1" paper tape buy ?

[Chuck Guzis]

On 4 Mar 2009 at 14:24, William Donzelli wrote:

> > Holds more characters, but less data than a standard 80 column card.
> 
> Who used a 60 column format? I have a standard sized IBM punch card
> with the usual printing for 80 columns, but also for 60 columns. ???

Trick question!  The IBM interpreters (552,557) could print only 60 
columns across a card, because of the width of the characters.  So if 
you were doing all 80 columns, you got two rows of characters.  Some 
cards were printed with either a single 60 column legend across the 
top or with 60/20 columns in 2 rows.  Locating the actual column when 
looking at the interpreter output without one of the 60 column 
printed legends was "interesting".

In fact, you could program the interpreter to put the columns 
anywhere you wanted on the card--I think the 557 (which I used) could 
do 25 rows per card.

There was at least one pre-war interpreter that would print only 45 
columns.

Cheers,
Chuck