neat, strong hand, very plain and legible, and devoid of all flourish.


PAPER AND ENVELOPE.

The paper and envelopes used in business correspondence should be of
a good, durable quality, and a white color is preferable. Cheap
materials are not only unsatisfactory to the writer, but may give
the reader an unfavorable impression, which would be an injury far
exceeding the cost of the best stationery for a life time. Persons
form impressions from very little things sometimes.

The size of a letter sheet in business correspondence should be about
8x10 inches. This sheet affords a sufficient space for a communication
of ordinary length to be written on one side only, which is essential
in case the letter is copied in a letter press. A sheet of paper, note
size, (5x8) is oftentimes used for brief communications of no special
importance, and not designed to be filed for future reference. Among
professional men the commercial note sheet is more extensively used,
but with business men the letter size is considered preferable.

The envelope should correspond in size to that of the letter sheet,
and should be a trifle longer than one-half the length of the sheet.
Thus in a sheet eight by ten inches, one-half the length of the sheet
is five inches, and this requires the length of the envelope to be
about five and a quarter inches. Its width is usually about three
inches. Avoid the use of fancy colored and fancy shaped paper and
envelopes. These may not be objectionable in social correspondence
among ladies, but the gravity of business affairs does not admit of
such display.