ribbon-movement

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In a type-writer, the mechanism employed to feed the hiking-ribbon under the carriage from side to side of the machine in such a way that a fresh surface of the ribbon shall be placed at the point where the next letter is to be stamped on the paper. This feeding mechanism varies greatly in different machines, the aim in all being to wind the ribbon from one ribbon-reel to the other, to change its direction when the reel is full, and to change its lateral motion at each traverse of the ribbon. When the ribbon is charged with two inks of different colors, there is also a feed mechanism to bring either half of the bichrome ribbon to the printing point on the cylinder at the will of the operator.