The Art & Practice of Typography / A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

by Edmund G. Gress

HOUSE-ORGANS

The house-organ is the little brother of the periodical and newspaper. It is published most frequently as a means of communication between a business house and buyers of that house’s product. Sometimes the publication is circulated only among the house salesmen or other employees.

Examination of more than one hundred house-organs revealed a condition that prevails in every department of publishing—lack of standardization in dimensions. The smallest house-organ measured about 3 × 5 inches and the largest 9 × 12 inches. The dimensions grew, from the smallest to the largest, by quarter inches and half inches. There are many small pocket house-organs, some of which fit commercial envelops and others fit baronial envelops. If there is a favorite size for house-organs, it is 6 × 9, which dimensions are those of Examples [432], [436], [437], [441], [447] and [448], illustrated in this chapter. Another favorite size is 7 × 10 inches, which are the dimensions of Examples [444] and [449]. House-organs planned in the style of newspapers and containing four or eight pages are usually 8 × 11 or 9 × 12 inches in size.

A different stock is frequently used for the covers of house-organs, but equally popular is the self-cover style—the first page of an eight- or sixteen-page form containing the cover design. The practices that govern the use of cover designs on periodicals apply to some extent to house-organs, although typographic covers are more often found on the last-mentioned kind of publication.

Example [441] shows a typographic cover in which most of the page is given over to a table of contents—not a bad idea when the contents are abundant.

Should a house-organ consist of only two or four leaves, it is unnecessary to give over the entire first page to a cover design, as the title could be treated as in Examples [436], [438], [439], [448] and [452]. If the cover page is to be lettered, it is well to have it treated in a style that will harmonize with the typography of the inner pages. See Example [435].

Seldom is there any reason for a house-organ to contain more than four or eight pages. Few of the more ambitious house-organs survive the first one or two issues, or are profitable if they do. A house-organ to be effective should be published regularly. Too many instead of being periodicals are “spasmodicals.” There is more likelihood of a house-organ being published regularly if it be modest in plan and brief in contents. Printers err when they suggest elaborate and bulky house-organs to their customers. The smaller kind, neat and stylish in typography, attractive in make-up, good to look at and easy to read, are more desirable under average conditions.

EXAMPLE 433

EXAMPLE 434

EXAMPLE 435
Pages from a quaintly-treated house-organ, by the Seaver Howland Press, Boston. Both type and illustration suggest the “good old days”

EXAMPLE 436
Distinctive lettering and typography

EXAMPLE 437
Interpolated paragraphs in italic

EXAMPLE 438
A house-organ in miniature

EXAMPLE 439
Planned after the printer’s house-organ at the left

The titles of house-organs are not usually as conventional and dignified as those of magazines and other periodicals, although those who have a liking for the conventional select the word “Bulletin,” adding to it as part of the title a word which connects it with the business. Hence we have the “Linotype Bulletin,” the “Hampshire Service Bulletin” (Example [436]) and the “Ad.-League Bulletin” (Example [440]). Printers, for their house-organs, use a variety of titles that include “Typographica,” “Imprint” (Examples [432], [442], [445], [446], [450] and [451]), “The Typographer” (Example [438]), “Pica” (Example [448]), “Type Talks” (Example [452]), “Warde’s Words” (Example [447]). In other lines are to be found “Drug Topics,” “Statler Salesmanship,” “The Constructive Banker,” “The Wallace” (Example [444]), “Poor Richard’s New Almanack,” “Selling Sense” and “The Ambassador” (Example [455]).

EXAMPLE 440
Attractive rule treatment of headings

EXAMPLE 442
Simple, effective typography

The number of columns that should be used in house-organs depends, of course, on the size of the page. One column is sufficient for the small pocket publication (Examples [433], [434], [435], [445], [446], [453], [458] and [459]). The page should be made up in two columns when the size is about 6 × 9 (Examples [438], [439], [440], [444], [448], [449], [450] and [451]). The purpose of more than one column is to make reading easier and not just to provide a narrow column. On some house-organs the columns are made so narrow that it is as difficult to read them as when they are very wide.

EXAMPLE 441
Contents outlined on the cover

The margins on the house-organs should be of the same proportions as on periodicals and booklets—the most margin at the foot, with the type-page inclining toward the head and binding side. In fact, such margins should be found on all printing in which there are two facing pages.

