AI Overview
The Surprising Change to the Cursive Letter Q
The cursive capital "Q" was changed in 1996 by Zaner-Bloser, a handwriting textbook publisher, at the request of the U.S. Postal Service, to an oval with a tail because the previous version resembled the number "2" and was being misread by automated scanners.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
The Problem:
The original, swoopy cursive capital "Q" was prone to being misinterpreted by the automated scanners used by the U.S. Postal Service, which would read it as a "2."
The Solution:
Zaner-Bloser, a company with a long history in penmanship instruction, redesigned the cursive capital "Q" to resemble the block-printed letter, making it easier for automated systems to recognize.
The Timeline:
The change occurred in 1996.
Other Changes:
Zaner-Bloser also simplified other cursive letters at the same time, such as eliminating the closed curl in the upper-case "M" and the two curls in the upper-case "X."