This machine was intended to produce display lines of type, such as newspaper headlines, as a Ludlow Typograph set-up would have done in a hot metal shop.

It was also suggested in the publicity material that it would also be useful for setting languages such as Chinese and Japanese, where the number of characters used was greater than the number of keys on the Intertype Fotosetter.

According to print industry historian and President of the Museum of Printing (Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA), Frank Romano: “It was for display type. Never sold. The prototype got such bad reviews that it was never officially marketed. Interesting approach however.”

The part of the machine that photographically exposed the paper was the same as on the linecaster-based Intertype Fotosetter, but the matrices were assembled by hand in a special stick, then transferred to the machine.

These illustrations from the US Patent Office show the stick, and the description below it is also from the patent.

When a line of matrices has been composed in the composing device it is inserted in the machine in a manner now to be described. Referring particularly to Figs. 6, 7 and 8, secured to the top of housing 64 is a channel number 68 which is attached to the housing in any suitable manner such as by means of the screws 70.

As best shown in Fig. 8, the channel member 68 is adapted to slidably receive the slotted support 10 of the composing device which is retained in place in the channel number 68 by a plate 72 secured to the channel by the screws 74 (see Fig. 6) and overlying the channel.

As illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the composing device slides into channel member 68 until its left-hand end strikes an abutment 76 forming part of an elevator 75 that is described below. The engaging edges of abutment 78 and slotted support 10 are aligned with the left end of housing 64.

As previously indicated, the composed line of matrices is transferred from the composing device to a justifying station by apparatus that includes the elevator 75, the construction of which is best shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to this figure the elevator 75 is of U-shaped cross-section and comprises a front arm 76, rear arm 78 and inter-connecting block 80. Referring to Fig. 7, the composed line of matrices is inserted into elevator 75 by manually grasping the curved end 26 of assembler slide 20 and urging the left-hand end of the assembler slide between the upper ends of arms 76 and 78 until the upper step 49 of shoe 34 engages the end of slot 14. The slot 14 is of such length that when it is engaged by the step 40 the composed line will be properly positioned within the elevator.

Reverting to Fig. 3, the matrices are provided with upper ears 82 and lower ears 84 that extend laterally beyond the sides of the assembler slide 20. The arms 76 and 78 of elevator 75 are provided with the shelves 90 and 92 respectively positioned to engage the upper ears 82 of the matrices of the line. Thus as the elevator 75 is lifted, the line of matrices is moved thereby from the assembler slide 20. This removal of the line of matrices from the assembler slide is particularly shown in Fig. 4.

Are you interested in Early Photosetting machines? Check out the Early Photosetting Chat section of the Metal Type Forum.

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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 Chat section of the Forum.

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It is an early photosetter that used mainly linecaster technology to produce photoset output.

Interested in early photosetting technology? Check out the Early Photosetting Chat section of the Forum.

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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 Chat section of the Forum.

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WITH the perfection of the Linofilm System, Mergenthaler Linotype Company contributes another revolutionary development to the graphic arts.

Since the latter part of the 19th century, many have sought a practical, economical means of photocomposition. With Mergenthaler’s Linofilm, the only complete and integrated photocomposition system, cold type truly comes of age.

Linofilm not only sets type photographically, but provides also for corrections and alterations, and for makeup into page form.

Extensive economic studies show its clear-cut superiority over other methods of cold type composition.

Economically, Linofilm is superior for several reasons. It’s less expensive as an initial investment, in leasing costs and machine-hour costs.

The keyboard is simple, and separation of keyboard and photographic functions allows the operator to utilize his typesetting skills and time to best advantage.

Typographically, Linofilm adheres to the same high standards for which Linotype has become world-famed; at the command of Linofilm are the matchless typographic resources of Mergenthaler Linotype Company and its affiliates.

The Linofilm System consists of four integrated components: the Keyboard, Photographic Unit, Corrector and Composer.

The superiority of Linofilm is shown right from the basic component, the keyboard. Its simple, designed so that the operator can make best use of his keyboarding skills.

Push buttons and dials are conveniently located so that all typographic functions can be controlled quickly and easily.

The conventional typewriter keyboard has a small bank of control buttons for leading, quadding and centering, justification and other functions.

Eighteen different fonts are instantly available, in a range of sizes from 6- through 36-point. Display sizes can be keyboarded at the same speed as text matter.

The keyboard produces a perforated paper tape containing all the information necessary for the fully-automatic operation of the photographic unit.

The photo unit is capable of handling the tape output of several keyboards, and will produce right-reading positive type on film or photographic paper.

It will change font, point size, leading and line length in accordance with the signals from the tape.

The photographic unit operates at speeds equivalent to 16 newspaper text lines per minute. Line lengths are through 42 picas.

The Linofilm Corrector makes film corrections easy. It simply welds corrected lines in position automatically.

The film has extra strength at the point of the weld, and corrections can be made at speeds of three lines per minute.

The Composer combines the functions of makeup and enlarging, producing a made-up page with all type in precise location – including angled lines up to 90° – and in proper size, ready for the insertion of halftones and artwork.

