Mergenthaler's Step Wedge

[Mechanic]

Dshms Letter Press posted this photo on Facebook.
It is a stepwedge designed by Mergenthaler. Tested on the Blower Linotype and did the job of justification.

Interestingly Shuckers applied for his patent less than two months before Mergenthaler applied for his. When Mergenthaler Linotype Company lost the case against Shuckers, Mergenthaler then made the step wedge. which did the job of justification. Philip Dodge President of Mergenthaler Linotype, went ahead and purchased Shuckers invention in 1886 for $416,000. How much that would have been in today's money I have no idea. When you look at the step wedge you can see it would have worked for single letter matrices.



Below is an illustration of the patent that Mergenthaler infringed.