Intertype Fotosetter - video

[Dave Hughes]

Some very rare footage of an Intertype Fotosetter uploaded to Vimeo by Jørgen Dissing Nørgaard from Denmark.

The machine appears to be in working order.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYhET1UUXpQ

The original video has been replaced, and the explanatory captions lost, but here's what they said.

Translation of the first text slide:

Intertype - The world's first photosetting machine

Since the invention of the lithography - today's offset printing - work had been done to find a method for rate transfer to the offset printing. For over 150 years, people had made do with taking an impression of the lead set, and then making a negative film to produce images and text for the printing plate.

It wasn't until 1948 that the first phototypesetter saw the light of day, created by the typesetter factory Intertype.

Intertype had placed a negative film in the center of a matrix similar to those used for the lead casting machines. And instead of the pot with the liquid lead, they had installed a photo apparatus that could produce the letter in question by transillumination. The result was a film reel with the set sentences, which could then be used in the offset printing press.

What you are now going to see is just such an Intertype photosetting machine.
Enjoy.

The text slide at the end said:

The machine that you have just experienced is here at Vingårds Officin and has worked at Trykkeriet Strålfors in Ljungby for many years before it was donated to the Grafiska Museum in Helsingborg, where it stood until Officinet handed it over in 2013.

If you have any questions about this video, please write to Ebbe Sorensen, Officinet's chairman (him in the video) at: bogtrykmuseet.viborg@gmail.com.

Ebbe knows everything about the photo setting machine.

[Dave Hughes]

This picture of an Intertype  Fotosetter keyboard deserves a second look. I didn't think they would be so different to a standard keyboard.

Ed Inman offers this explanation of the keyboard:

The sales brochure that Intertype issued for the Fotosetter states that the 117-channel magazine allows for "all the basic characters" including small caps. So my guess is that the keys on the far right are actually for small caps.