Tipp-Ex
Encyclopedia
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 (Tipp-Ex GmbH & Co. KG
) that produced the products in the Tipp-Ex line. Tipp-Ex is a trademark
for correction products. It has become so popular that it has become an English genericised trademark: to tippex or tippex out means to erase, either generally or with correction fluid.
The Tipp-Ex company was founded in 1959, in Eltville
, Germany
, by Wolfgang Dabisch. Shortly after that a Tipp-Ex Contribution company was founded in Frankfurt
, Germany
, by Otto Carls. The first product was an innovative correction paper
for use with typewriter
s. The name "Tipp-Ex" given both to the company and the product was based on the use of this product — "Tipp" is the German
word for "type
", and "ex" is Latin
for "no more".
As a result of the invention of Tipp-Ex, it became possible to erase a typographical error typed with a typewriter. The typewriter would be backspace
d to the letter that was to be changed, the correction paper would be placed in front of the ribbon, and the mistyped letter would be re-typed. The system only worked if the typewriter repositioned the re-typed letter in exactly the same place as originally typed, which could be problematic if returning to a previous line.
Demand for this correction paper grew very quickly and brought interest from both German and international distributors.
In 1965, Tipp-Ex launched a correction fluid and quickly developed a full range of correction fluids for different uses. Sold in more than 150 countries, Tipp-Ex became a unique Europe
an brand.
In 1992 Tipp-Ex introduced its first correction tape
, followed in 1995 by the successful Pocket Mouse correction tape. In 1998, the correction pen was launched and in 1999 the Mini Pocket Mouse correction tape. The range was extended to eraser
s, and in 2000, the new foam
applicator was adapted to all the correction fluid bottles.
In 1997, Société Bic
acquired Tipp-Ex. Tipp-Ex is now the leading European correction products brand and is the tenth most recognized German brand name in the world.
In 2010, a wildly popular interactive viral video was released through YouTube
depicting a hunter's dilemma when confronted with the decision of whether or not to shoot a bear that wanders into a campsite. The video has been hailed by internet analysts as a novel, creative and entertaining form of advertising.
The Tipp-Ex correction fluid is a white liquid. It is used for painting over mistakes in a piece of writing. A brush (which was later replaced by a foam applicator) is attached to the cap, so when the bottle is closed, the brush is immersed in the Tipp-Ex. When unscrewed, the brush is covered in liquid Tipp-Ex which is then painted over the mistake. However, it is still possible to see that Tipp-Ex has been used, and also the original content if the paper is held up to a light.
If the contents of a Tipp-Ex bottle have been exposed to too much air (for example, if the cap has been unscrewed too long or if the bottle is half-empty and there is air filling the space), the Tipp-Ex becomes thicker, and sometimes even solidifies. To help prevent this, Tipp-Ex released a product called "Tipp-Ex thinner", a few drops of which are mixed with the contents of a bottle of partially dried Tipp-Ex to thin it. This extends the lifetime of a Tipp-Ex bottle.
One must write with a ball point pen on top of Tipp-ex, as a liquid ink pen will smudge.
used to be used as a thinner in the product. This solvent is readily absorbed by the lungs via inhalation. It passes readily through the blood-brain barrier and may be lethal following acute exposure. 1,1,1-trichloroethane is also an 'ozone
depleter', being one of the substances responsible for causing damage to the Earth's ozone layer
. For both reasons, it has not been added to Tipp-Ex since 2000, and it has been replaced by aliphatic hydrocarbons.
Education Authority (AEA) banned the use of Tipp-ex in all its schools, by staff and students alike. The reason given was the possibility of the solvent (1,1,1-trichloroethane
) being inhaled by children as a form of substance abuse
. While a number of schools in the UK are known to have introduced similar rules, the AEA is the only local education authority to have extended it to an entire region. The decision was revoked six months later following complaints from staff, pupils and parents.
Some schools have banned the use of the solvent for other reasons such as students defacing school property with the solvent. It is popular for this purpose because it is hard to clean and has a distinctive white colour.
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of correction fluid
Correction fluid
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 which dips into the bottle...
and other related products that is popular throughout 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...
. It was also the name of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company (Tipp-Ex GmbH & Co. KG
Société Bic
Société Bic is a company based in Clichy, France, founded in 1945, by Baron Marcel Bich known for making disposable products including lighters, magnets, ballpoint pens, shaving razors and watersports products. It competes in most markets against Faber-Castell, Global Gillette, Newell Rubbermaid...
) that produced the products in the Tipp-Ex line. Tipp-Ex is a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
for correction products. It has become so popular that it has become an English genericised trademark: to tippex or tippex out means to erase, either generally or with correction fluid.
