Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 01 (of 10)

by American School of Correspondence

COPYING CORRESPONDENCE

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.

The carbon method of obtaining copies of letters has the merit of economy in time. When the letter is written, the copy is made; if extra copies, up to a half-dozen, are wanted, all are made at one writing. If the last letter is being written when it is time for the mail to leave the office, it need not be held to make a copy.

The carbon method is not expensive. Good carbon paper costs 2 cents or less a sheet, and for 1,000 copies only about 30 sheets are required. A satisfactory quality of plain paper for copies can be bought for $1.00 or less a thousand. These prices are naturally subject to slight fluctuations, depending on the quantities purchased and the locality.

A defect in the carbon method is found in the manner of making corrections. It is not uncommon for a man to make a slight correction, or add a note, in his own handwriting; such corrections and additions cannot appear on the carbon copy. When corrections are made on the typewriter, it is very difficult to obtain a clear copy of the correction on the second, or carbon, sheet—the correction on the copy is very likely to be blurred. If the correction is written directly on the copy, without using carbon paper, the essential feature of the copy is destroyed; it is no longer a facsimile, and its value as evidence is very materially lessened.

Mechanical Copiers. There are now on the market several mechanical copiers, without the many disadvantages of the copying press, or the defects of the carbon method. One of the most satisfactory and best known is the roller copier. The fundamental principle of the roller copier is that of the clothes wringer; the original letter, with a wet tissue sheet placed against the written side, is passed between rubber rollers, to which just the right amount of pressure is applied.

Working from the clothes-wringer idea as a basis, the inventor of the roller copier set about to remedy the defects of the copying press. It was found that clear copies could be obtained only under certain conditions; the pressure must be absolutely uniform, and the tissue sheet must be moistened evenly.

Fig. 4. Mechanism of the Yawman & Erbe Roller Copier

As to the pressure, it was found that too much or too little resulted in unsatisfactory copies—some faint, others blurred—the very defect that had made the use of the copying press objectionable. This was overcome by using an adjusting screw by which the exact pressure required could be obtained. But, if the pressure were left on all of the time, the rubber rollers would soon be flat. So, an adjustment lever was added, by which the pressure could be thrown on before copying, and thrown off when the machine is not in use.

To adjust a single sheet of tissue paper so that it would lie smooth on the letter, was out of the question. This difficulty was overcome by copying on a continuous roll, and the problem of moistening was solved by passing the paper through water, insuring equal moisture over the entire surface.

The mechanism of the roller copier is shown in Fig. 4. The paper from the roll is passed under the dampening roll in the water tank, then between the large roller and the wringing roller, over the same large roller and between it and the copying roller, thence out over the flanged roller and down to the winding reel. The pressure on the wringing and copying roller is adjusted by the adjusting screws A and B, and the adjustment lever throws the pressure on or off. The letter to be copied is laid face down on the feeding shelf, the edge is placed under the copying roller, pressure thrown on, and a turn of the crank carries the letter through into a receiving basket, leaving a perfect copy. If additional copies are wanted—any number up to a half-dozen—the operation is repeated for each copy.

Fig. 5. General View
of the Yawman & Erbe
Roller Copier

The paper on which the copies have been made passes to a winding reel under the copier, as shown in Fig. 5. This is a large rectangular reel on which the paper is stretched tightly, so that it will be smooth when dry. The open construction of the reel affords free circulation of air, drying the copies very quickly. After the day's copying is done, the action of the machine is reversed by the turn of a thumbscrew, the paper is broken above the last copy, that on the reel is brought back over the copier, and the letters cut apart with the cutting knife at the end of the feeding shelf. The separate copies are then ready for filing with the original letters, keeping letters and replies together.

Among the advantages claimed for the machine are certainty of legible copies, copies of all corrections, and economy of operation. The copies are made after the letter has been written and corrected; consequently it must be a facsimile. If a note is written at the bottom or on the margin, it is shown in the copy.

Copying is the last operation before mailing. Frequently a man finds, after the letter is written, that he needs additional copies. With the carbon system it is necessary to rewrite the letter; with the copier, the copies can be obtained any time before the letter is mailed.

The copier is economical in operation. The best quality of paper costs 50 cents a roll, and a little more than one roll, or about 60 cents' worth of paper is required for 1,000 copies; and there is no carbon paper to buy. The office boy can operate the copier, and it takes but a few minutes to copy the day's mail of the average concern. If desired, the machine can be obtained with an electric motor attached, but this power is really unnecessary unless the correspondence averages 300 or more letters a day.