3 Flight Progress Strips
3.1 Commonly, flight progress strips are used to display flight data. The following information may be of use to ANSPs in developing a system of flight data display utilising flight progress strips.
3.2 Strip Design
3.2.1 Strips should include pre-defined markings to permit specific items of information to be recorded in a standard manner. Colour should be used where possible to clearly denote different types of flight. Typically, flight data relating to arriving flights is displayed on buff coloured strips, departing flights on blue coloured strips, local flights on pink coloured strips and transit flights on green coloured strips.
I was taught radio by an ATC. He liked to know on initial call
just enough to know what colour strip to use to write down your call sign, otherwise he might need to throw away the first strip and start again on a different one. The quote is from the ATC Manual Part 1.