ANOTHER machine not listed in the museum’s catalogue.
It would appear to be one of the Whittaker company’s early photosetters.
Steve Robertshaw, Ex Whittaker & Compugraphic UK Engineer, updated this page with the following:
The Machine refered to in the Whittaker collection is in fact a Universal 2.
You will note on the nameplate next the name Universal II TG (Total Graphics) this makes it one of the last Universal 2 manufactured.
The Universal 4 Had in fact 8 founts on two film strips each could be used in any of 12 sizes.
Metal Type regular Steve Young supplied the following information on the Compugraphic Universal:
The Universal 4 was a single user input and output machine. The bromide was contained in a section on the side of the machine and the user keyed text directly on to the paper.
There was a single line display on the front above the keyboard and one could edit one line at a time, as soon as the “Execute” (return) key was depressed the line was written to bromide and the display emptied for the next line.
There were removable “width cards” for the various different fonts. Four fonts could be loaded at the same time (hence Universal 4) — the wrong width card with the wrong font produced interesting results!!!
The fonts were contained on individual film strips which were wrapped around a drum at the other side of the machine — when the relevant key was depressed the drum revolved until the corresponding letter was positioned over the top of the place on the bromide indicated by the width card and the light source flashed it onto the bromide via a lens and the lens moved to the next position and so on.
When an ad was completed, the user hit return a couple of times and then commenced another ad. When the cassette was full, or whenever required, the user removed it and placed it directly into the developer. On output the comp then cut and pasted the text.
Interested in early photosetting technology? Check out the Early Photosetting Chatsection of the Forum.
This is an early, computerised typesetting machine. The operator selects a character on the keyboard, which triggers a stroboscopic flash to set the type.
Four type styles, each with 105 characters, were available to the operator through filmstrips held on a drum.
Linocomp 1 used hard-wired logic, but it was replaced in 1974 by Linocomp 2, which had a Intel microprocessor.
Linocomp retailed at £5,300, which was considered inexpensive.
Interested in early photosetting technology? Check out the Early Photosetting Chatsection of the Forum.
The Intertype Monarch was designed without a manual keyboard. It relied totally on Teletypesetting (TTS) for setting type, using instructions from perforated tape.
It had an output of 14 lines per minute. A suction manifold held the matrices to the delivery belt as they were delivered at high speed to the assembler.
It used push-button operations for all power functions, magazine, and quadding to put the ‘white spaces’ in lines.
If the machine stopped, lights on the control panel informed the operator of the source of the problem.
The Monarch was on sale from 1958, and this machine is believed to date from 1964
Launched as one of a range of ’70’ series linecasters, the model 79 was specifically designed for use with Teletypesetting (TTS). During TTS a perforated tape was passed through a special attachment on the linecaster. The perforation activated a keyboard and selected the appropriate matrices.
A keyboard operator perforated the tape, encrypting the original text in a series of dots. The tape could be transmitted by telegraph to a reperforator in the printer’s office, which replicated the perforated tape. It was then passed to the linecaster operator.
The Model 79 was equipped with a hydraquadder, which used hydraulic power to move the vice jaws and put ‘white space’ into a line of type.
The C4 had four magazines allowing type up to 18 point, and used sliding carriages to help ease the changing of magazines.
A High-Speed version was introduced in 1954 that used Teletypesetting (TTS). TTS is a means of automatically selecting matrices using perforated tape running through a special attachment on the machine.
The Whittaker machine does not have a TTS attachment, and appears to be the standard version of the C4.
Intertype Models F, G and H were introduced in 1936. They had four magazines and a double distributor.
The G4 4SM, with its additional four magazine side unit, was announced in 1938. It had two widths of main magazines: a 72-channel magazine for fonts up to 36 point, and a 90-channel for standard sized fonts.
The side magazines had smaller 34 channels that also held standard sized fonts. These gave the operator the ability to mix differing sizes and styles of type in one line.
Introduced in 1935, the Model 48 could hold up to seven magazines.
The Whittaker machine is the standard model with four magazines, but a side unit holding another three magazines was available.
The 48 featured a Rapid Magazine Change system. Linotype claimed it allowed the operator to change from one magazine to another in one second.
The 48 was marketed for its speed and versatility. In 1954, Linotype were still claiming that it was the fastest and most up-to-date composing machine available to printers.
