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[hotel21]

A question for you legal/shopping/banker types that frequent on here....

A friend was signing his point of sale docket at the local garage yesterday and he happened to sign in red pen as it was the first one that came out his pocket (teacher type, always lots of pens.....) and the cashier required him to resign in black ink.     :-/

On querying this, was told that the taxman would not accept it as it was in red and, further, it is not legal to sign cash documents in red.

I know that accountants use red/green inks when tallying accounts but never heard of this.  On looking at the web, appears to be somewhat of an urban myth.

Anyone confirm or otherwise, with links to a recognised place of fact?

ta...

[Jimbob]

local one here was 'its unlucky to write in red' but thats as far as it went.

No legality afaik

a lot of forms demand blue or black only, which can be for copying purposes.

[Welung666]

Have a read..... http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?s=92fc33c40dc647f2e8d2911b5f7fe930&t=40129

Not illegal or a legal requirement in this country (UK) but blue or black prefered for legally binding documents such as cheques, application forms etc..

[hotel21]

Am aware of the photocopying thing requiring blue or black for best copies but hardly think that a major fuel outlet in a busy location will be copying their dockets?  Would run to thousands in a day!!

Also aware of the legal documents thing.  In fact, some require wet ink - fountain pen style - as opposed to ballpoints or roller pens.  I know its still the case when signing the wedding register up here....

[crazyjoetavola]

When I was working for the 'Man' it was convention to use handwriting, delivered by fountain pen, on the salution and endings on the typed body of official reports and letters.

I always used ruby red ink for this purpose until I received a rather snotty missive from a DCS  asking me to stop. ' It must be black or blue, without exception!'

He would never explain why so I started to use green ink instead.

The result was the beginning of a relationship liberally doused in mutual loathing

I did ask around various departments but never found a reasonable answer. :-/

[hotel21]

When I was working for the 'Man' it was convention to use handwriting, delivered by fountain pen, on the salution and endings on the typed body of official reports and letters.

I always used ruby red ink for this purpose until I received a rather snotty missive from a DCS  asking me to stop. ' It must be black or blue, without exception!'

He would never explain why so I started to use green ink instead.

The result was the beginning of a relationship liberally doused in mutual loathing

I did ask around various departments but never found a reasonable answer. :-/

We have similar backgrounds, methinks....   

For us, the CC used red, the DCC used green ink when anotating documents and none of us lesser mortals were allowed to use either due to this.  May have been similar in your neck of the woods.....   8-)

[cem_devecioglu]

here official papers are signed with blue or black..

I did use red from time to time    but obviously rejected and I needed to sign again

[Jimbob]

our local filling station often gives you a red pen to sign with when the computers are down, seems to be more often than not 

[crazyjoetavola]

When I was working for the 'Man' it was convention to use handwriting, delivered by fountain pen, on the salution and endings on the typed body of official reports and letters.

I always used ruby red ink for this purpose until I received a rather snotty missive from a DCS  asking me to stop. ' It must be black or blue, without exception!'

He would never explain why so I started to use green ink instead.

The result was the beginning of a relationship liberally doused in mutual loathing

I did ask around various departments but never found a reasonable answer. :-/

We have similar backgrounds, methinks....   

For us, the CC used red, the DCC used green ink when anotating documents and none of us lesser mortals were allowed to use either due to this.  May have been similar in your neck of the woods.....   8-)

......can belive that H21, the only other deviant from our official line of black/blue was a rather refined CI from the sticks, who used turquoise

Most of his stuff concerned regional matters so it didn't have the same impact.

My nemises, and I can't expand on an open channel - even though he's long gone - just had a thing for this, but the stupid part was that he could never offer an explanation, as I've said.


Happy days indeed.

(Still use ruby red to this day)

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Certainly with book keeping (pre-computers) in the retail trade, red ink was frequently used to indicate credits or deficits, which has now been converted to - or () to do so 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-).

All invoices that were passed through to the head office could be priced up using red, green, black or blue, with no legal or auditing restrictions .

As for customers signing documents to confirm a sale, they could use any colour that was visable and in ink, using the closest pen available, as usually those documents were purely stored for accounting / auditing purposes as required. 8-) 8-) 8-)

[Gareth Lewis]

Should be able to use whatever colour you want!

[DaveL]

In the Military if you wrote in a file in 'Green' pen then we were at war. Enough said.

[crazyjoetavola]

In the Military if you wrote in a file in 'Green' pen then we were at war. Enough said.

....I was certainly at war with the DCS mentioned in my post, Dave

[HolyCount]

Am aware of the photocopying thing requiring blue or black for best copies but hardly think that a major fuel outlet in a busy location will be copying their dockets?  Would run to thousands in a day!!

Also aware of the legal documents thing.  In fact, some require wet ink - fountain pen style - as opposed to ballpoints or roller pens.  I know its still the case when signing the wedding register up here....

The pen they give you to sign the register has a special ink in it that will not fade ( as most inks do) with the passage of time --- it's an archival thing !

[HolyCount]

When I was working for the 'Man' it was convention to use handwriting, delivered by fountain pen, on the salution and endings on the typed body of official reports and letters.

I always used ruby red ink for this purpose until I received a rather snotty missive from a DCS  asking me to stop. ' It must be black or blue, without exception!'

He would never explain why so I started to use green ink instead.

The result was the beginning of a relationship liberally doused in mutual loathing

I did ask around various departments but never found a reasonable answer. :-/

I still do, at times I want to be really snobbish  .... and somewhat up myself