A character display is pivotably mounted on an electronic typewriter for pivotable movement from an open position for viewing the character display to a closed position for covering the keyboard. The character display has a pivot axis in alignment with a rotatable axis of the platen. A structure for pivotably mounting the character display includes a spring operable to dampen the pivotable movement of the character display near the closed position. A brake pad combined with the dampening spring holds the character display in manually selected positions near the open position. A paper support which covers a platen and an adjacent open area is combined with the character display located in the closed position to provide a cover for the typewriter.