Nortish scrivenry

Scrivenry forms an important part of the Erbonian domestic industry. The Compagnie of Scriveners is a powerful national guild which controls the sale of scrivenry as well as the printing, engrossing and illumination trades. Scrivenry includes all paper, parchment, ink and stationery productions used for printing, engrossing, illumination and writing purposes.

Paper sizes

Relative paper sizes used in Great Nortend.

The sizes in which paper is sold or used in trade and commerce are prescribed by the Compagnie of Scriveners, which standardised the paper sizes in use in 1855. Paper sizes are named by reference to „base”, or „plano” paper sizes. The terms „folio”, „quarto”, „octavo”, „sextodecimo” and so on are used to refer to halved, quartered and eighthed sizes of the base paper size. These are abbreviated „2o”, „4to”, „8vo”, „16mo” and so on. Larger sizes may be named using the terms „double”, „fourfold” and „eightfold” (and so on) for doubled, quadrupled and octupled paper sizes; however, it is more common to refer to these larger sizes by unique names.

Table of common Nortish paper sizes

Size	Inches		Centimetres		Ratio	Name
FOOLSCAP SERIES
Eight	36	52	86.11	124.38	1.44	Double Soleil
Four	26	36	62.19	86.11	1.38	Soleil
Double	18	26	43.06	62.19	1.44	Demy
Plano	13	18	31.10	43.06	1.38	Foolscap
Folio	9	13	21.53	31.10	1.44	Foolscap Folio
Quarto	6½	9	15.55	21.53	1.38	Foolscap Quarto
Octavo	4½	6½	10.76	15.55	1.44	Small Card
POST SERIES
Eight	42	60	100.46	143.52	1.43	Double Imperial
Four	30	42	71.76	100.46	1.40	Imperial
Double	21	30	50.23	71.76	1.43	Medium
Plano	15	21	35.88	50.23	1.40	Post
Folio	10½	15	25.12	35.88	1.43	Post Folio
Quarto	7½	10½	17.94	25.12	1.40	Post Quarto
Octavo	5¼	7½	12.56	17.94	1.43	Large Card
CROWN SERIES
Eight	46	66	110.03	157.87	1.43	Double Atlas
Four	33	46	78.94	110.03	1.39	Atlas
Double	23	33	55.02	78.94	1.43	Copydraught
Plano	16½	23	39.47	55.02	1.39	Crown
Folio	11½	16½	27.51	39.47	1.43	Crown Folio
Quarto	8¼	11½	19.73	27.51	1.39	Crown Quarto
Octavo	5¾	8¼	13.75	19.73	1.43	Crown Octavo
ELEPHANT SERIES
Eight	56	78	133.95	186.58	1.39	Double Hartroyal
Four	39	56	93.29	133.95	1.44	Hartroyal
Double	28	39	66.98	93.29	1.39	Crossmarten
Plano	19¼	28	46.64	66.98	1.44	Elephant
Folio	14	19½	33.49	46.64	1.39	Elephant Folio
Quarto	9¾	14	23.32	33.49	1.44	Elephant Quarto
Octavo	7	9¾	16.74	23.32	1.39	Elephant Octavo

Paper in the four common series of foolscap, post, crown and elephant paper are commonly available at scriveners around the country. Foolscap paper, especially foolscap folio and quarto, is the typical personal writing paper series. It is quite similar to the international A-series, being only slightly larger than corresponding A-series sizes. For example, foolscap folio is slightly taller and wider than A4 paper. Post paper, also known as brief, is commonly used for legal or office documents. For instance, business letters are commonly written on post quarto paper, while deeds and contracts are typically written on post folio sized sheets (hence the practice of charging per folium. Many books are printed on crown sized paper and folded into quartos or octavos, although it is commonly also used by artists, draughtsmen and the like. Elephant paper is mostly used for newspapers, where a broadsheet is an elephant sheet folded once into a folio (hence the name, „elephant folio”), and a halfsheet folded twice into quartos. Elephant paper unfolded is commonly used for posters and bills.

Mourning scrivenry

Mourning scrivenry is available and commonly used during periods of mourning, or to shew grief or sorrow at the death of a person. The distinctive feature is the black border which is applied to cards, paper and envelopes, in addition to the customary use of only black ink. If special stationery is not available, it is usual to draw a black line around the border of the piece of paper to indicate mourning. The use of mourning scrivenry is tied to the wearing of mourning dress, and generally ceases when one leaves full mourning. However, it is also used when the subject of the document relates to the death, or when one is sending letters or cards to the bereaved.