Reply to u/arightler at tk

As one of the few here who may be typing on a regular basis on index cards, I'd generally recommend standard typewriters (which have larger diameter platens and thus handle thicker cardstock better) which also have either card fingers or Perspex card guides. These latter will help hold the card to the platen for a better imprint and make the process much quieter. Any of the Royal standards (all of which have card fingers) here would be great (KHM, KMM, KMG, HH, FP, etc.) or the Olympia SG1 which has Perspex guides.

You can get away with portables, but they're not as great for regular card work (smaller diameter platens). I might recommend one of the Smith-Corona Series 4 or 5 machines as long as they've got adjustable card fingers. (In the late 50's typically only the Silent-Super model had card fingers, but earlier models often had them as well.) Most of the Olympia SM series (2-9) will do relatively well as they all have Perspex card guides.

Ultra-portables, with their miniscule platens and barely extant/broadly useless paper bails, will be the worst possible option. Most don't have fingers or card guides at all. I highly recommend against them for this work. If you insist on using one for it, DON'T every try anything else as you'll discover how bad these are for this work and it will utterly ruin you.

Grippy platens and paper bail rollers with nice tension along with card fingers/Perspex are usually required for being able to type all the way to the bottom of a card or label cleanly.

For quickly doing labels or small cards, some of the advanced typing techniques in this video will help: https://youtu.be/JUJfCfqgsX0?si=li5bPyn8NdAr2F69&t=1649

Create a small zig-zag fold into a piece of paper to create a pocket slot which can be Scotch taped on either side. This template paper can then be inserted so that the pocket is visible above the writing line, but the paper below it is still in the platen. The label or card can be placed into the pocket and the platen reversed to feed the label or card in backwards to the desired typing line. Using a v-groove or hole in the typing line can create a pencil line to serve as a guide for inserting many labels at the same place so that the typing lines up between labels.

Some offices had special platens for holding cards like this.

Pockets like this can also be used to hold the page to add additional lines at the bottom of pages. Deeper pockets may need to be used for doing this with carbon packs whose carbons are longer than the pages.

Alternately one can do something similar by creating a inverted u-shaped set of slits into an index card to hold such labels.

My usual typewriter recommendations and some information on the market:

• On Purchasing Typewriters: Condition is King; Context is Queen 
• First Time Typewriter Purchases with Specific Recommendations for Writers

https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Royal+Typewriter+Company%2C+Inc.%22

Reply to u/BigZibby at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1wuaui0/serial_number_location/

In fact, I do! You've probably asked the one person who's spent the time delving into the typewriter database to try to puzzle something out on this front.

I've not seen it in official sources, but the following pattern seems to fit:

Royal Standard serial numbers are generally of the form [MMM][P,E,S]-XX-YY-#######, where:

• MMM is the model designator (X, KHM, KMM, KMG, HH, FP, etc.);
• P is for 10 pitch/Pica, E is for 12 pitch/Elite, and S is for Special (typically special order typefaces);
• XX is the platen length, when not the standard/default size;
• YY is for other special features, typically the number of glyphs in the typeface; and
• ######## is the serial number.

Yours has a YY=86 which typically indicates that the machine has 86 glyphs on the slugs in the typeface and thus 86/2 = 43 character (typing) keys on the keyboard. There are also examples of other YY numbers like YY=88 with 44 keys and YY=92 or 46 keys versus the standard 42 keys. You may notice under your machine that the keyboard has a metal "comb" which may have some empty slots into which addition keylevers and typebar assemblies could be added. Often the YY designator is either for special order keyboards or keyboards for foreign languages which require additional keys.

Thus the 86 means that your machine has an extra key (the +/=) not found on their standard issue keyboard at the time.

Users of the Royal KHM typewriter:<br /> William Faulkner, L. Ron Hubbard, David McCullough, Al Neuharth, Mickey Spillane, Dalton Trumbo, Frank Lloyd Wright, J. D. Salinger, Georges Simenon, Richard Wright, Eric Hodgins, William Peter Blatty, Post Malone, and Taylor Swift.

via https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html

reply to u/Greydusk1324 about the difference in Royal Standard typewriters at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1skmfum/comparing_royal_standard_desk_machines/

I'm (sorry?) to report that the internals of the Royal standard typewriters including the Ten, H, KH, KHM, KMM, KMG, RP, HH, FP, Empress, 440, 660, etc. are all incredibly similar if not exactly the same over several decades. The biggest change is probably the introduction of Magic Margins with the KMM. The margin release button also moved down to the keyboard around this time as well.

