History of the correction fluid

You might think you don’t need it so often nowadays but before word processors were invented…

When the typewriter was invented, office workers everywhere jumped with joy. Hurray! They no longer have to write pages upon pages of documents by hand. However, the celebration was short-lived.

They quickly realised it was nearly impossible and very, very rare to finish a page without a word being spelt wrong, a character jumping over a line or several letters getting bunched up together, produced by the typebar (the thin metal bar containing the letters that were printed on paper) getting stuck. And so the entire page had to be re-written if one didn’t want to make the wrong impression on the document’s recipient.

This must have frustrated secretaries so much that one of them, Bette Nesmith Graham, invented the correction fluid in 1951. It is an opaque, white fluid applied to a part of the text containing errors. Once it dried, a white strip replaced what was previously an unsightly mark on the page. It is typically packaged in small bottles. The lid has a brush attached to it which the user dips into the bottle first to get some of the fluid, before coating typed or written mistakes on the paper with the applicator.

Before word processors dominated the scene, every office — and some homes too, to use when writing the occasional letter or postcard — simply needed to have a bottle lying around in case of letter ‘emergencies’.

One of its most popular brands in Europe is the Tipp-Ex, taken from the German word Tipp meaning “to type” while the Latin Ex, as anyone coming from a recent breakup would know, means “no more”. So popular is this brand that it has already found its way into the language: to tippex or to tippex out means to erase, generally with correction fluid.

Tipp Ex was so big back then that an entire company was built around it in 1959 in Germany by Wolfgang Dabisch. Not long after a Tipp-Ex Contribution company was also founded by Otto Carls in Frankfurt, Germany.

The first product from the Tipp Ex range was an innovative correction paper intended to correct a typographical error made by a typewriter. It works by backspacing to the letter that needs to be changed, placing the correction paper in front of the ribbon, and re-typing the letter.

However, you need to be precise in doing so as the process will only work if the re-typed letter is positioned in exactly the same place as originally intended. It’s quite the hassle if the typist needs to return to a previous line as it can be a bit difficult to position the paper in exactly the same spot where the mistyped letter is.

Fast-forward to today, and Tipp Ex already has a full range of correction fluids for different uses. Aside from the original bottle with a small brush, there’s already a correction pen, a pocket mouse correction tape and correction fluid with foam applicator for easier and more accurate application.

In an age where most correspondence is written through computer word processors and printed out, Tipp Ex still remains relevant, being the leading brand of European correction products and the tenth most recognised German brand name globally.

Take a look at our collection of correction tape and fluid at: http://www.theofficesuppliessupermarket.com/c/office-stationery/pens-pencils-writing-supplies/correction-tape-and-fluid