A way to save paper - write criss-cross letters
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (388341)
Rockingham, Australia
July 12, 2026 8:00am CST
The title is tongue in cheek. I'm not advocating it for today's letter-writers.
A story which caught my eye today was about criss-cross letters.
Criss-cross letters, also known as cross-hatching or cross-writing, were common way back, when paper was sometimes were hard to get and postage was gauged on weight so one page would be a lot cheaper to send than two pages.
A letter would be written in the normal way then the page would be turned 90 degrees and the writing would then be carried on across the previous writing. Occasionally, a third ‘page’ could be added by writing on a slant. While obviously pretty hard to decipher, I guess it served a purpose.
You can read more about it here. A lady has inherited such a letter which was written in 1879:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-22/criss-crossed-letter-mystery/103362666
22 people like this
21 responses
@BarBaraPrz (52133)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
12 Jul
They didn't think to write on the back of the page?
3 people like this
@FourWalls (87755)
• United States
16 Jul
It looks quite artistic. I’m continually amazed by how our grandparents and great-grandparents managed to save money and resources!
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (87755)
• United States
16 Jul
@JudyEv — so true. I remember my mom telling me that her mom would dry out the coffee grounds then reuse them with a 2/1 ration old grounds to new ones. Of course, back then they went right out of the Depression and into World War II.
1 person likes this
@Traceyjayne (13887)
• United Kingdom
12 Jul
How interesting. I had not heard of that before, but it makes perfect sense really doesn't it !
It's a shame not many people write letters these days ...
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (8777)
• United Kingdom
12 Jul
The cost of postage is enough to put you off!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (388341)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul
It's so easy to message or write an email - and you don't have to wait so long for an answer! lol
@Traceyjayne (13887)
• United Kingdom
13 Jul
@Orson_Kart very true ....I refuse to pay for 1st class stamps. Some areas don't even get a mail delivery every day.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (212913)
• United States
13 Jul
Seems like it might be difficult to read.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (100983)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
12 Jul
Makes me think of paintings that have been discovered painted over other paintings,
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22679)
• United States
14 Jul
I never heard of this. Interesting article.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (46695)
• Denver, Colorado
12 Jul
I remember learning about this when I was younger, but I never tried doing it myself.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (46695)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Jul
@JudyEv - I have no idea how or why I learned about it. I know I wouldn't have wanted to take notes that way or anything.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (63057)
•
13 Jul
If you are a Little House on the Prairie fan, and ever read the series of books. in the book ''The Long Winter'' Ma Ingalls wrote a letter to her family in Wisconsin, in this fashion. As you said, it saved money.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (63057)
•
14 Jul
@JudyEv
I love books on homesteading and survivalism, too. It's amazing how these people adapt and make the most of what they have.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (388341)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul
This all happened a long time ago but it's interesting.
@Orson_Kart (8777)
• United Kingdom
12 Jul
I’ve never heard of such a thing. I rarely write these days, but if I did, my writing is so bad, that multiplying it by three would make it completely illegible.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (388341)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Jul
If I have to hand-write anything nowadays, I will print it. My printing is much neater and more legible than my hand-writing.
