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Cross letters are written with two sets of lines at right angles to save space and postage, but make it difficult to read. They were used when postal rates were high, but are now obsolete. Some find the cursive handwriting and patterns visually appealing. Cross letters are exhibited in museums and archives. “Cross the t’s dot the i’s” refers to overall accuracy in writing.
A cross letter is a written letter in which the writer superimposes two sets of handwritten lines at right angles. This helps conserve space, and was once seen as a technique used to save on postage in bygone eras. It also has the effect of making handwritten writing very difficult for some individuals to read. Some experts debate what percentage of cross-letter recipients found it easy to read communications the way they were written, and whether the cross-letter habit hampered the efficiency of written communications in many cases.
In various countries, and at various times in history, postal rates were extremely high relative to the average household earnings. In these situations, letter writers sometimes use a cross-letter strategy to pack more writing into a small space. Now, most postal systems rate postage by weight, and it rarely makes sense to cross-write to allow for less postage. Because digital means of correspondence have largely eclipsed handwriting, cross-letter seems extremely bizarre and archaic to many writers today.
Many past cross letters were written in a specific cursive handwriting that represented a particular time period. The use of cross-writing in the letters has resulted in some interesting designs and patterns. For many, these are stylistically appealing and visually appealing. In terms of function, cross letters can be very difficult to read, which helped this practice quickly become obsolete as postage rates fell.
More than a few museums and other historic institutions have exhibited cross letters for visitor review. Many more of these documents are kept in archives for posterity, or are kept by families as heirlooms. There are even examples of cross letter writing on the internet, which help today’s audience to understand some of the writing techniques of past generations. In addition to showing the handwriting style, the content of some cross letters can provide much more about the general customs and lifestyle of those times.
In an alternative context, referring to a single “cross letter” could mean writing the horizontal stroke through a lowercase “t” or other letter as the case may be. Some English speakers use the phrase “cross the t’s dot the i’s” to refer to overall accuracy in writing or any other type of project. In terms of an entire printed communication, however, a cross letter has the distinct characteristics mentioned above.
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