I Shall begin with the Office of a Master-Printer, because (as aforesaid) he is the Directer of all the Work-men, he is the Base (as the Dutchmen properly call him) on which the Workmen stand, both for providing Materials to Work withal, and successive variety of Directions how and in what manner and order to perform that Work.
His Office is therefore to provide a House, or Room or Rooms in which he is to set his Printing-House. This expression may seem strange, but it is Printers Language: For a Printing-House may admit of a twofold meaning; one the Vulgar acceptance, and is relative to the House or Place wherein Printing is used; the other a more peculiar Phrase Printers use among themselves, viz. only the Printing Tools, which they frequently call a Printing-House: Thus they say, Such a One has set up a Printing-House, when as thereby they mean he has furnish’d a House with Printing Tools. Or such a one has remov’d his Printing-House, when thereby they only mean he has remov’d the Tools us’d in his former House. These expressions have been used Time out of mind, and are continued by them to this day.
But to proceed, Having consider’d what number of Presses and Cases he shall use, he makes it his business to furnish himself with a Room or Rooms well-lighted, and of convenient capacity for his number of Presses and Cases, allowing for each Press about Seven Foot square upon the Floor, and for every Frame of Cases which holds Two pair of Cases, viz. one pair Romain and one pair Itallica, Five Foot and an half in length (for so much they contain) and Four Foot and an half in breadth, though they contain but Two Foot and Nine Inches: But then room will be left to pass freely between two Frames.
We will suppose he resolves to have his Presses and Cases stand in the same Room (though in England it is not very customary). He places the Cases on that side the Room where they will most conveniently stand, so, as when the Compositer is at work the Light may come in on his Left-hand; for else his Right-hand plying between the Window-light and his Eye might shadow the Letter he would pick up: And the Presses he places so, as the Light may fall from a Window right before the Form and Tinpan: And if scituation will allow it, on the North-side the Room, that the Press-men, when at their hard labour in Summer time, may be the less uncommoded with the heat of the Sun: And also that they may the better see by the constancy of that Light, to keep the whole Heap of an equal Colour.
He is also to take care that his Presses have a solid and firm Foundation, and an even Horizontal Floor to stand on, That when the Presses are set up their Feet shall need no Underlays, which both damage a Press, are often apt to work out, and consequently subject it to an unstable and loose position, as shall further be shewn when we come to the Setting up of the Press.
And as the Foundation ought to be very firm, so ought also the Roof and Sides of the Press Room to be, that the Press may be fastned with Braces overhead and on its Sides, as well and steddy as under foot.
He is also to take care that the Room have a clear, free and pretty lofty Light, not impeded with the shadow of other Houses, or with Trees; nor so low that the Sky-light will not reach into every part of the Room: But yet not too high, lest the violence of Winter (Printers using generally but Paper-windows) gain too great advantage of Freesing the Paper and Letter, and so both Work and Workman stand still. Therefore he ought to Philosophize with himself, for the making the height of his Lights to bear a rational proportion to the capacity of the Room.
Here being but two sides of the Room yet used, he places the Correcting-stone against a good Light, and as near as he can towards the middle of the Room, that the Compositers belonging to each end of the Room may enjoy an equal access to it. But sometimes there are several Correcting-stones plac’d in several parts of the Room.
The Lye-Trough and Rincing-Trough he places towards some corner of the Room, yet so as they may have a good Light; and under these he causes a Sink to be made to convey the Water out of the Room: But if he have other conveniencies for the placing these Troughs, he will rather set them out of the Room to avoid the slabbering they cause in.
About the middle of the Room he places the Destributing-Frame (viz. the Frame on which the Forms are set that are to be Destributed) which may stand light enough, though it stand at some considerable distance from the Window.