What Does "duofold" Mean?

[LizWrites]

Hi there,

 

This has probably been asked and answered but I can't find it through Search.

 

So what does the term "duofold" mean when used in the name/model "Parker Duofold"?

 

Many thanks!

[Scrawler]

When you consider the vast range of pens that have had that name, that is a fair question.

 

The only Duofold I have is a "Duovac" and it had nothing to do with the classic pen of the 1920s and 1930s or the English Duofold of the 1950s and 1960s that was carried by every headmaster.

[zubipen]

The Duofold was a kind of airplne in those days when the Parker Duofold came to live (early 20´s)

[LizWrites]

Wow. This may be more interesting than I realized.

 

So, zubi, you think it refers to the plane "in the news" at the time?

 

Would love to hear any other thoughts as well.

 

Thanks to both of you for your responses!

[Vintagepens]

Use your Google Fu -- search for "Duofold name origin" and right at the top you get this: http://www.vintagepens.com/Parker_Duofold.shtml, which should give you your answer.

[LizWrites]

Thanks, David! Such a lot of great info. Going to have to dig into this some more! Your pens are beautiful.

[kirchh]

I find it interesting that in April of 1921, Sheaffer advertised a model they labeled "Sheaffer's Manifold Pen". I've always wondered if Tebbel came across that ad...

 

--Daniel

[LizWrites]

I find it interesting that in April of 1921, Sheaffer advertised a model they labeled "Sheaffer's Manifold Pen". I've always wondered if Tebbel came across that ad...

 

--Daniel

 

It's intriguing.

 

Also, there are a variety of meanings for manifold--would love to know what the creatives at Parker (and Sheaffer) were driving at.

[kirchh]

I find it interesting that in April of 1921, Sheaffer advertised a model they labeled "Sheaffer's Manifold Pen". I've always wondered if Tebbel came across that ad...

 

--Daniel

 

It's intriguing.

 

Also, there are a variety of meanings for manifold--would love to know what the creatives at Parker (and Sheaffer) were driving at.

"Manifold" in and of itself isn't particularly mysterious -- it was commonly used to refer to a very stiff nib. But I will note that the Sheaffer ad for the Manifold Pen doesn't make mention of this attribute, so perhaps they were trying to broaden or stretch the term to the point where it was a proprietary model designation. It's actually somewhat strange.

 

--Daniel

[LizWrites]

I find it interesting that in April of 1921, Sheaffer advertised a model they labeled "Sheaffer's Manifold Pen". I've always wondered if Tebbel came across that ad...

 

--Daniel

 

It's intriguing.

 

Also, there are a variety of meanings for manifold--would love to know what the creatives at Parker (and Sheaffer) were driving at.

"Manifold" in and of itself isn't particularly mysterious -- it was commonly used to refer to a very stiff nib. But I will note that the Sheaffer ad for the Manifold Pen doesn't make mention of this attribute, so perhaps they were trying to broaden or stretch the term to the point where it was a proprietary model designation. It's actually somewhat strange.

 

--Daniel

 

Yes, and I get the feeling with "Duofold" that Parker was making an effort to brand, more than just name. But maybe that's more of a contemporary strategy. Since I really have no idea of the thinking behind the name, it's hard to say.

[pajaro]

Try this link. I found it amusing.

 

http://www.hanksclothing.com/duofold_thermal_underwear.html

 

I find the word "Duofold" a little clunky to say. I wonder why Parker picked it. Pricey pens with a name that just rolls off your tongue.

 

Someone else's nirvana.

[Jerome Tarshis]

"Manifold" doesn't originally refer to a stiff nib. It refers to the kind of paper those nibs were meant to write on. Manifold paper. Time does pass, and by now I may be the only person here old enough to have worked with carbon paper. Manifold paper is paper with a top sheet and other sheets of thin paper underneath it, interspersed with carbon paper. "Manifold" is analogous to "many-fold."

 

An accountant nib is indeed a kind of nib, but an accountant is not a kind of nib. Arabic isn't primarily a kind of nib. And the word "manifold" has an existence outside the classification of nibs.

 

As for the meaning of "Duofold," that isn't so easy, as has become clear.

[kirchh]

"Manifold" doesn't originally refer to a stiff nib. It refers to the kind of paper those nibs were meant to write on. Manifold paper. Time does pass, and by now I may be the only person here old enough to have worked with carbon paper. Manifold paper is paper with a top sheet and other sheets of thin paper underneath it, interspersed with carbon paper. "Manifold" is analogous to "many-fold."

 

An accountant nib is indeed a kind of nib, but an accountant is not a kind of nib. Arabic isn't primarily a kind of nib. And the word "manifold" has an existence outside the classification of nibs.

 

As for the meaning of "Duofold," that isn't so easy, as has become clear.

To be accurate, manifold paper is the thin paper that is often used when making carbon copies, not the assemblage of paper sheets and carbon paper. In any event, I was of course referring to the nib grade called manifold, not claiming that term was originally used for that sort of item.

