PRINTING

PRACTICE OF PRINTING.-Two classes of called brilliant, but is seldom used; diamond workmen are generally employed in printing: is a size larger, and pearl larger still, which viz. compositors, who set up the types into lines latter type is used for printing the smallest and pages according to the MS. or copy fur- Bibles and Prayer Books. nished by the author; and pressmen, who apply ink to the surface of the form of types, and take off the impressions upon paper. The pressmen who work steam presses are called

machine minders.

The following is the mode of proceeding adopted in most of the extensive establishments in London: The first thing done, when the sizes of page, type, and paper, are determined on, is to look over the MS., and see that it is correctly paged. It is then handed to a clicker, or foreman of a companionship, or certain number of compositors, each of whom has a taking of copy, or convenient portion of MS., given to him, to be set up in type.

The larger sizes, used for printing bills posted in the streets, are usually called double pica, two-line pica, two-line English, five-line pica, ten-line pica, and so on. A complete assortment of printing types of one size is called a fount, and the fount may be regulated to any weight. Type-founders have a scale, or bill, as it is called, of the proportional quantity of each letter required for a fount, the letter e being more frequently used than other letters. A full account of printers' types is given under the heading TYPE.

Each compositor works at a kind of desk, called a frame, and generally has a frame to himself. The frames project laterally from the wall, with a left-hand light. Each frame is constructed to hold two pairs of cases, upper and lower, at the top. The types are arranged, Upper.

Printers' types are of great variety in size, amounting to forty or fifty; the smallest is

each sort by itself, in little cells or boxes. The used so frequently as the smaller letters; and upper case, having ninety-eight boxes, all of in the lower case, which has fifty-four boxes of equal size, contains the capital and small capital four different sizes, are disposed the small letletters, figures, accents, and other types not | ters, together with the points, spaces, quadrats,

PRINTING

&c. The boxes in the cases are arranged inhibit a pair of cases arranged according to the the best possible manner for facilitating the modern method. work of the compositor, and enabling him to pick up the types rapidly, the letters most frequently used being placed nearest to his hand; thus the point to which he brings the letters, after picking them out of their cells, is not far removed from the centre of the lower case; so that in a range of about six inches on every side he can obtain the c, d, e, i, s, m, n, h, o, p, u, t, a, and r. The spaces required for the division between every word lie close to his hand, at the bottom of the central division of the lower case. The cases, particularly the upper case, are placed in a sloping position, that the compositor may the more readily reach the upper boxes. The diagrams on p. 74 ex

The compositor stands opposite to his cases; and, having received directions respecting the size of the type, the width of the page, the author's wishes as to punctuation, capitals, italics, &c., places his copy before him, on a spare part of the upper case, and holds in his left hand a small instrument called a composing stick, usually made of iron, with a movable slide, capable, by means of a screw, of being adjusted to the different widths required in miscellaneous printing, as seen in the illustration. Having adjusted his stick to the proper width or measure, he lays in it a setting rule, or smooth piece of brass, the width of the measure, and the height of the type. With

the right hand he now picks up the types, and
arranges, or sets, them one by one in his com-
posing stick. He does not look at the face of each,
but only glances at the nick (see cut in art. TYPE),
and takes for granted that if it come from the
right box it must be the right letter. He secures
each letter with the thumb of the left hand, as
the types are placed side by side in line from
left to right; and, when he comes to the end of
his line, and finds that he has a syllable or word
which will not fill out the measure, he has to
perform a task which requires considerable care
and taste. This is called justification. The
first and last letters must be at the extre-
mities of the line; and there must not be wide
spaces between some words and crowding in
others, but the distances between them must
be made as nearly as possible uniform by
changing the spaces (or short blank types, not a set of furniture,
so high as the letters, and therefore giving no consisting of slips
impression), and thus getting in or driving out of wood or metal,
part or the whole of a word. The first line being about half an inch
thus justified, the compositor proceeds with the in height, and of
setting up of the next, and so on with a suffi- various thicknesses,
cient number of lines to fill his stick, and then, is placed, some
clasping the stickful by the rule and between the head, called head-
the thumbs and first and second fingers of sticks, some between
both hands, lifts the mass of types out of the the pages, called gut-
stick, and places it upon a galley, or oblong ters, and others at the
tray of wood or metal, having an edge at the sides and feet, called
left side and top half an inch in height. This side and foot sticks. The side and foot sticks
operation of filling and emptying the stick is are larger at one end than at the other, so
repeated till the galley is sufficiently full, or that small wedges of wood, or quoins, may be
the taking of copy is finished; when the matter, driven tightly between them and the sides
as it is then called, is taken away by the clicker, of the chase, locking up the types so firmly
who divides it into the required lengths of that the form, as the mass is then called, and
pages, placing head-lines, signatures, &c., and which is represented in the cut (which by the
binding them round tightly with cord. The way has no cross to the chase), may be car-
clicker then lays down the pages in their proper ried from place to place with perfect safety.
positions on the imposing stone-a flat, smooth A form of eight pages of this Dictionary con-
elab of stone, or, better, of iron-and they are tams between 40,000 and 50,000 separate
fastened together in a chase. This operation is letters and spaces.

