It should also be understood that all typewriters and billing machines are equipped with marginal stops. These stops are adjustable, and can be arranged on either side of the machine in such a manner that the carriage will always stop at any given point at either edge of the paper.
It is vitally important that either a column stop or a decimal tabulator should be used in connection with marginal stops on writing machines, and these three points should be taken into consideration when designing stationery for use with a machine. The following illustrations show poorly designed and correct invoice headings.
NAME SALESMAN SHIPPING ADDRESS ORDER NUMBER P. O. ADDRESS REQUISITION NUMBER VIA
This blank form has purposely been shown in order to contrast it with an invoice printed in the same way with the headings properly filled in.
NAME, _Geo. Brown & Co._ SALESMAN, _Jenkins_ SHIPPING ADDRESS, _Flat Rock, W. Va._ ORDER NUMBER _2246_ P. O. ADDRESS, _Wenonah, W. Va._ REQUISITION NUMBER _A341_ VIA _N. & W. R. R. Co._ OUR ORDER NUMBER _9422_
Contrast this heading with that of an invoice which has the last letters of each line lined up vertically. This makes it possible for the operator of the billing machine to draw the carriage to the extreme right, as the first letter to be written in every line of the heading starts at the same point.
NAME _Geo. Brown & Co._ SALESMAN _Jenkins_ SHIPPING ADDRESS _Flat Rock, W. Va._ ORDER NUMBER _2246_ P. O. ADDRESS _Wenonah, W. Va._ REQUISITION NUMBER _A341_ VIA _N. & W. R. R. Co._ OUR ORDER NUMBER _9422_
The latter form does not have as good appearance before being typewritten as afterwards. However the change is made for the sake of utility and speed. In the first form it is necessary for the operator to position the carriage at a different starting point for each line, whereas in the last illustration it can be readily seen that all the operator has to do is to draw the carriage to the right to the marginal stop, and write without any loss of time.
At one time a speed contest between pen billers and machine billers was held on one of the large railroads of this country, and permission was given the machine people to change the position of the headings of the freight bills. The salesman in charge of the test studied to eliminate certain wasted movements of the typewriter carriage. He succeeded in arranging the printed matter on the bill in a manner which permitted of three starting points in the heading and body of the bill. By pressing his tabulator stop after writing a name or figure, the machine would immediately jump to the next printing point on the line. This arrangement greatly facilitated the work, and enabled him to prove the superiority of machine over pen work. If he had endeavored to use the old stationery with its irregular headings, he would have made a failure of the test.