Friday, July 16, 2010

Slate Blue Japy Script Portable Manual Typewriter (1960s)



The Japy Script typewriter was designed and manufactured in France by Japy Freres & Cie, a watch manufacturer that diversified production into typewriters at the beginning of the 20th century. This model is from the 1960s, and it features full-metal construction, with plastic keys and platen knobs. 



The color is two-tone: slate-blue on the top and light gray on the bottom. The paint finish is still very good for its age, with a couple of negligible chips. This machine was built to last, and has many more years of life left. I love the elegant swoop of the carriage return lever!



A closer view of the logo, and a better look at the machine's paint finish.

It can type in black or red, and the font is pica - not too small, well-spaced and eminently readable. The typewriter itself has been cleaned thoroughly and performs well; the margin bell rings clearly at the end of each line. The individual type slugs have also been cleaned, so that the type is crisp and clear.

It is quite small and light and can easily be stashed in a large purse to take outdoors, or moved around the house.

(poem by William Carlos Williams)

Another creative use for a typewriter is to set it up as a "guest book" for weddings and other events. Your guests will be delighted to type out their good wishes!

Ribbon has just been replaced and will be good for a long while. Replacement ribbons can easily be found at Papeterie Wolf in Geneva.

Pick up in Eaux Vives. Please contact me for more details or to view the machine.

5 comments:

  1. Excellent blog!! You seem to be everywhere now :)
    I write to say that I just discovered a relative of your Japy script. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/shordzi/4808873684/
    cheers, & keep on typing!

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  2. You are so kind! The Japy Script seems to have been a popular machine indeed.

    Anyway, I have decided to use this blog to catalog our collection as well, so hopefully there will be many more pictures for you to look at!

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  3. I know this is incredibly late as far as responses go, but I wondered if you sold the slate blue typewriter? If you haven't, could you please E-Mail me? You can reach me at one8663@calu.edu. I would absolutely love to hear back-- it is absolutely perfect. :) Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! I'm a bit of a lurker in the typosphere, and I was curious about the Japy. I'm looking out for a smallish portable for mobile typing (i.e. something smaller than my two Olympia SMs!) and was wondering how this one compares size/weight-wise to the Lettera 32, or one of the smaller portables (Skyriter etc.)?

    Thank you! Your reviews are very helpful. :)

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  5. Hello Amy -This is definitely a very portable machine which is as small as a Skyriter; although perhaps a little less flat. So pretty close to the Lettera 32, I would say. It's a lovely machine if you can find one; very nice to look at as well, although in comparison to the L32, this one is carriage-shifted, so not as light to type with.

    ReplyDelete

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