called imposing. The chase is a rectangular
frame of different dimensions, according to the
size of the paper to be printed, having two cross-
pieces of the same metal, called a long and short
cross, formerly mortised at each end, so as to be
taken out occasionally, but now fixed. By the
different situations of these crosses, the chase is
fitted for different volumes: for quartos and
octavos one traverses the middle lengthwise, the
other broadwise, so as to intersect each other
in the centre; for twelves and twenty-fours the
short cross is placed nearer one end of the chase
than the other; for folios, the short cross only
is required, and for broadsides and small jobs
no cross is wanted.
For fixing the pages
in their places, the
form is dressed thus:

at

It is necessary that the distances between | unlocks the form, and makes the corrections the pages in each form should be placed with in the types, by lifting out the wrong letters such exactness that the impression of the by means of a sharp awl, or bodkin, and putting pages in one form shall fall exactly on the in right ones in their places. The form is then back of the pages of the other; thus making locked up again, taken to the press, and anwhat is termed register. As it is next to impossible but that mistakes and is sent to the reader, with his first proof, other proof is pulled. This is termed the revise, should occur in setting up the types, the form that he may see that all the corrections have is carried to a proof press, and an impression been properly made, put queries against doubtis taken, called the first proof. This proof, ful matters for the author's consideration, and with the MS., is handed to the corrector of the send it, thenceforth called a clean proof, with press, or reader, and a reading boy reads the the MS., to the author. copy to him while he examines the proof and returns his proof and revise, and is satisfied When the author marks the necessary corrections and errors of that the sheet is correct, the form, after having the compositor. In correcting a proof sheet a been finally read with care for press, is taken set of symbols are used for the purpose of to the press or machine to have the requisite calling the attention of the compositor to the number of impressions struck off. Before this several kinds of errors, and to direct him how is done, however, care is taken that the matter they are to be amended. These marks are at the beginning of the sheet connects best shown by the specimen of a corrected that at the end of the preceding, that the pages proof given under the head CORRECTING. are correct, and that the signatures are When the corrector, or reader, has read his order. proof, it is handed to the compositor, who

with

in

The signatures are generally small capital

76

PRINTING

letters placed at the foot of the first page of Jo. Manthen de Gherretzem, in 1474, in which
each sheet, commencing with B, and omitting it is evident that these printers had only just
become acquainted with the use of signatures,
as these marks were not introduced till one-
half of the work had been printed. The fol-
lowing tables show the signatures and folios of
any given number of sheets, up to twenty-two

the J, v, and w. They are said to have been first
used by John Koelhof, at Cologne, in 1472;
but they exist in an edition of Terence, printed
by Antonio Zorat, at Milan, in 1470. There
is a Venetian edition of Baldi Lectura super
Codic. &c., printed by John de Colonia and in 8vo and 12mo, and up to eight in 18mo:-

for spoilage in the press work; but in book
work it is the practice to allow 16 sheets in
each ream for tympan sheet and spoiled sheets.
This number of sheets is, however, not all
spoilt; the difference between the bad and the
extra 16 sheets being delivered to the publisher
as overplus. The table on the next page shows
the quantity of perfect and imperfect paper
required for one sheet of 16 pages of a work
like this Dictionary, from 12 to 10,000 copies.

The paper used in printing is always damped
before being sent to the press, wet paper taking
the ink considerably better than dry. The
warehouseman delivers the proper quantity of
paper to the wetter, which is generally wetted
thus: The quire of paper is opened, the fold
at the back broken, and the paper divided into
three, four, or five portions, or dips, drawn
through a trough of clean water and laid on a
board, dip after dip, till a convenient heap is
made. This is put into a screw-press, a little
When the sheet is printed off by the press-
pressure applied, and the next day the whole man (as described below), the compositor lays
is turned and slightly pressed again, so that up the forms, distributes the type, and pro-
fresh surfaces of the paper coming into contact, ceeds, sheet after sheet, till the body of the
the moisture is equally diffused throughout the work is finished; then the title, dedication,
heap. The paper used in printing is of three preface, introduction, contents, and any other
kinds: imperfect paper, consisting of 20 quires matter left to the end is proceeded with, these
of 24 sheets, or 480 sheets to the ream; perfect being usually printed last. The distribution
paper (that most generally used) consisting of of the types, or putting back the letters into
213quires, or 516 sheets; and news paper, con- the several compartments of the case to which
sisting of 20 quires of 25 sheets each to the they belong, is performed with the greatest
ream, or 500 sheets. The stamped sheets of rapidity. The compositor wets the whole page
news paper (generally called stamps, and the or form, and takes up a number of lines on his
plain paper blanks) are always received and composing rule. This wetting causes the types
delivered by the net number without allowing to adhere slightly together, and renders the