Most of the rest are smaller, subtle differences in how the ribbon reverse mechanism is done or things like keytops changing from glass and acetate to plastic, the threading design of the ribbon vibrator, as well as the external design and some of the other small fit and finish. Some of the much later models allow one to remove the entire chassis from the body of the typewriter to make cleaning and servicing easier.

There are certainly differences in type-feel and "weight" in the changes in the keytops, but broadly they're all mostly the same machine. The biggest differences between them all (for me) tend to be how well they've been maintained and/or been cleaned and adjusted. One seriously well adjusted Royal is better than any 20 other random Royal standards you might pick up for a fraction of the price. Of course, if you're doing your own wrenching work, then once you've learned one machine well, the rest are a breeze to work on and bring up to snuff.

If you think there's a huge difference between your KMM and KMG (which are probably the two closest models), then perhaps it's worth it to try some others? The biggest difference may be the FP which has chunkier key caps that have more effect on the "feel". The HH and many of the other later models have thinner key tops. The Ten is probably the most different from the rest. The H, KH, KHM are what I would call "experimental" models moving toward the perfection in the KMM and KMG.

Context: I'm an owner of a KHM, 2 KMMs (including a 47+ pound, 18" wide carriage), 2 KMGs, 2 HHs, half a dozen FPs (in all the colors but Willow Green), and a 440. This includes a variety of their standard pica and elites, a Clarion Gothic, and a Pica Double Gothic. Stylistically I love the KMG and the FP, but my KHM has one of the most satisfying "actions" of any of the machines I own.

Of course, all this depends on what sort of collection you're aiming for. I love a good Royal and have a smattering of other makes and models, but I am slowly working toward a completist picture of Royal Standards. I do try to add machines that have a unique typeface or other feature as I add more of them to get some additional depth and breadth to my collection.

If you're a collector with limited space, then pick up the best looking design(s) (for your personal aesthetic) and rest easy that you're not missing too much. You can also pick up new machines to curate for a few years and then move them along to other collectors to enjoy so that your collection is always changing.

You might get some more detail and nuance by watching Joe Van Cleave's YouTube channel where he's done a few dozen videos on Royal standards as well as comparison videos over the past several years.

Good luck on your hunt!

Royal KMM Paper Bale Tension Adjustment<br /> by [[Joe Van Cleave]] on YouTube

Known historical users of the Royal KMM:<br /> - John Ashbery<br /> - Russell Baker - Ray Bradbury - Richard Brautigan - Richard Brooks - Pearl S. Buck<br /> - Johnny Carson (or possibly KMG) - Norman Corwin<br /> - Frank Herbert<br /> - Helen Keller<br /> - Murray Kempton<br /> - Ken Kesey<br /> - George Washington Lee - Harper Lee<br /> - Ursula K. Le Guin - David McCullough<br /> - Margaret Mead<br /> - Dorothy Parker<br /> - Grantland Rice<br /> - Georges Simenon<br /> - Christina Stead<br /> - Tom Wolfe

The KMM was also the typewriter featured on the 1980s hit television show Murder, She Wrote which is currently being remade in 2025/2026 with Jamie Lee Curtis.

Royal KMM FPE HH KH 10 T1 B64 Typewriter Ribbon Install Rewind Respool Replace by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

The spools for the standard Royal typewriters (Ten, H, KH, KHM, KMM, KMG, RP, HH, FP, Empress, 440, 660, etc.) have a custom metal mechanism for their auto-reverse. The spools are known as the T1 (which is the same as General Ribbon part # T1-77B , T1-77BR, and Nu-Kote B64.) If winding on universal ribbon onto them, remove the eyelette which isn't needed and may interfere with the auto reverse.

The function of the mechanism is fairly similar to that of the Remington, but the mechanism is on the spool itself rather than on the spindle.

If necessary, Ribbons Unlimited carries these metal spools: https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/6N064-Royal-Standard-Electric-Ribbon-64-p/6n064.htm

Royal standards have the shift lock further away from the letter "a" which can prevent the accidental shifting of the letter "a" while typing. This distraction can be annoying when writing at speed.

Know historical users of the Royal KHM included:<br /> - William Faulkner<br /> - David McCullough<br /> - Al Neuharth<br /> - Mickey Spillane<br /> - Dalton Trumbo<br /> - Frank Lloyd Wright<br /> - L. Ron Hubbard

Royal HH & FP typewriter shipping help by [[Typewriter Justice]]

Advice for how to package a heavy standard typewriter for shipping. Two heavy rubberbands to hold the margin release buttons to protect the escapement. Then plastic wrap to keep the carriage from moving during shipment. Then protection for the knobs and carriage return levers put into a first box. Then packing peanuts in a second box, fill to completely full and tape closed.

Advice by Nashville Typewriter at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dwqi1r/friend_found_in_junk_pile/lbwege9/