Liquid Paper
Encyclopedia
Liquid Paper is a brand
of the Newell Rubbermaid company that sells correction fluid
, correction pen and correction tape
. Mainly used to correct typewriting in the past, correction products now mostly cover handwriting
mistakes.
invented the first correction fluid
in her kitchen. Working as a typist, she used to make many mistakes and always strived for a way to correct them. Starting on a basis of tempera
paint
she mixed with a common kitchen blender
, she called the outcome fluid Mistake Out and started to provide her coworkers with small green bottles on which the brand's name was displayed.
By 1956, Graham founded the Mistake Out Company and continued working from her kitchen nights and weekends to produce small batches of correction bottles. She was fired from her typist job after she made a mistake that she did not manage to correct. She had typed in her company name instead of the bank's. After this stroke of bad luck, she decided to devote her time to her new company.
The inventor offered the product to IBM, which declined the offer. She sold the product from her house for 17 years; the name was changed to Liquid Paper shortly after. By 1968, the product was profitable, and in 1979 the Liquid Paper Corporation was sold to the Gillette Corporation for $47.5 million with royalties.
In 2000, Liquid Paper was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid
. In some regions of the world, Liquid Paper is now endorsed by Papermate
, a widely known writing instruments brand (also owned by Newell Rubbermaid).
Graham's son Mike Nesmith, guitarist/singer in the popular 1960s pop band The Monkees
, was the primary heir to her fortune upon Graham's death in 1980.
, due to concerns over recreational sniffing of the product. The organic solvent 1,1,1-trichloroethane
was used as a thinner in the product. Liquid Paper using this thinner was thought to be toxic and a carcinogen
, but later studies have shown that although the thinner used was toxic there was no evidence of carcinogenicity. There were a number of studies linking fatalities to the trichloroethane contained in correction fluids, including Liquid Paper.
The removal of trichloroethane, by Gillette Corporation, from Liquid Paper commenced due to Proposition 65 declaring it hazardous and toxic. Liquid Paper was reformulated so that trichloroethane was no longer used in the product, and as of 2009 the current product contains no toxic solvents.
Liquid Paper contains titanium dioxide
, solvent naphtha
, mineral spirits, resins, dispersant, colorants and fragrance.
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of the Newell Rubbermaid company that sells correction fluid
Correction fluid
A correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
, correction pen and correction tape
Correction tape
Correction tape is an alternative to correction fluid used to correct mistakes during typing, or, in some forms, handwriting. One side of the tape, which is placed against the error, is coated in a white, opaque masking material...
. Mainly used to correct typewriting in the past, correction products now mostly cover handwriting
Handwriting
Handwriting is a person's particular & individual style of writing with pen or pencil, which contrasts with "Hand" which is an impersonal and formalised writing style in several historical varieties...
mistakes.
Brand history
In 1951, Bette Nesmith GrahamBette Nesmith Graham
Bette Claire Graham was an American typist, commercial artist, the inventor of Liquid Paper, and mother of musician and producer Michael Nesmith.-Biography:...
invented the first correction fluid
Correction fluid
A correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
in her kitchen. Working as a typist, she used to make many mistakes and always strived for a way to correct them. Starting on a basis of tempera
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist...
paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
she mixed with a common kitchen blender
Blender (device)
A blender is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, puree, or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender jar with blade at the bottom, rotated by a motor in the base...
, she called the outcome fluid Mistake Out and started to provide her coworkers with small green bottles on which the brand's name was displayed.
By 1956, Graham founded the Mistake Out Company and continued working from her kitchen nights and weekends to produce small batches of correction bottles. She was fired from her typist job after she made a mistake that she did not manage to correct. She had typed in her company name instead of the bank's. After this stroke of bad luck, she decided to devote her time to her new company.
The inventor offered the product to IBM, which declined the offer. She sold the product from her house for 17 years; the name was changed to Liquid Paper shortly after. By 1968, the product was profitable, and in 1979 the Liquid Paper Corporation was sold to the Gillette Corporation for $47.5 million with royalties.
In 2000, Liquid Paper was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products including such well-known brands as Rubbermaid food storage, home organization, and refuse container products; Sharpie, PaperMate, Parker and Waterman writing instruments; Calphalon gourmet cookware; Goody beauty and...
. In some regions of the world, Liquid Paper is now endorsed by Papermate
Papermate
Paper Mate is a registered division of Sanford L.P., a Newell Rubbermaid company that produces writing instruments. Paper Mate's offices are located in Oak Brook, IL. along with Newell Rubbermaid's other office products.-History:...
, a widely known writing instruments brand (also owned by Newell Rubbermaid).
Graham's son Mike Nesmith, guitarist/singer in the popular 1960s pop band The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
, was the primary heir to her fortune upon Graham's death in 1980.
Main products
Liquid Paper offers a variety of products in the 3 different forms mentioned earlier. Here are some of them (non-exhaustive list):- Dryline Grip (correction tapeCorrection tapeCorrection tape is an alternative to correction fluid used to correct mistakes during typing, or, in some forms, handwriting. One side of the tape, which is placed against the error, is coated in a white, opaque masking material...
) - Dryline Grip Recycled with 67% of recycled materials (correction tapeCorrection tapeCorrection tape is an alternative to correction fluid used to correct mistakes during typing, or, in some forms, handwriting. One side of the tape, which is placed against the error, is coated in a white, opaque masking material...
) - 7ml Correction pen
- Fast Dry (correction fluidCorrection fluidA correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
)
Toxicity and ingredients
Liquid Paper came under scrutiny in the 1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, due to concerns over recreational sniffing of the product. The organic solvent 1,1,1-trichloroethane
1,1,1-Trichloroethane
The organic compound 1,1,1-trichloroethane, also known as methyl chloroform, is a chloroalkane. This colourless, sweet-smelling liquid was once produced industrially in large quantities for use as a solvent...
was used as a thinner in the product. Liquid Paper using this thinner was thought to be toxic and a carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
, but later studies have shown that although the thinner used was toxic there was no evidence of carcinogenicity. There were a number of studies linking fatalities to the trichloroethane contained in correction fluids, including Liquid Paper.
The removal of trichloroethane, by Gillette Corporation, from Liquid Paper commenced due to Proposition 65 declaring it hazardous and toxic. Liquid Paper was reformulated so that trichloroethane was no longer used in the product, and as of 2009 the current product contains no toxic solvents.
Liquid Paper contains titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula . When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891. Generally it comes in two different forms, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of...
, solvent naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
, mineral spirits, resins, dispersant, colorants and fragrance.
See also
- Correction fluidCorrection fluidA correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
- Correction tapeCorrection tapeCorrection tape is an alternative to correction fluid used to correct mistakes during typing, or, in some forms, handwriting. One side of the tape, which is placed against the error, is coated in a white, opaque masking material...
- Wite-OutWite-OutWite-Out is a trademark for a line of correction fluid, originally created for use with photocopies, and manufactured by the BIC Corporation.-History:...
- Tipp-ExTipp-ExTipp-Ex is a brand of correction fluid and other related products that is popular throughout Europe. It was also the name of the German company that produced the products in the Tipp-Ex line. Tipp-Ex is a trademark for correction products...
- PentelPentelis a privately held Japanese company that produces stationery products. Pentel is also the inventor of non-permanent marker technology. Most Pentel products are manufactured in Japan, Taiwan and France. Yukio Horie, who was the President of the company until his death in 2010, had invented the...