It will enlarge through 180-point and reduce to 4-point. Widths through 102 picas are available.

The versatility, of Linofilm allows any combination of units to meet specific, individual needs.

Versatility, speed of operation and economy are important characteristics of the Linofilm System, but the ultimate proof of the machine’s superiority is in its product: The printed word.

From its very beginning, the constant goal of Linofilm design has been to provide the finest typography.

In this the Company has been fortunate that it could draw on its own vast typographic resources.

In transferring its famed faces to the Linofilm, Mergenthaler designers took great pains to preserve the character and integrity of each font.

The versatility of Linofilm typography allows the designer great latitude in the creation of beautiful and functional typefaces.

Typographic refinements become routine in Linofilm composition. Kerning is built-in, with the operator selecting kernel characters right at the keyboard.

Letter spacing, both plus and minus, is also easily and quickly handled through keyboard push buttons.

While Linofilm fonts have been taken from Linotype’s library of more than a million characters, in each case the Linotype characters have been completely redrawn to take full advantage of the far greater flexibility of photographic composition.

Fine faces for every typographic purpose are now available on Linofilm, and an extensive program is constantly augmenting this type library.

In every instance, the purpose remains the same: to create a final product, on film or photographic paper, that is crisp, clean and black … ideal copy for the engraver or platemaker.

With a versatility unequalled in any phototypesetting equipment in existence, the Linofilm System has a broad range of applications in the field of commercial, newspaper, periodical, book and other classes of printing.

Rather than a competitor, it’s a team mate to conventional hot metal processes …a notable companion to the historic machine invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1886, the invention which Thomas A Edison justly characterized as “the eighth wonder of the world.”

For many decades, graphic arts experts have envisioned a practical phototypesetting method as the machine of the future.

With the perfection of Linofilm, that dream is realized.

Are you interested in early phototypesetting technology? Then check out the Early Photosetting Chat section of the Metal Type Forum.

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The Intertype Fotosetter, many models of which are in commercial use in the United States, is similar in appearance and general operation to the standard Intertype slug machine.

The Fotosetter employs the familiar principle of the circulating matrix, assembled and distributed in the usual way.

The metal pot, however, is replaced by a camera which photographs each matrix character separately.

1. The manual film-feed dials permit additional spacing of display lines, chapter headings, sub-headings, side headings and the like. Therefore, spacing normally inserted in a separate make-up operation in the case of metal type, can be provided instantly during Fotosetter composition.

2. The micrometer film-feed dial automatically adds to or subtracts from the basic line-space feed. It permits changes in the basic feed by increments of a thousandth of an inch and makes possible fractional body sizes to fit the desired depth. 3. The line counter records only lines which have been exposed on the film.

4. The margin indention dial assures even, vertical alignment of the first characters down the left side of a column; for example, a 36-pt. cap A in one line aligning on the left with a 6-pt. cap A at the beginning of the next line.

5. The camera speed control knob regulates the exposure speed for text and display matter. The operator simply places the control in either of the two positions to obtain the required speed.

6. The lens turret dial provides instant and accurate selection of the desired lens. The large numerals indicate the point sizes of the type faces which the respective lenses will produce. Accurate location of each lens is assured by positive detent stops. These stops are adjustable to provide bottom alignment of all type sizes.

7. The automatic film-feed dial provides twenty-six different spacings between lines, and repeats the selected spacing continuously and accurately until the setting is changed.

8. The blank-out lever prevents the film from feeding and the characters from exposing when the operator wishes to “kill” a line. This enables the operator to send a pie line through the camera for distribution without exposing the unwanted line.

9. The camera light rheostat regulates the intensity of the light which projects the character object. A light meter indicates the intensity of the light at any setting of the rheostat.

10. The line-reading position of the distributing elevator enables the operator to find his place in the copy after an interruption. The elevator automatically returns the Fotomats to the distributor as soon as the first word space of the next line has been released. When the operator sets composition continuously, the elevator does not stop in the line-reading position.

11 and 12. justification and tabular scales. In connection with the justifying mechanism, these scales are provided for setting tabular matter at the left or at the right of justified matter.

13. The justification control lever determines whether a line will justify to the full measure, or whether the line will automatically set flush left or right when setting short lines.

14. The film signal light indicates when the supply of film is exhausted.

15. The assembler slide scales. Nine assembler slide scales, mounted on a rotatable drum, provide direct-reading measurements for setting the assembler slide for any length of line up to forty-two picas. Whether the operator wishes to enlarge a 12-point fount up to 36-point or reduce an 8-point fount to 6-point, he turns the required scale into position. The precalculated scale tells him directly how long to compose the line of Fotomats in order that the reproduced line will be the required length in the selected type size.

Setting the assembler slide. Changes from one measure to another on the assembler slide scales are made by turning a handle at the right of the keyboard. This handle provides a centralised control which simultaneously sets the assembler slide and the line delivery stop for any measure selected.

Are you interested in early phototypesetting technology? Then check out the Early Photosetting Chat section of the Metal Type Forum.

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