The type-faces used on house-organs should be legible and at the same time good-looking. Caslon Oldstyle is suitable for house-organs as well as most other purposes. The Caslon style of type is used on Examples [433], [434], [436], [440], [441], [448], [450], [451], [453], and [455]. Other faces used on the house-organs here reproduced are Kennerley Oldstyle (Examples [432], [445], [446]), Old-Style Antique (Examples [442] and [447]), Cloister Oldstyle (Example [452]), Bodoni Book (Examples [457] and [458]). These and other good faces are available for house-organ purposes.

EXAMPLE 443
Dark-toned typography by Griffith-Stillings Press, Boston

EXAMPLE 445

EXAMPLE 446
Rubricated typography by Taylor & Taylor, San Francisco

EXAMPLE 444
Suitable treatment for this silverware publication

What has been said in the chapter on “Periodicals” about the suitability of type for headings applies as well to house-organs. In most of the pages here reproduced it will be seen that the head letter is the same kind of type as the text letter or is harmoniously similar.

The treatment of display announcements or house advertising should be such as to carry out the purpose for which the house-organ is issued. If, as an instance, the publication is issued for the purpose of presenting the attractive wares of a stationery house, it would be well to devote half of the pages to illustrations, descriptions and prices of stationery supplies. Sometimes when the display announcements are as numerous as the text pages, an announcement is placed on the left page facing a text page at the right. When this is done, the typography should be neat in appearance; the type sizes should not be large, and the type itself not any blacker than, say, Caslon Oldstyle. Especially is it a mistake to use dark faces when illustrations of merchandise are a part of the page. Dark type-faces subordinate and render ineffective such illustrations.

A house-organ designed entirely—display announcements included—in the original Caslon Oldstyle by someone who knows how to get the best out of the type, would be ideal. The capitals, small capitals and lower-case of roman, and the capitals and lower-case of italic, can be manipulated so as to produce an abundance of typographic variety and interest.

EXAMPLE 447
Easily read and pleasingly illustrated. By the Warde Press, Pittsburgh

While house-organs should be edited with the purpose of presenting useful technical and business information to customers, there should be sufficient light matter and features to maintain interest. Not unimportant is the typography of such features. In the make-up of all house-organs are spaces at the end of articles that are available for feature purposes. Example [432] shows how one bit of blank space was made attractive by well-arranged small capitals, and in Example [450] similar use has been made of italic.

Articles of merchandise that are old-fashioned in their appeal furnish a motif for typographic treatment that can be made a feature. Examples [433] and [434] show Colonial typographic treatment, the use of italic and spaced small capitals, added to which is a feature page topped by an old-fashioned woodcut.

There is a suggestion of ancient rubricated books in the typographic handling of Example [445], appropriate for a printer who does typography especially well.

Borders around the text pages of house-organs can be made to act as features if they are designed with proper restraint, as was done in Examples [432] and [450].

Rules and decorative borders, ornaments and initials are not out of place on house-organs when used as they are in Examples [440], [443], [444] and [445].

When the house-organ is issued monthly an old-fashioned “almanack,” with appropriate matter interpolated, makes a good feature, as in Example [457].

EXAMPLE 448
A typographic house-organ

EXAMPLE 449
An editorial page of typographic neatness

EXAMPLE 450
Attractive use of rules and italic

EXAMPLE 452
A page in Cloister type

EXAMPLE 451
An elaborate house-organ title-page

EXAMPLE 453
Use of paragraph marks. From Cottrell’s Magazine

As a novelty, house-organs have been printed on blotter stock. The general treatment for blotter house-organs is not different from that of other kinds. The appearance of a publication is maintained and the matter is merely adapted to the dimensions of the blotter.

EXAMPLE 454
A good specimen of house-organ cover

EXAMPLE 456
Cover of “The Philistine” issued about two months before Elbert Hubbard went down with the “Lusitania”

House-organs are sometimes successful when laid out in newspaper style for four pages about 9 × 12 inches in size. The text matter is planned for three columns, the text type being eight- or nine-point, such as is customarily found on machines. Headings are graduated on the newspaper plan according to their importance. Illustrations are included at suitable points in such newspaper-like house-organs.

EXAMPLE 455
Blank space used to good advantage. Text page from “The Ambassador”

There is suggestion for a novel house-organ treated in old-time newspaper style in the reproductions of the first two newspapers published in America. (See Examples [401] and [402] of the chapter on “Newspapers.”)

