Pen lift is the act of lifting a pen off a writing surface, which can cause a break in a solid line. It is a term used in graphonomics, which studies various aspects of handwriting. Pen lifting was more important in cursive writing, which has been replaced by block printing. Handwriting has become obsolete due to electronic communication, but pen lift can still be studied in handwritten text and historical documents.
A pen lift is the practice of lifting the tip of a pen off a writing surface. In technical terms, experts identify pen lift as an event in which the “axial force of the pen” reaches zero. Basically, it means that the pen has been completely lifted off the paper. The effect on the card is a break in a solid line representing part or all of a letter or sequence of letters.
Some individuals consider a pen lift to be part of the terminology of what is called graphonomics. Graphonomics covers many aspects of the sciences related to handwriting. For example, handwriting is often studied in forensic departments to help investigate crimes. In addition to being an indicator of likely suspects, handwriting can also reveal psychological traits to trained professionals. Handwriting can also be associated with kinesiology or related physical sciences.
In the past, when many people around the world used cursive scripts for handwriting, pen lifting was a more important aspect of handwriting. Cursive scripts are scripts in which the pen generally does not leave the paper until the writer has completed writing a full word.
Pen lift as a handwriting term became less useful as cursive writing began to be replaced by block printing. Block-print handwriting is a method of handwriting in which each letter is represented individually. Block printing can use uppercase or lowercase letters, or be printed in all uppercase letters. Block printing became more common as institutions began using electronic methods to read text.
The utility of block printing can be seen in many modern forms used by governments and other institutions. Here, each letter has its own space in the form of an individual box with its own perimeter and margins. Printing inside these boxes helps a computer read text more easily.
In general, handwriting and handwriting events like lifting the pen have become quite obsolete in many cases. This is largely due to the emergence of typed text, and especially electronic communications such as email and text messaging. The typewriter began implementing this change in how the average writer produces writing, but the change was exacerbated by the rise of personal computers and wireless devices. Now, much more study is devoted to the use of digital texts, where a pen lift can still be part of examining dwindling amounts of still handwritten text, as well as examining personal signatures and historical documents.
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