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Patterson Corp

Editorial mechanics — full reference

Source: Patterson Companies Copy Style Guide, 04/2022 [COPY22] unless noted. Base references are the AP Stylebook (2022) and Webster’s New World College Dictionary. [BG25 p.N] = Brand Guide 2025.

1. Case

Section titled “1. Case”
Context Case Source
Headlines Sentence case, always [BG25 p.59]
Subheads, secondary subheads Sentence case [BG25 p.59]
Body copy, captions Sentence case [BG25 p.59]
Buttons / CTA Sentence case, never all caps [BG25 p.57]
Eyebrows, text links Sentence case [DS20 p.10]
Email subject lines, preheader text Sentence case [BG25 p.58]
Titles (print only) May be all caps [BG25 p.25]
Titles, footer text Extrabold or Semibold, all caps [BG25 p.27]
Email signature promise line Arial Bold, all caps [BG25 p.28]
Hashtags Capitalize the first letter of each word [SOC19]

[BG25 p.26]: “Since all-caps is regarded as shouting in the digital space, we need to be aware of decorum, as well as the use of audible reading technology for some users… all-caps in headlines may no longer be practical. A mix of primarily sentence case and occasional all-caps in limited areas can work.”

2. Exceptions to AP style

Section titled “2. Exceptions to AP style”
Item Patterson rule AP would say
Academic degrees No periods: BA, PhD, RDH, DDS, DVM, CPA with periods
Brackets Use brackets to clarify within quoted material parentheses
Cents Dollar sign and decimal: $.06, $.50 cent sign (¢)
Italics Italics for book/journal/magazine/newspaper titles and scientific names (Staphylococcus aureus) no italics
Serial comma No Oxford comma in a simple series (red, white and blue); do use it in a complex series for clarity. Doctor-authored articles following AMA style may use it —

3. Numbers

Section titled “3. Numbers”
  • Spell out zero through nine; use numerals for 10 and above — except when a number begins a sentence.
  • Always numerals for ages, dates, dimensions, percentages, measures and weights.
  • Fractions less than one in body copy: spell out and hyphenate — one-third, three-fourths.
  • Decimals under 1 take a leading zero: increased 0.9 percent.
  • Percent: use the symbol (%) in copy.
  • Millions and billions: $1M, $1B. K only for money in tight space (Median Income Is $55K); elsewhere K means kilometre (a 5K race).
  • Dollars: figures with $. Financial communications include cents ($0.51); marketing removes .00 ($100, not $100.00). Never $1 billion dollars.

4. Dates and time

Section titled “4. Dates and time”
  • January 1, 2015. Comma after the weekday: Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
  • No month or day abbreviations. No -st, -nd, -rd, -th.
  • Numerals-only grids use a four-digit year: 1/1/2015.
  • Hyphen for inclusive academic years: the 2006-07 academic year.
  • Never use a hyphen as a substitute for to or and after from or between.
  • En dash ( – ) with a space on both sides, not a hyphen: 6:30 – 7 p.m.
  • Time: omit :00 on the hour (6 p.m.). Lowercase with periods and a space (6:30 p.m.). Stylised, designed copy may occasionally use AM, PM.
  • Fiscal year: lowercase spelled out (fiscal 2017); no space abbreviated (FY17).

5. Phone, web and email

Section titled “5. Phone, web and email”
  • Phone numbers use periods, not hyphens: 505.884.6747. No leading “1” on toll-free numbers. Comma before an extension: 866.234.2165, ext. 61727.
  • No http:// in copy. www. may be removed — always confirm the shortened address still links.
  • Write addresses lowercase: pattersondental.com, your.name@pattersoncompanies.com.
  • Long URLs get visual direction: Pattersonvet.com > Equipment > Anesthesia > Versa II.
  • Site directions: italicize directions, use angle brackets ( > ), bold action words [BG25 p.10].
Example
Correct Learn more at pattersonvet.com > equipment > finance > Get Prequalified
Wrong To learn more, go to pattersonvet.com, then click “Equipment” then click “Finance”…

6. Punctuation and mechanics

Section titled “6. Punctuation and mechanics”
  • One space after a period.
  • Colon before a list only after a complete sentence.
  • Asterisk links to fine print — never used purely for emphasis. In body copy asterisks go after punctuation; in a footnote, no space between the asterisk and the copy.
  • Exclamation points: use sparingly.
  • Quotation marks: doubles by default; singles only for a quote within a quote. Periods and commas inside; semicolons, dashes etc. outside.
  • Apostrophes in plurals: p’s and q’s, but ABCs, the 1970s. Decades take a right single quotation character: the ’60s.
  • Q&A, not Q & A. No spaces around ampersands in such constructions.
  • Ampersands are generally not a substitute for and. Permitted in catalog page/section headers (Finishing & Polishing), trademarked vendor names (Johnson & Johnson), and PowerPoint titles or bullets to save space — be consistent within the deck.

