The standardization of a technical practice: typing (1883-1930)

Summary: This article considers the economic theories on standards, and adopts an historical approach in exploring the ways in which typewriters were progressively standardized along with typing practices. The early history of typing was characterized by a wide variety of technical options and configurations and intense competition between brands and typists. In this context, standardization of the arrangement of letters and signs on the keyboard was only one aspect of human and technological rivalry involving many other factors. The progressive standardization of typing was structured around the ten-finger technique, the memorization of the keyboard and new positions for the body. It attested to new demands and conditioned the development of the profession.