Stationary or Stationery?
Many people oftentimes confuse the words stationary and stationery. This is understandable, since only one letter differentiate the spelling of both words. What’s interesting though is that both words share somewhat the same history.
Stationary means that something is at a fixed spot. Stationery on the other hand is any kind of material that people use for formal and business correspondence. It can include paper, greeting cards, and writing implements among other things. This word originated from the word stationer, a person whose shop is placed on a fixed spot. So basically, both words in one way or another, share the same history.
Back when electronic communication was not yet fully developed, business establishments uses office stationery to send out letters to clients and other business correspondences they had. This practice was considered to be proper business etiquette.
Usually, office stationery sent out in correspondence contains the name of the business establishment that is using it. It can come with the company logo alongside the slogan which establishes the identity of the company.
The design of the correspondence also comes in different types. It can come in plain printing, or as an embossed, engraved or thermographed design.
Now that electronic mail and other medium is getting more popular and makes business correspondence more convenient and quick, the use of such materials is getting less and less.