https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cffdj8/the_typewriters_of_ripley/

see also, with little to add: https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1s471gq/typewriter_personality_key_to_a_mystery/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1224514289867343/

Season 4, episode 4 “Happy Trails”

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.

Olivetti Studio 44 Ring & Cylinder Adjustment<br /> by [[Joe Van Cleave]] on YouTube

Joe shows how to test for ring and cylinder using a slip of paper and then indicates the adjustment points (with lock screws) on the Olivetti Studio 44.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163251151059678/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1r04zy3/bob_dylan_his_olivetti_lettera_22_typewriter_1964/

Similar setting as one on Richard Polt's site, but clearer lighting and more angles here.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandbaggerone/shares/1CnSoit5E7/

Some custom painted Olivetti typewriters in a Star Wars theme

Via Chad Kohalyk at https://micro.blog/chadkoh/83449602

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.

Could be made by some ribbon company like Alpad who sold Olivetti compatible ribbons/spools.

6mm diameter center holes on spools are indicative of a Gr4 typewriter spool.

via u/Koponewt at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1qcocn1/does_anyone_recognise_this_spool/

https://typewriterdatabase.com/1973-montgomery-ward-olivetti-escort-66.1649.typewriter

https://mrmrsvintagetypewriters.com/collections/typewriter-accessories-parts/products/one-spool-nut-olivetti-typewriter-lettera-22-32-44-studio-45-dora-dl-underwood-315-screw-holder

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1o8lzdm/trying_to_id_a_typewriter_from_a_video_game/

Folklore (2007, PlayStation 3)

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ms74t0/typewriter_identification/

Portable Typewriters Today - February 2015<br /> by [[Will Davis]] on 2015-02-10<br /> accessed on 2025-08-05T16:35:48

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1md9kzt/so_what_can_you_tell_me/

https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1lvuxwd/is_the_olivetti_valentine_a_cultural_icon/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1lvzn34/say_hello_to_the_monpti/

The Montpi typewriter in 1968 presaged the Olivetti Valentine.

https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/160pen0/typewriter_repair_shops_in_the_usa/jxryjns/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l3i8f7/behold_the_ultimate_writerdeck_olivetti_ptp_820/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kppij9/blue_olivetti_valentine_how_rare_is_it/

In increasing order of rarity, the Olivetti Valentine was made in red, white, green, and blue.

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ko6mbi/olivetti_typefaces/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jquteh/olivetti_in_the_obscene_bird_of_night/

The Obscene Bird of Night, a novel by José Donoso

Raymond Chandler's Typewriter - Mark Coggins by [[Mark Coggins]]

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1gu971q/whos_an_olivetti_expert/

Broad advice on the touch and feel of Olivetti's

Typewriter Repair Failure by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Tom Hanks Reviews the Children’s Novel ‘Olivetti,’ by Allie Millington by [[Tom Hanks]]

Removing the Platen on Mid-Century Olivetti Typewriters. by [[Dr. Typewriter - Venneburg Typewriters]]

The MASSIVE Olivetti Linea 98 (1972) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

https://youtu.be/UTtDb73NkNM?t=49

CBS has a card index with an index card indicating that Morley Safer brought an Olivetti typewriter to the office.

Whose card index was this? What other purpose did it serve?

—Tom Hanks in TribLive 2020-05-22 at https://web.archive.org/web/20200522085215/https://archive.triblive.com/aande/books/tom-hanks-on-his-love-of-typewriters-and-the-free-press/

I've seen several sites and listings for Smith-Corona typewriters which mention this interview quote.