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 (or a triangular piece of foam) which dips into the bottle. The brush is used to apply the fluid onto the paper.

Before the invention of word processor

Word processor

A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....

s, correction fluid greatly facilitated the production of typewritten documents.

One of the first forms of correction fluid was invented in 1951 by the secretary Bette Nesmith Graham

Bette 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:...

, founder of Liquid Paper

Liquid Paper

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.- Brand history :...

, and mother of Mike Nesmith of 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,...

.

Thinner

Because it contains organic solvent

Solvent

A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...

s (volatile organic compounds), unused correction fluid thickens over time as volatile solvents escape into the air. It can become too thick to use, and sometimes completely solidifies. Therefore, some manufacturers sell also bottles of solvent as "thinner", a few drops of which will return the correction fluid to its original liquid state.

Thinner originally contained toluene

Toluene

Toluene, formerly known as toluol, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e., one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3.It is an aromatic...

, which was banned due to its toxicity. Later, it contained 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...

, a skin irritant now widely banned under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, and then the slightly safer trichloroethylene

Trichloroethylene

The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a chlorinated hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which is commonly known as chlorothene.The IUPAC name is...

. Thinners currently used with correction fluid include bromopropane.

To avoid the inconveniences of organic solvents (safety and availability), some brands of fluid are water-based. However, those have the disadvantages of a longer drying time, and incompatibility with some inks (which will soak through them).

Abuse as an inhalant

Organic solvents are psychoactive

Psychoactive drug

A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...

 when deliberately inhaled. Such solvents are common inhalant

Inhalant

Inhalants are a broad range of drugs whose volatile vapors are taken in via the nose and trachea. They are taken by volatilization, and do not include drugs that are inhaled after burning or heating...

s for adolescent

Adolescence

Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...

s due, in part, to the fact that they are inexpensive in comparison to other recreational drugs

Recreational drug use

Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...

. Use of correction fluid as an inhalant can cause the heart to beat rapidly and irregularly, which can cause death. An unpleasant smell is added to some brands in order to deter abusers.
Companies have worked closely with authorities in order to ensure that all the warnings are duly mentioned on packaging (card and product labels) to inform parents and younger users of the risks associated with inhaling or drinking the fluid.

Correction pens

More recently, correction fluid has become available in pen form; the pen is spring-loaded and, when dabbed onto the paper, releases a small amount of fluid. If the pen does dry out, a few vigorous shakes usually get the fluid to flow again. Compared to the bottled form, the pen allows a more even and thin application, and is less prone to drying out (since only a tiny surface is exposed during application) or clogging.

Notable brands

Correction fluid is commonly referred to by the leading brand names. These brands include:

• Liquid Paper
  Liquid Paper
  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.- Brand history :...
  
  
• Snopake
• White Away
• Wite-Out
  Wite-Out
  Wite-Out is a trademark for a line of correction fluid, originally created for use with photocopies, and manufactured by the BIC Corporation.-History:...
  
  
• Tipp-Ex
  Tipp-Ex
  Tipp-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...
  
  
• Twink
• Pentel
  Pentel
  is 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...
  
   correction pen.
• Edigs

Generally, "Liquid Paper" and "Wite-Out" are used in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, while "Tipp-Ex" is used in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. Twink is the leading brand, and colloquial term, for correction fluid in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. In the English-speaking Caribbean the term "White-paper paste" is used. In India the name "White Ink" is used by the student community.. In Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 "Liquid Paper" ' onMouseout='HidePop("41296")' href="/topics/Rolled_R">rolled R

Rolled R

*alveolar trill, as in Spanish Roberto or perro.*alveolar tap, as in Spanish Roberto or pero....

) is the colloquial term and it is used the vast majority of times, the only exceptions being made for very formal contexts and/or by language purists where the correct Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

term corrector is used instead.

Many brands offer "original" and "solvent free" (water-soluble) varieties, along with colored varieties for use on colored paper.

External links

• http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blliquid_paper.htm