History
Eltville
Eltville am Rhein is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, by Wolfgang Dabisch. Shortly after that a Tipp-Ex Contribution company was founded in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, by Otto Carls. The first product was an innovative correction paper
Correction paper
Correction paper, or correction film, its plastic based equivalent, is a tab of plastic with one side coated with white correction material. It is used to correct typing errors made when using a typewriter. When inserted between the paper and the typebar, and the ribbon select switched to...
for use with typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
s. The name "Tipp-Ex" given both to the company and the product was based on the use of this product — "Tipp" is the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for "type
Typing
Typing is the process of inputting text into a device, such as a typewriter, cell phone, computer, or a calculator, by pressing keys on a keyboard. It can be distinguished from other means of input, such as the use of pointing devices like the computer mouse, and text input via speech...
", and "ex" is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "no more".
As a result of the invention of Tipp-Ex, it became possible to erase a typographical error typed with a typewriter. The typewriter would be backspace
Backspace
Backspace is the keyboard key that originally pushed the typewriter carriage one position backwards, and in modern computer displays moves the cursor one position backwards, deletes the preceding character, and shifts back the text after it by one position....
d to the letter that was to be changed, the correction paper would be placed in front of the ribbon, and the mistyped letter would be re-typed. The system only worked if the typewriter repositioned the re-typed letter in exactly the same place as originally typed, which could be problematic if returning to a previous line.
Demand for this correction paper grew very quickly and brought interest from both German and international distributors.
In 1965, Tipp-Ex launched a correction fluid and quickly developed a full range of correction fluids for different uses. Sold in more than 150 countries, Tipp-Ex became a unique 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...
an brand.
In 1992 Tipp-Ex introduced its first correction tape
Correction tape
Correction tape is an alternative to correction fluid used to correct mistakes during typing, or, in some forms, handwriting. One side of the tape, which is placed against the error, is coated in a white, opaque masking material...
, followed in 1995 by the successful Pocket Mouse correction tape. In 1998, the correction pen was launched and in 1999 the Mini Pocket Mouse correction tape. The range was extended to eraser
Eraser
An eraser or rubber is an article of stationery that is used for rubbing out pencil markings. Erasers have a rubbery consistency and are often white or pink, although modern materials allow them to be made in any color. Many pencils are equipped with an eraser on one end...
s, and in 2000, the new foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
applicator was adapted to all the correction fluid bottles.
In 1997, Société Bic
Société Bic
Société Bic is a company based in Clichy, France, founded in 1945, by Baron Marcel Bich known for making disposable products including lighters, magnets, ballpoint pens, shaving razors and watersports products. It competes in most markets against Faber-Castell, Global Gillette, Newell Rubbermaid...
acquired Tipp-Ex. Tipp-Ex is now the leading European correction products brand and is the tenth most recognized German brand name in the world.
In 2010, a wildly popular interactive viral video was released through YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
depicting a hunter's dilemma when confronted with the decision of whether or not to shoot a bear that wanders into a campsite. The video has been hailed by internet analysts as a novel, creative and entertaining form of advertising.
Usage
If the contents of a Tipp-Ex bottle have been exposed to too much air (for example, if the cap has been unscrewed too long or if the bottle is half-empty and there is air filling the space), the Tipp-Ex becomes thicker, and sometimes even solidifies. To help prevent this, Tipp-Ex released a product called "Tipp-Ex thinner", a few drops of which are mixed with the contents of a bottle of partially dried Tipp-Ex to thin it. This extends the lifetime of a Tipp-Ex bottle.
One must write with a ball point pen on top of Tipp-ex, as a liquid ink pen will smudge.
Ingredients, toxicology, and environmental issues
The organic solvent 1,1,1-trichloroethane1,1,1-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...
used to be used as a thinner in the product. This solvent is readily absorbed by the lungs via inhalation. It passes readily through the blood-brain barrier and may be lethal following acute exposure. 1,1,1-trichloroethane is also an 'ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
depleter', being one of the substances responsible for causing damage to the Earth's ozone layer
Ozone layer
The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone . This layer absorbs 97–99% of the Sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to the life forms on Earth...
. For both reasons, it has not been added to Tipp-Ex since 2000, and it has been replaced by aliphatic hydrocarbons.
Misuse
In 1988 the AyrshireAyrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
Education Authority (AEA) banned the use of Tipp-ex in all its schools, by staff and students alike. The reason given was the possibility of the solvent (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...
) being inhaled by children as a form of substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
. While a number of schools in the UK are known to have introduced similar rules, the AEA is the only local education authority to have extended it to an entire region. The decision was revoked six months later following complaints from staff, pupils and parents.
Some schools have banned the use of the solvent for other reasons such as students defacing school property with the solvent. It is popular for this purpose because it is hard to clean and has a distinctive white colour.