When I first started teaching, we had mimeograph machines. Tests and hand-outs were typed on manual typewriters on this blue waxy sheet. The typewriter cut a stencil into the wax so the ink could be pushed through it during the printing. Corrections were made by brushing the blue stuff from a bottle with a little brush (sort of like nail polish) over the mistake, letting it dry, and then typing over it. (White-Out didn't come until later for all this.) That blue sheet was attached to a drum that let black ink come through the letters. Copies were black ink on white mimeograph paper. You had to be careful taking that blue sheet off the machine because that ink was messy and hard to get out of clothes. I hated it.
Later on we had ditto machines that were sort of like a slick page over what was sort of like carbon paper and purple. This was a major improvement over the mimeograph. They could be typed, handwritten, and drawn on. Those top sheets were torn off and put on the ditto machine which was also a round drum that had ditto fluid in it somewhere that interacted with the purple carbon-type stuff. I'm sure some of you remember those in school and how the pages felt cold and got sniffed by many students when fresh off the press! Anyone remember that smell?
Imagine how fabulous it was to have copy machines! Early on, they made copies and that was it, but it was still wonderful. Who knew what they could become! Now they collate, staple, punch holes, copy on both sides, can be in color, and much more. It's absolutely wonderful to use computers to produce the material to give students and to make out tests. For one thing, they are SAVED! Then to copy them on the copy machine makes life so much easier!
12 comments:
Reminiscence! I just got remembered the old days. I think those days was really hard. Now life became so easier and everything is done now very easily and perfectly with 100% accuracy with new technologies. I enjoyed your article and thoughts. Thanks
Kary@ copy machines
The best thing about being secretary of the student body was being able to use the mimeo machine! :-)
well I have you know I still make my cpoies by rubbing a pencil over the impression item to copy. So I have to do this a few hundred times to get copies.........
LOL! You crack me up, Maddie!
I know what you mean, Froggy.
Oooo. And the smell of a sheet straight out of the machine...
Got that smell not only at school but at church as well since they used similar machines to print the Sunday programs.
Excuse me while I uncap a bottle of nail polish. I know not the same but a chemical smell nonetheless.
the ditto smell was the only thing i liked about school as a child.
we had a rizzograph (sp?) at my first teaching job- a high tech version of the ditto machine without the familiar smell.
xxalainaxx
I remember those days as a student but I could not imagine the hassle with making up tests!! Ugh!!
I remember the mimeographs, they were a pain.
Yes, they were, Ken!
Now I'm wondering what my teachers used. Probably mimeograph machines. They've been around a long time.
OMG, I loved the smell of that stuff. Did I tell you #9 is banned from using the copier when she volunteers at the kids school. TRUE STORY Apparently,
She has a little anger problem when an electronic device doesn't respond immediately after tapping a key.
Another memory - when I was co-prez of the PTO I had a key to the school (which totally boggles my mind now) and I would go up at 5am to use the copy machine for PTO stuff so I would not get in the way of the staff. I never abused it but I can imagine what some people would do.
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