Uninked Ribbon Fabric: Nylon with a Crimped Filler, Relaxed in Soap (Thompson, US 2,918,160, 1959)

Nylon ribbons wear well but hold little ink; cotton holds more but frays under the type. Thompson wove nylon with a crimped filler held taut; relaxed after weaving, the crimped filaments spring apart into tiny pockets that store ink, while the surface stays flat. Result: a thin nylon ribbon fabric, about 167 x 100 per inch, that held ink for about twice as many lines. Source: Thompson, US 2,918,160 (1959). Picture drawn by Youblob.