News fit to print - hot-metal typesetting paper turns 100

[Mechanic]

News fit to print - hot-metal typesetting paper turns 100

IT MAY not make millions, dazzle with design, or win prizes for investigative journalism - last week's front-page story was a call for art exhibition entries - but the Don Dorrigo Gazette has earned a place in history.

The weekly newspaper, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, is believed to be the last in Australia to use hot-metal typesetting, a technology that dates back to the late 19th century.

''It's something of a museum piece, I suppose. But it gets the job done,'' says Michael English, a former sawmill worker who took control of the paper about four years ago when illness forced his father, John, to step down from the position.

The above pars are from the March 1, 2010 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald. I wonder how many newspapers world wide are still being produced using hot-metal, let alone for the last 100years. You can read the complete story on the Heralds web site:-

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/news-fit-to-print--hotmetal-typesetting-paper-turns-100-20100228-pb6m.html

[Dave Hughes]

Thanks, George. 100 years old now!

There is, of course, an article on the paper on Metal Type here:

http://www.metaltype.co.uk/photos/photo55a.shtml

if anyone would like to read further.