A western printer, who has found the house-organ to be effective in his business, expressed himself in these words:

Nowadays children are entertained as they are taught, and they learn unconsciously and much more readily than when study was made a task and a hardship. That is the principle we must embody in a house-organ—entertain and instruct simultaneously. Make your readers smile and enjoy themselves while they are learning the value of good printing, prompt service and square dealing. Create in them a desire to be as particular about their printing as they are about their company or the set of a collar, but keep them entertained and interested the while. Of course this can be overdone, so don’t make the mistake of having too much outside matter, but keep to your subject in a tactful way.

The day is past when business secrets can be kept from the buying public. During the past ten years magazine and general advertising policies have educated consumers along entirely new lines, and now they insist on knowing why they pay special prices for specific articles. They not only want to know why, but what it is, where it comes from, who makes and sells it, and how. The sooner we tell them these things, just that much sooner will confidence be established and buyers of printing acquire a knowledge that will enable them to buy intelligently, to distinguish between the economy in good service and the extravagance in poor service. In a house-organ there is unlimited opportunity for preaching the gospel of good service and for educating the public to the fact that that kind of service is the cheapest.

EXAMPLE 457
An “almanack” feature

EXAMPLE 458
Bodoni typography

EXAMPLE 459
Cover of a small house-organ

I consider the establishment of this confidence between the printer and customer one of the strongest pulling features of a house-organ. I do not mean by that that one should open his books to the public, but give enough information to let your readers know that you are in a business that requires capital for its conduct, that it is a dignified business, that you give efficient service, and that such efficiency costs you proportionately as much as it costs him. Having let your readers into this much of your business secrets, keep hammering away on your service and efficiency, but do it in a tactful way. Don’t bore him. Entertain him. Remember the old proverb, “He who tries to prove too much proves nothing.” So give it in homeopathic doses, but mighty regular ones.

A feature of the house-organ as issued by a printer should be specimens of actual work. Small cover designs and pages from booklets and other specimens can be saved and collected from overruns and presented in the house-organ. It would be better to use but one or two specimens in each issue than to overload the publication. Only creditable work should be included in this manner. If, say, a bit of four-color process work is produced, it should not be used as an exhibit merely because there is color in it, but it should be tested by answering these questions: Is it a good drawing? Are the colors properly blended, or is there an unpleasant predominance of red and yellow? Are the plates in good condition? Have they been properly printed? Unless the answer is affirmative, it would be better to include neat, modest black-and-white specimens.

Many house-organs are made ineffective by the anxiety of the business house issuing it to include everything possible. A number of issues should be planned and each should contain a limited amount of text matter and illustration. Many of those to whom the house-organ is sent also receive dozens of others, and examination and reading of the publication should not be discouraged. When there is too much of an abundance, the house-organ is either thrown in the waste basket or laid aside and never looked at again.

Loose inclosures should not be numerous. Attention is frequently taken away from the house-organ itself by the variety of envelop slips, calendars and blotters that are included in the mailing. There should be nothing but a return post card, and this should be clipped to the inside of the rear cover and not tucked in on top of the title-page, as is too often done. Several return cards are reproduced (Examples [460], [461] and [462]). When these post cards are planned the postal regulations governing their use should be investigated. It may be well to quote from the United States Postal Guide:

Post cards manufactured by private persons, consisting of an unfolded piece of cardboard in quality and weight substantially like the Government postal card, not exceeding in size 3⁹⁄16 by 5⁹⁄16 inches, nor less than 2¾ by 4 inches, bearing either written or printed messages, are transmissible without cover in the domestic mails (including the possessions of the United States), and to Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Republic of Panama, and city of Shanghai (China), at the postage rate of 1 cent each, and in the foreign mails at the rate of 2 cents each, to be paid by stamps affixed.

Advertisements and illustrations may appear on the back of the card and on the left half of the face. The right half of the face must be reserved for the address, postage stamps, postmark, etc.

EXAMPLE 460

EXAMPLE 461

EXAMPLE 462
Suggestions for treatment of the return post cards that usually accompany house-organs

EXAMPLE 463
Comparison of the same type forms printed on a hard-finished paper, and also on a soft-finished paper. The good qualities of these type-faces (Caslon Oldstyle, Baskerville Roman, Kennerley Oldstyle and Bodoni Book) are more evident and the print of the types more legible on the soft-finished paper