[Illustration]
Through the adoption of the Palmer Method figures, made small and well
within the spaces, the New England Telephone Co. has reduced errors of
its employes to a minimum, and saved thousands of dollars a year.
Figures should be made small; students sometimes think that large
figures are necessarily plainer, but such is not the case. Examine
carefully the diagram. At the left are figures that are absolutely
plain; one could not be mistaken for another, and yet their extreme size
in the small spaces makes them difficult to read. At the right are the
same figures, no more perfect, but not so large. Please note carefully
that these, surrounded by white paper, and much smaller, are more
legible, even at a distance, than the large figures at the left.
Students who have practiced in copy-books almost invariably make figures
three or four times too large. Our models are large enough for ordinary
use. If occasion demands, it will be easy to make them larger.
One-eighth of an inch is perhaps high enough for ordinary figures, while
in some places it will be an advantage to make them even smaller.