OUTLINES OF COMPOSITORS’ WORK.
Dear reader,
If you desire to know something about the Art of Printing, suppose you go with me on an imaginary tour of inspection round a printing office with which I am acquainted. We will suppose that you are quite ignorant of even the least fact connected with the business, and that you will not mind asking me questions as we go along.
Well, here we are, in a composing-room, which contains a great many things you have never seen before, and so, perhaps, I had better begin to tell you their names and uses.
First we notice the frames ([see p. 35]). These are wooden structures on the tops of which the cases lie in a slanting position, something like a desk. The lower part of the frame you will notice is fitted with a rack, in which cases are kept when not in use. These allow of the cases sliding in and out like drawers.
Next we notice the cases ([see p. 33]). These are wooden trays, with cross pieces forming a number of boxes or compartments, in which the types are placed. There is an upper and a lower case. The upper has ninety-eight compartments, and contains the capitals, small capitals, figures, and accents. The lower case has fifty-three compartments, and contains the smaller or “lower case” letters, points, spaces, and quadrats.
The types in these cases are arranged so as to afford the greatest facility in composing the letters into words. On looking at them you will observe this—more particularly in the lower case. You will notice that the letters required for the words most frequently recurring, such as and, the, this, that, there, them, then, are placed nearest the centre of the case, so that they are the more easily “set up.” We will explain this process further on.
Now let us examine the types. These are small pieces of metal, on the ends of which the letter is cast, and are all of a uniform height. On the front of the stem nicks are cut, so that it is easy to see the position of the letters as they lie in their respective boxes.