7. Capitalization

Section titled “7. Capitalization”
  • Proper nouns and trademarked names capitalized; lowercase the generic term that follows (Porter flowmeter).
  • Business units and department names capitalized, but not the words department, team, etc.: the Finance department, the Companion Animal division, the Human Resources team.
  • Job titles — including C-level — capitalized before a name only: Vice President of Sales Jane Doe / Jane Doe is vice president of sales.
  • Copy titles: initial caps except conjunctions, articles and prepositions; prepositions of five or more letters are capped (Through).
  • company lowercase as a short reference to Patterson.
  • Corporate Office (not General Office), initial capped, for the Patterson headquarters.
  • Branch capitalized with a specific location (Patterson Dental Boise Branch), lowercase generally.
  • Directions: lowercase as compass points, capitalized as regions (the West Coast, the Midwest).
  • Diseases lowercase except proper-noun portions: arthritis, swine flu, Down syndrome, Lyme disease.
  • Black capitalized in racial, ethnic or cultural references.
  • Seasons lowercase unless part of a proper name.
  • doctor, veterinarian lowercase in general references.
  • Presidents Day (no apostrophe). Social Security number (US) / Social Insurance Number (SIN) (Canada). ZIP code.

8. Names, credentials and titles

Section titled “8. Names, credentials and titles”
  • Full name on first reference, last name only after. New-hire and bio copy may use the first name on subsequent references.
  • Never Dr. together with a degree abbreviation: Dr. Janette Pinedo or Janette Pinedo, DDS — not both.
  • Spelled-out credentials in general body copy are lowercase (He is a certified public accountant).
  • Areas of study lowercase unless a proper noun.
  • Initials take periods and no space: M.F. Patterson.
  • Jr., Sr.: no comma before.
  • Fellowship abbreviations separated by commas: Howard S. Glazer, DDS, FAGD, FACD, FICD, FASDA, FAAFS.
  • C-suite: CEO acceptable in all references; chief financial officer / chief operating officer spelled out on first reference then CFO/COO; all other C-level titles spelled out.
  • Photo captions: From left: (front) Title Name, Title Name, Title Name; (back) Title Name, …

9. Units and measures

Section titled “9. Units and measures”
  • Standard SI units: g (not gm) for gram.
  • Space before the unit: 5 ml syringe, not 5ml syringe.
  • Millilitre may be mL or ml by business unit — use mL for Veterinary.

10. UI copy [DS20 p.10], [BG25 p.59]

Section titled “10. UI copy [DS20 p.10], [BG25 p.59]”

“Consistency in the way we call users to action and display recurring types of information allows for scannable content.”

  • Sentence case for headlines, buttons, text links and eyebrows.
  • No punctuation in buttons.
  • No phone numbers in buttons — phone numbers use text-link styling with the “phone” media icon.
  • CTAs must be intentional and actionable, and never written as questions.
  • Link text for an email address must not display the address itself.
  • Eyebrows are short, clear, concise, sentence case, and typically reflect the name of their sub-category. Eyebrows are not headlines [DS20 p.16].

11. Brand promise [BG25 p.6, p.28]

Section titled “11. Brand promise [BG25 p.6, p.28]”
Situation Correct form
Running copy Trusted Expertise, Unrivaled Support — comma, no registration mark
Designed graphic Trusted Expertise. Unrivaled Support.® — periods, small superscript ®
Frequency Once per communications piece
As a headline Only in broad pieces focused on the whole company
Placement A visual element; a sign-off on the back of print materials
Example
Wrong At Patterson, we live up to our promise of “Trusted Expertise. Unrivaled Support.” every day.
Correct At Patterson, we live up to our promise of Trusted Expertise, Unrivaled Support every day.

12. Memo recipients

Section titled “12. Memo recipients”

Preferred TO: line terms:

REGIONAL PRESIDENTS
GENERAL MANAGERS
BRANCH OPERATIONS MANAGERS
REGION OPERATION SPECIALISTS
FC MANAGERS
PATTERSON VETERINARY MANAGEMENT
DOLPHIN MANAGEMENT
PATTERSON OFFICE SUPPLIES
CORPORATE OFFICE STAFF

Source of truth: plugins/patterson-brand/skills/copy-style-guide/references/mechanics.md in the patterson-corp repository.