=Making Corrections.= All stenographers make mistakes, and no correspondent is entirely free from faulty dictation, which necessitates corrections in letters after they are written. But the time of the stenographer and, incidentally, expense to the house, can be saved if the correspondent will exercise reasonable care in indicating the corrections to be made.
Do not deface the letter so that neat corrections will be impossible, unless the mistake is so serious as to necessitate rewriting the entire letter. When the wrong word has been used, draw a light pencil line under it and write the correct word on the margin or the end of the letter; if the word is misspelled, underline it and write the correct spelling at the end of the line. This takes even less time than to deface the letter, and leaves it in such shape that corrections can be made quickly and neatly.
To the stenographer it is well to say, "If you find it impossible to make a neat correction, rewrite the letter." Nothing gives a more unfavorable impression of a house than an untidy letter, and your employer is more willing to overlook an occasional mistake than a letter filled with visible erasures.
Copies of outgoing correspondence are a part of the system of every business office. There was a time when copies of important letters were made by hand, and then came the copying press and tissue impression book with many cloths, wringers, pans of water, and other paraphernalia for moistening the sheets of the book. The copying press is an awkward machine, difficult to operate, and altogether unsatisfactory, but, until a better method was offered, it answered the purpose.
One of the greatest defects in the copying-book method is the impossibility of making uniformly clear copies; some will be clear while others are blurred, and the important letter is usually the one that is illegible. The difficulty in securing clear copies is due to the impossibility of securing uniform pressure. While the copying press is still found in a few small offices, it is practically obsolete, and not used in offices where modern efficient methods receive consideration.
=Carbon Copies.= A simple method of obtaining copies of outgoing letters, invoices, orders, etc., is to make duplicates by means of carbon paper. In its adaptability and far-reaching effect, the sheet of carbon paper has proved to be one of the greatest of all aids to modern business methods. Used in connection with a typewriter of modern construction, the carbon sheet has revolutionized manifolding processes, making possible as many duplicate copies of any paper as are required in ordinary business.