What is Business Penmanship?

Business Penmanship is a style of traditional American cursive handwriting from the early 1900s. It is a natural simplification of the widely-used ornamental handwriting styles of the mid 1800s. Originally developed in response to the increasing popularity of faster forms of communication, Business Penmanship served as the solution for penmen who were tasked with writing legibly, quickly, and for long periods of time.

A copy from The Wesco System of penmanship, 1928.

The advantages of Business Penmanship are:

• It is written almost exclusively with arm movement, making it generally more consistent, faster, and less fatiguing.
• It boasts no shades or changes in line thickness, making it more uniform when presented in page format.
• It is unflourished, making it ideal for simplified, clear transactional communication.
• It can be produced with nearly any writing tool. Dip pen, chalk, ballpoint, whiteboard marker, etc.

Common Aliases

• Business Writing
• Simplified Writing
• Practical Penmanship
• Arm Movement Writing
• BP