At 12:48 PM 1/8/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>On Fri, 8 Jan 1999, Jim Strickland wrote:
>
>> > > Shure, today they are no longer produced with typewriters and
>> > > Spiritusumdrucker (sorry missing word - a copyingdevice using
>> > > special sheets and spirit for duplication), but rather on PCs
>> > > or high class DTP stations, but thats just the tool.
>> >
>> > Spiritusumdrucker! What a fantastic word! I think that would be a
>> > mimeograph?
>>
>> I always heard them called ditto machines. Print in blue ink that wipes
off.
>
>Sure but I think the actual latin name for them is mimeograph.
>
>> We had them in grade school. We did NOT have a photocopier - they were
>
>Me too. I used to have ditto duty making copies for the teacher. I also
>used to make up mazes and got to use the machine to make copies for the
>classmates.
>
>> apparently monstrously expensive to purchase and maintain at the time.
>> By the time I got to high school inexpesive photocopiers were readily
>> available, although we used the ditto machines even then. The
>> photocopier was fine for short runs or things where copy quality was
>> important. The ditto machine was faster and much cheaper per copy.
>> Of course I'm sure the ink on the master and the solvent on the
>> machine are carcinogens... (just kidding)
>
>By the time I was in high school dittos were a distant memory. To put it
>in (classiccmp) perspective, by that time inkjets were still on the
>horizon and dot matrix printers were still the shit.
>
>Sellam Alternate e-mail:
dastar_at_siconic.com
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>Always being hassled by the man.
>
> Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
> See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
> [Last web site update: 12/27/98]
>
>
The Mimeograph (an Edison invention) used ink, as did the Gestetner (sp?)
while the Ditto used alcohol.
I still have a 1909 Mimeograph in my collection.
Charles E. Fox
Chas E. Fox Video Productions
793 Argyle Rd. Windsor N8Y 3J8 Ont. Canada
email foxvideo_at_wincom.net Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo
Received on Sat Jan 09 1999 - 07:44:39 GMT