It's not only typewriter type! As Ransmayer & Rodrian told us in their 1940 catalogue:
"The increasing demand for keytops led several times to enlargements of our Keytop-Department. The most important articles in this line are: Keytops with metal keyrings, printed keycards, printed keyboardcards half punched out (each keyboard card containing a complete keyboard consisting of ready cut keyprints firmly fixed in the card and yet easily to push out for use) printed line gauges, keytops of round, angular or oblong shape made of galalith or other plastic substances of invariable colours and with indestructible engravings, printed keycards with celluloid covering, keycaps and keyrings of best materials. All these products are not only made for makers of office machinery, but also for many other industries."
RaRo keytops 1940, an overview:
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| metal ring keys and celluloid caps |
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| pre-punched carton keytops |
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| available fonts for key tops |
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| further fonts, plus functional keys (shift, etc.) |
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| carton scales |
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| plastic keytops |
We close with a live sample of a carton keycard, albeit not by RaRo, but a Swiss company:
Series to be continued with the complete RaRo catalogues.
Great information. I never knew Ransmayer & Rodrian made anything but type slugs.
ResponderBorrarPity they're not still around to satisfy the appetite of the keychoppers. :)
ResponderBorrarWonderful collection! And of course key tops made according to their own Deutsche Industrie Norm 2104! Nowadays DIN 2104 is no longer about key tops but about Acrylonitrile-butadiene elastomer.
ResponderBorrar