@odd A spirit duplicator (ditto machine) or a mimeograph are next on my list of potential acquisitions. So far, all of my typewriters, save one, have stencil settings though.
@chrisaldrich When I said stencil I was probably wrong, thinking of a spirit duplicator. They were common in my elementary school days around 1976-1980. Ahh, the fumes!
@chrisaldrich @odd Do they still use spirit duplicators in schools? It seems like they would be so much cheaper to use than photocopiers for quizzes and such. And yes I remember the smell very well.
Chis, I'm amazed you found purple ribbons at all.
@bradenslen I'm sure someone somewhere does, but they've broadly disappeared for quality reasons. @odd You're close with the stencil portion. One used the typewriter stencil setting (the center "white" between the typical black/red ribbon selector) to create a stencil which was then put on the duplicator to make copies—usually around 30-40 after which the copies became progressively lighter and less legible. It was the duplicator chemicals that had that distinctive smell, so associating stencils with it is very natural. The last time I used one was in the late 90's to make a small print run zine on a machine I "borrowed" time on at a church that no longer used theirs.
Purple wasn't a horrible stretch (FJA products has a variety of colors and combinations), but I think I'm going to have to go full DIY to make the teal ribbon I'd like to have. Ribbons unlimited offers un-inked ribbon in cotton, nylon, and silk that you can self-ink. I'm thinking that refill stamp ink, potentially mixed with some glycerin to keep the ribbon from drying out too quickly may do the trick.