Buying guide

Which typewriter
for a child?

Three essential criteria and three proven models,
to pass on the pleasure of writing at a child's level.

Before you choose

Three essential
criteria

Many of you ask us the same question: which typewriter would be best for my child? It is a fair question, because several things come into play when choosing a first machine.

No. 1

Simplicity

The ideal is an intuitive machine, without complex features such as tabulation or advanced margin settings. The quicker it is to get to grips with, the more the child will enjoy using it.

No. 2

Ergonomics

Children do not yet have big hands, and some desk machines — an Olympia SM7, for instance — can be far too bulky. Prefer a flat model with keys that sit low: the touch is easier to reach, and the child does not tire.

No. 3

Reliability

Children are not always gentle with mechanical objects. Better, then, to choose a sturdy machine that can take a few knocks without flinching. Good engineering will save you a lot of bother.

So, which model should you choose?

No. 1 — Switzerland, 1935

Hermes Baby

The Hermes Baby is arguably the best first choice there is. Compact, barely 4 kg, it wins you over from the very first keystroke. Its flat, well-spaced keys suit small hands perfectly.

Made in Switzerland by Paillard, it is known for the legendary reliability of its mechanism. Add to that a design of quiet elegance, which makes it as much a beautiful object to hand down as a writing tool.

No. 2 — Japan, 1970s

Brother 210

The Brother 210 is the safe bet that never disappoints. Its slightly vintage looks give it character, without sacrificing anything in ease of use. The keyboard is perfectly legible, the keys soft and responsive, and the compact format carries without effort.

It is the ideal machine for a child who wants something that looks like them — a little colourful, a little different — but with impeccable Japanese reliability. An excellent way into mechanical writing.

Brother 210 — machine à écrire portable orange

No. 3 — Italy, 1963

Olivetti Lettera 32

An emblematic model signed by Marcello Nizzoli, the Lettera 32 remains one of the best-loved typewriters in history. Slightly bulkier than the previous two, it keeps a portable format and remarkable ergonomics.

Loved by everyone who learned to type at school, it offers unmatched comfort under the fingers. The keys are perfectly calibrated, the mechanical return is crisp — the child immediately understands the right movement. A way into the benchmark machines.

Received at the workshop

A letter that made us smile

Among the letters we receive, some are worth more than any argument.
This one reached us on a Tuesday morning.

Tuesday 4 March

Dear Mum and Dad,

I am writing this letter from my bedroom, and I have an important idea to put to you.

For my birthday, I would like a typewriter. A real one. Not a toy.

At school, Léa has one. When she types it goes clack clack, and at the end of every line there is a little bell that goes ding. On the tablet, there is no bell.

Her mum told her it came from Matypo, a workshop in France that mends old machines so they write like new. Apparently it is the loveliest present you can give a child.

Do think about it. I love you lots.

Received at the workshop last March.
The birthday present went out the following week.

What we believe

Away from screens,
close to paper

At a time when children discover writing on touchscreens,
reaching for a real machine is offering something rare.

The movement before the speed

On a typewriter you cannot erase with a gesture, or go back without thinking. Every key pressed engages the hand, the eye and the mind. The child learns to choose their words, to compose a whole sentence in their head before printing it on paper.

Attention that is built

No notification, no window popping open, no algorithm deciding for them. A typewriter offers one thing at a time: writing. For many children it is the first time they experience truly unbroken concentration.

An object that is truly theirs

A tablet is shared, updated, replaced. A typewriter stays. It ages with them, keeps the trace of their first texts, becomes their object. No screen can give that feeling.

The pleasure of the tangible

The muffled sound of the typebars, the resistance of the keys, the glide of the carriage, the smell of the inked ribbon: typing calls on every sense. It is a whole experience, where the screen offers only a fragmented one.

A child who learns to love typing often keeps, for a long time,
a taste for deliberate slowness. A gift that lasts far longer than a toy.

Taking the step

A gift like
no other

Giving a child a typewriter passes on far more than an object:
a taste for attention, patience in the movement, and the pride of writing with their own hands.

All our machines are fully serviced in our French workshop.
New ribbon fitted, touch guaranteed: ready to type the moment you open the box.

See our machines

Which typewriter for a child?

Three essentialcriteria