and sometimes letters. I like typing the equivalent of two or three pages and sending it uncut to the recipient. I do wonder if they find it as amusing as I do. In using my Smith Corona SL480 recently, the daisy wheel didn't produced the perfect characters I remembered, so I would say it wasn't much better than what you've shown here. This just confirms my love for using thermal paper. The ribbons are nice to have around for envelopes, though.

[@angusbrown325]

Since watching your videos, I have acquired several Canon Typestar thermal typewriters and each came with started or new thermal IR-100 cartridges. I have found that these cartridges, even the new ones from air sealed packets, do not perform very well. It seems that the ribbon travel is severely deteriorated. Perhaps it is the tape itself having more friction than it did when new. In all of my Canon Typestar machines, the IR-100 thermal cartridge ribbons stop feeding as the machines print and often overheat and snap. Thermal paper is definitely the way to go with these machines instead of the ageing IR-100 cartridges.

[@waterup380]

I had that cassette when I got my Brother EP-41 but after a week or two it just fall apart. It was so old and I think worn out from his old it was. I Didn't know I had a thermal typewriter until I tired thermal receipt paper

[@aphexteknol]

I only wish we could go back in time and see what the quality may have been like when those carbon ribbons were new and fresh. I wonder if there isn’t some degradation that has occured over the intervening years that has affected the overall quality. Like you said though, with thermal paper producing such a good imprint I would carry on using thermal. Interesting video though nonetheless Joe!

[@waterup380]

I wonder where you can get thermal paper that's not fax paper from Staples

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I found packs of letter-sized sheets of thermal paper, made by Brother, on EBay.

[@allanbalon2230]

hello do u know wher i can find ribbon for the brother ep 43 ?

[@deserraadkins4201]

I have a thermal paper question. Can you use thermal paper in a manual without a ink ribbon?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

No, it required a thermal print head to make the imprint.