# What's faster, your printing or your cursive **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787 "2011-09-10T03:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/1 "2011-09-10T03:33:06Z")
Assuming you had to hand write out a page of text right now, what could you do most quickly in a legible fashion - cursive (specifically, the handwriting you learned in school as “cursive”) or print it? ---
**Author:** ![sjankis630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sjankis630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjankis630)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/2 "2011-09-10T03:46:38Z")
This would be cursive for me. You may not be able to read it legibly, but if I had to write out a complete page just printing neat enough to read, then my hand would be aching for an hour after I finished. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/3 "2011-09-10T03:47:25Z")
I have forgotten cursive, with a little luck I might be able to make it through the alphabet, but it would take a while. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/4 "2011-09-10T03:47:25Z")
The only thing I know how to spell in cursive is my name…so if I were to write a page full of nothing but my name, crazy-movie-guy style, cursive would be faster. Otherwise, the printing. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/5 "2011-09-10T03:49:41Z")
Printing, although my fast printing is a weird amalgamation of print and cursive. It’s like print letters sort of half-assedly looped together. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/6 "2011-09-10T03:57:35Z")
I also do the print + cursive combo. Except when I’m signing and then it’s just J + squiggle. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/7 "2011-09-10T04:12:44Z")
I don’t think I can answer either of the options, while I still hand-write notes and sometimes first drafts, I sort of half-print and half-cursive. I think it’s primarily printing with the most convenient cursive shortcuts thrown in, and sometimes I write letters, such as the “s” both ways depending on where in the word they land. It would be slower for me to try to do one or the other alone. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/8 "2011-09-10T04:27:36Z")
It’s really the same speed exactly. I prefer the way printing looks on the screen to how cursive looks. But I can type either one just as fast. You don’t mean old fashioned note taking, do you? Cuz I type like 10 times as fast as I write. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/9 "2011-09-10T04:54:43Z")
🙂 Yeah, stone-age making-marks-on-paper is in fact what I’m referring to ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/10 "2011-09-10T05:04:50Z")
Cursive. I write hand written notes fairly often and I always write them. If I need to print I find it a bit ponderous. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/11 "2011-09-10T05:55:32Z")
Both are illegible, but I print everything but my signature. So print wins by default. I don’t think King Tut could read my cursive. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/12 "2011-09-10T06:01:32Z")
My cursive is miles faster than my printing, but I find it easier to abbreviate with printing. So school notes are printed and letters are cursive. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/13 "2011-09-10T09:31:11Z")
Cursive, hands down. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/14 "2011-09-10T12:25:36Z")
Doesn’t matter 'cause you can’t read either one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/15 "2011-09-10T12:30:59Z")
Cursive, by a country mile. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/16 "2011-09-10T13:25:07Z")
Cursive here. Although when I get out the full caligraphic pen set, it can take five minutes for just one four letter word. Makes vandalism very risky. It would be interesting to see an age breakdown here. I bet the old timers would befaster cursive writers by a signifigant margin. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/17 "2011-09-10T14:06:34Z")
Cuirsive is faster, but less legible. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/18 "2011-09-10T14:07:36Z")
My cursive stopped looking like what I was taught in school decades ago. My current “handwriting” (as opposed to printing) is a combination of connected and unconnected letters. Looking at the to-do list right next to me: tra cki ng / s prea d shee ts con ta c ts / Me tr o con ta c ts / Chi r o / E c on i n ter vi ewee s i dea s / for / Sep t / Me tr o i dea s / for / O c t / heal th emai l / Munson emai l / Dave / H Basically I connect to the next letter unless it’s faster not to. When I’m scribbling, I’m the only one who can read it, but when I’m writing for legibility, I slow down but basically form the letters in the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/19 "2011-09-10T14:18:28Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Printing, although my fast printing is a weird amalgamation of print and cursive. It’s like print letters sort of half-assedly looped together. Yeah, that’s my default mode. When I think of printing, I think of the ‘lettering’ that draftsman use(d) on their drawings. The only cursive I use is my signature and that’s not really legible except for the first character. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787/20 "2011-09-10T14:35:03Z")
Um, well, I know hell and damn and bit… if it was all words then cursive. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-faster-your-printing-or-your-cursive/595787.md?page=2)