Editing Typewriter (section)

== Correction technologies ==
According to the standards taught in secretarial schools in the mid-20th century, a [[business letter]] was supposed to have no mistakes and no visible corrections.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Lynn |last=Peril |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1036875148 |title=Swimming in the steno pool : a retro guide to making it in the office |date=2011 |publisher=W.W. Norton & Co |pages=232 |oclc=1036875148}}</ref>

=== Typewriter erasers ===
[[File:Triumph_-_Typewriter_Eraser_1960.jpg|thumb|Triumph typewriter eraser (1960)]]
The traditional correction method involved the use of a special typewriter [[eraser]] made of [[hard rubber]] that contained an [[abrasive]] material. Some were thin, flat disks, pink or gray, approximately {{convert|2|in|mm}} in diameter by {{convert|1/8|in|mm}} thick, with a brush attached from the center, while others looked like pink pencils, with a sharpenable eraser at the "lead" end and a stiff nylon brush at the other end. Either way, these tools made possible erasure of individual typed letters. Business letters were typed on heavyweight, high-rag-content bond paper, not merely to provide a luxurious appearance, but also to stand up to erasure.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1947 |title=Rotating Typewriter Eraser |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA128 |magazine=Popular Mechanics |page=128 |access-date=2022-04-27}}</ref>

Typewriter eraser brushes were necessary for clearing eraser crumbs and paper dust, and using the brush properly was an important element of typewriting skill; if erasure detritus fell into the typewriter, a small buildup could cause the typebars to jam in their narrow supporting grooves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Erasing History |url=https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-2009/erasing-history |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Perspectives on History {{!}} AHA}}</ref>

=== Erasing shield ===
[[File:Erasing Shield Stainless Steel.jpg|thumb|Erasing Shield (1992)]]
Erasing a set of [[carbon copies]] was particularly difficult, and called for the use of a device called an [[erasing shield]] or eraser shield, a thin stainless-steel rectangle about {{convert|2|by|3|in}} with several tiny holes in it. This would prevent the pressure of erasing on the upper copies from producing carbon smudges on the lower copies. To correct copies, typists had to go from one carbon copy layer to the next carbon copy layer, trying not to get their fingers dirty as they leafed through the carbon papers, and moving and repositioning the eraser shield and eraser for each copy.

=== Erasable bond ===
Paper companies produced a special form of typewriter paper called erasable bond (for example, [[Eaton's Corrasable Bond]]). This incorporated a thin layer of material that prevented ink from penetrating and was relatively soft and easy to remove from the page. An ordinary soft pencil eraser could quickly produce perfect erasures on this type of paper. However, the same characteristics that made the paper erasable made the characters subject to smudging due to ordinary friction and deliberate alteration after the fact, making it unacceptable for business correspondence, contracts, or any archival use.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-02-19 |title=Escaping the Bonds of Erasable Bond |url=https://orwhatyouwill.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/escaping-the-bonds-of-erasable-bond/ |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Or What You Will |language=en}}</ref>

=== Correction fluid ===
{{Main|Correction fluid}}
In the 1950s and 1960s, [[correction fluid]] made its appearance, under brand names such as [[Liquid Paper]], [[Wite-Out]] and [[Tipp-Ex]]; it was invented by [[Bette Nesmith Graham]]. Correction fluid was a type of opaque, white, fast-drying paint that produced a fresh white surface onto which, when dry, a correction could be retyped. However, when held to the light, the covered-up characters were visible, as was the patch of dry correction fluid (which was never perfectly flat, and frequently not a perfect match for the color, texture, and luster of the surrounding paper). The standard trick for solving this problem was [[photocopying]] the corrected page, but this was possible only with high quality photocopiers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mejia |first=Zameena |date=2018-07-23 |title=How inventing Liquid Paper got a secretary fired and then turned her into an exec worth $25 million |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/19/inventing-liquid-paper-got-a-secretary-fired-and-then-made-her-rich.html |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>

A different fluid was available for correcting stencils. It sealed up the stencil ready for retyping but did not attempt to color match.<ref name="MimeoCorrect">{{Cite web |title=How to correct a mimeograph stencil |url=http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/howtocorrectamimeographstencil.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121016144730/http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/implementaliteracyprogram/howtocorrectamimeographstencil.htm |archive-date=2012-10-16 |access-date=2011-05-10 |website=LinguaLinks Library |publisher=SIL International}}</ref>