New plain black typewriter ribbon on two " Universal " plastic spools. These plastic spools will work on any manual typewriter where you would use a Group 1, Group 4, Group 9 spool or a Remington ring.
For older typewriters that have original metal spools or Smith Corona typewriters that have spools with a 4 cm diameter then you need to rewind the new ribbon onto your existing spools.
For Group 1 and 9 Spool typewriters
The underside of this "Universal " spool that looks like a star fits down over the vertical spindle that holds the spools in your typewriter with the small vertical spike fitting into one of the cutouts of the star on the spool thereby making the spool turn when you type.
For Olivetti Group 4 spool typewriters
The underside of this "Universal " spool that looks like a star fits down over the vertical prong that holds the spools in your typewriter. You then just tighten the round Olivetti nuts down on top of the spools. This needs to be quite tight to grip the spool and make it turn as you type.
For Remington typewriters
For many Remington models from the 50s to the 70s you can push out the star central part in this " Universal " ribbon spool and fit the spool down over the round plastic section that holds the spools in your typewriter. If you have a Remington with smaller metal spools or small metal rings then you will need to rewind the new ribbon onto those.
General Information
It's also a good idea to take a photo of the way the old ribbon is threaded through the " ribbon throw " in the centre of the typewriter. You then have something to refer to when you have taken the old ribbon out and are trying to fit your new ribbon.
This ribbon is made in the USA and is a high quality nylon ribbon with a good level of ink. It's 10m long and the standard 1/2 inch width with a metal eyelet at each end which helps to trigger the ribbon reverse mechanism on many typewriter models.
The ribbon passes from one spool to other by moving fractionally every time you type, and then returns back from the full spool to the empty one again. This process can be repeated many times and for someone typing 40 hours a week in an office a ribbon would last around 3 months.
The ribbon comes in a sealed plastic bag and as long as you keep it sealed and out of direct sunlight will be fine for a long period of time.
Delivery anywhere within the UK is included in the price.
