require occasionally machines that will do what is called "wide work." The ordinary typewriter will usually write from 72 to 75 characters to the line. This is not wide enough for some classes of work, and as a consequence the typewriter companies have put upon the market machines that will write as many as 300 characters to the line, and take paper almost three feet wide. The book typewriters will write on paper of almost any width, in fact as wide as any writing paper made, and do tabulating work at the same time. In the majority of cases the carriages are large and cumbersome, and not very suitable for rapid work. Some machines have interchangeable carriages, so that it is possible to slide the ordinary 75-point carriage off the typewriter case in a few seconds and substitute a wider one upon the same base. The advantage of this style of machine is obvious—it can be used for ordinary work if desired and arranged for wide work in a few moments.
The very wide machines used for steamship and railroad work have no small letters. They write capital letters, figures and special marks required in shipping circles. The student should see and learn about the wide or long carriage machines. If there are none at the school he attends he should visit the agencies of the various typewriter companies and make an inspection and investigation of the long carriage machines. They have come to stay.
