Yesterday’s Technology . . . Today!
Terry Foster, a long time contributor to Metal Type, describes the uphill struggle he faces trying to get public backing for preserving letterpress machinery in New Zealand.
While the recent increase in public interest in letterpress printing is welcome, it would seem to be centered around the “craft and artisan” areas, not so much larger, more industrial equipment.
Dave Gladwell, who spent his printing days in large book publishing houses, sheds some light on large impsosition schemes, and more.
Said Dave: “Given to me when Composing apprentice at Billings of Guildford when I moved on to the “Stones” for tuition, now coming on to 60 years ago!
Many thanks to long-time Metal Type contributor Graeme How for sending in this article.
Said Graeme: “Our local Member of Parliament Parekura Horomia died this week at the age of 62. He started his working life as a linotype operator at the Gisborne Hearld.
Thanks to Les Smith for sending in this story. Says Les: “Another story from a typesetting company in Sydney, Australia.”
THE TIME had come to replace the Royal in the basement.
Many thanks to Pete Roberts for sending in this amusing anecdote from his days at the Cambridge University Press.
WAY BACK in 1969 I was a young Monotype keyboard operator at Cambridge University Press. Keen to ‘get on’, I volunteered to study Russian at night class (unpaid) with a view to typesetting Russian at work.
Part of Metal Type’s Printing Advice section, here Phil discusses the long-lost art of paper ruling.
PAPER RULING was my Dad’s first trade. He apprenticed to this at the age of 14 and worked a good part of his life doing this. Dad eventually had to get into printing as it turned out to be impossible to earn a living in small town Regina doing paper ruling only.
Ken Blasbery sent this story in after reading an interesting Titanic discussion on the Metal Type forum.
Says Ken: “I have written this piece in answer to forum discussions about the stationery aboard the Titanic, which was produced in the Thermographic Process by the Liverpool Printing and Stationery Company, so many years before I joined as a Comp.
Many thanks to Pete Roberts for sending in this story.
Metal Type does not encourage anyone to copy the described activities on their own Monotype Caster!
An anecdote sent in by Bob Turner.
BACK IN MY DAY as a typesetter, among other things, the first rule of typesetting was to “follow copy” – even if somebody threw it out the window.
The sixth in a series of stories sent in by Greg Fischer (aka Linofish).
Says Greg: “All the incidents happened at the Trenton NJ Trentonian, between 1958 and 1965. This was at the old Front Street building. In 1965, we moved to a brand new plant with a new Hoe Colormatic letterpress. Much improved from the old building which was said to be used at one time by the Mercer Automoble Company.