The register was similar to a sounder, except that the armature did not make a clicking noise. The armature was connected to a stylus. The stylus responded to the moving armature by scribing dots and dashes onto a paper tape. The paper tape was moved through the register by a clockwork and weight system. The stylus was used in favor of a pen or pencil arrangement for ease of maintenance.
Registers are fairly uncommon.
As the sounder took over the receiving chores, the need for registers diminished. However, they continued to be used in applications where a permanent record was required and in fire alarm systems well into the 20 century. Telegraphers, making the up and down motion on their keys all day, were often the victim of an occupational hazard related to the muscles of the wrist and forearm. This action, besides being in the horizontal plane rather than the vertical plan, has reduced significantly, the required manipulation to form the characters of the code. It is estimated that several hundred thousand bugs have been made by sixty plus manufactures from the turn of the century through the 1960s.