traditional markup copy editing, or hard-copy editing, is still important because screening tests for employment may be administered in hard copy. also, the author whose text the copy editor is editing may prefer hard-copy markup, and copy editors need to know traditional markup in case documents and materials cannot be exchanged electronically. when editing in hard-copy, all participating parties (the editor, author, typesetter, and proofreader) must understand the marks the copy editor makes, and therefore a universal marking system that signifies these changes exists. this is also why the copy editor should write legibly and neatly. copy editors working hard-copy write their corrections in the text directly, leaving the margins for querying. usually the copy editor is asked to write in a bright color, so the author and other parties can easily recognize the editor's changes.