 

--Daniel

[LizWrites]

Today, I received a lovely response to an inquiry I sent Parker Pens. I wrote to ask if there was an official history behind the naming of the Duofold.

 

Here is what Madame Pinguaud wrote me. You'll see that it and some of your suggestions above correspond.

 

Unfortunately, we do not have much information if there is an official story behind the naming of the DUOFOLD.

There are at least three stories in circulation regarding the origin of the name "Duofold". One, that it was named for world traveler George Parker's favorite airplane, sounds pretty good (after all, Parker did use airplanes in the promotion of the new pen) but for the fact that there weren't any airplanes by that name. Another tale holds that it was named for its ability to be converted from a pocket pen to a desk pen simply by replacing the short blind cap with a longer taper (both were supplied in some Duofold gift sets, and Parker could also supply a "Pen Parker" that allowed the cap to be used as a desk stand). The theories most accepted by long-time collectors are (1) that the original Duofold, like the earlier Lucky Curve sac pens, could be converted to eyedropper fillers should the filling mechanism fail, and (2) the fairly rigid point could be used for "manifolding" or making carbon copies, with "Duofold" being another way to say "manifold".

Yet another possibility is vaguely suggested if you consider that "duofold" could be a literal translation of the Latin word "diploma", from which we also get the term "diplomat". Or, maybe it was named in honor of the steep price increase over previous and similar models.

 

You may also find the DUOFOLD story by browsing the following website: http://parkerpens.net/duofold.html

 

We do hope that you will find this information of interest and we remain at your disposal should you have any further question.

 

We also have a beautiful book which title is “PARKER DUOFOLD” written by David Shepherd and Dan Zazove, in collaboration with PARKER and published in 2006 by Surrenden Pens Limited, and we are happy to share with you the history of the DUOFOLD.

 

Here are the images from the book she included:

 

 

 

[Vintagepens]

Another example of how companies often have a rather hazy knowledge of their own history. That your Parker correspondent cited the Duofold book is good; that she apparently had not read it, is less so.

 

Once again:

NOTE: there is much misinformation on the origins of the Duofold name. Some claim that it denotes that the pen could be converted into a desk pen, or used as an eyedropper, or that its nib could be used upside-down. Yet not one of these supposedly key features was so much as mentioned in early Duofold advertisements or company literature. In fact, the "Duo" prefix was very popular at the time, being used as a marketing superlative for a wide range of products (paralleled by the ubiquity of "super" in the postwar era). "Duofold" would have suggested that the new oversize Parker was twice the pen competitors could offer – consistent with its pricing, which pushed existing market norms -- while the "-fold" suffix both carried through the comparative reference (as in "twofold") and alluded to the mass and rigidity of the Duofold's large, manifold-style nib ("manifold" being the term for stiff nibs made for use with carbon paper, with which one could make manifold copies of a document).

[zuku]

Another example of how companies often have a rather hazy knowledge of their own history. That your Parker correspondent cited the Duofold book is good; that she apparently had not read it, is less so.

 

Once again:

NOTE: there is much misinformation on the origins of the Duofold name. Some claim that it denotes that the pen could be converted into a desk pen, or used as an eyedropper, or that its nib could be used upside-down. Yet not one of these supposedly key features was so much as mentioned in early Duofold advertisements or company literature. In fact, the "Duo" prefix was very popular at the time, being used as a marketing superlative for a wide range of products (paralleled by the ubiquity of "super" in the postwar era). "Duofold" would have suggested that the new oversize Parker was twice the pen competitors could offer – consistent with its pricing, which pushed existing market norms -- while the "-fold" suffix both carried through the comparative reference (as in "twofold") and alluded to the mass and rigidity of the Duofold's large, manifold-style nib ("manifold" being the term for stiff nibs made for use with carbon paper, with which one could make manifold copies of a document).

 

a comparative reference alluding to the mass and rigidity of a manifold-style nib... from what page of the book was this line taken from, and how that was not mentioned on <<the fairly rigid point could be used for "manifolding" or making carbon copies, with "Duofold" being another way to say "manifold">>?

 

Anyway, I am very thankful with Madame Pinguaud for her willingness to gladly share what information she had at her disposition, and for even including those scans of the pertinent book. Nobody could read this as something misleading in some manner. Quite the oposite, i think that input was adressed to provide the available information.

And certainly a big thanks to LizWrites for her (youre fem, right?) initiative to reach someone at Parker with this querstion. If you ever write back to Maam Pinguaud, please extend my appreciation for the information she offered.

Thanks!

 

no affs.

[LizWrites]

I told her, zuku!

[zuku]

[Lazard 20]

I affirm that DUO comes from duo-sleeve cap. On the other hand FOLD is a contraction of its special adaptation for manifolding (make manifold carbon copy work, a very useful attribute at that time)

Edited January 6, 2019 by RamonCampos

[Glenn-SC]

nt

Edited January 7, 2019 by Glenn-SC