Part 126

The Linotype is sometimes called a typesetting machine, but this is not correct: it does not set type. It is a substitute for typesetting. It is strictly speaking a composing machine, as it does composition but its product is not set type, but solid slugs in the form of lines of type with the printing face cast on the edge.

It is in reality four machines so arranged that they work together in harmony--the magazine, the assembling mechanism, the casting mechanism and the distributing mechanism. The magazine is at the top of the machine sloping to the front at an angle of about 31 degrees, and consists of two brass plates placed together with a space of about five-eighths of an inch between. The two inner surfaces are cut with 92 grooves or channels running the up and down way of the magazine, for carrying the matrices. The matrices slide down these channels on edge, with the face or punched edge down, and the V-end extending toward the upper part of the magazine. Each of these channels will hold twenty matrices.]

ONE-LETTER AND TWO-LETTER MATRICES.

Linotype matrices are made of brass. In the edge of each matrix is either one or two letters or characters in intaglio. The thickness of the individual matrices is dependent on the width of the character. By an ingenious arrangement either one-letter or two-letter matrices can be used in the same machine, and either character on a two-letter matrix can be used at will.

The two-letter matrix bears two characters, one above the other, one of which may be a Roman face and the other an italic, small capital, or black face. If a line is to be composed partly of the Roman face, which is in the upper position on the matrix, and partly of the other face, which is in the lower position, this is accomplished by means of a slide on the assembler operated by a small lever.

When the lower characters on the matrices are required, the slide is shifted and the matrices are arrested at a higher level, so that the lower characters align with the upper characters of the other matrices in the assembler. When the slide is withdrawn the matrices are assembled at the lower level. By means of this simple contrivance, a line may be composed partly of one face, partly of the other face, or entirely of either face.]

Linotypes are guaranteed to be capable of setting above 5000 ems of 6 point per hour, and this output is widely obtained in commercial printing offices with first class operators. When a compositor speaks of the amount of type he sets per hour or day he speaks of “ems.” A column of type matter is so many “ems” wide. The term “em” means the square of the particular size of type that is being set. Thus if a column is said to be 13 ems wide it means that an em quad or square, could be set 13 times in the width of the column. Type is graded according to size by points. Machine type for book work runs from 5 points to 12 points. A point is one seventy-second of an inch, that is, there are 72 points to an inch. This guarantee, however, by no means indicates the limit of speed at which the machine can be operated, as evidenced by records of 10,000 to 11,000 ems per hour maintained for an entire day. The rapidity of the Linotype is limited only by the ability of the operator to manipulate the keys, and the extreme capacity of the machine has never yet been attained.]

SECTIONAL VIEW OF MAGAZINE SHOWING CHANNEL FULL OF MATRICES.

This picture shows the machine with part of the magazine top and side removed. We can thus see how the matrices are arranged in their respective grooves in the magazine. When one of the keys of the keyboard is pressed down the first matrix in the corresponding grove in the magazine escapes and drops upon a conveyor belt and is carried in its proper order to an assembler, which answers much the same purpose as a printer’s stick. The correct spacing or justification of the line of matrices is accomplished by means of spacebands, which are assembled automatically between the words in the line by the touch of a lever at the left of the keyboard.]

Instead of producing single type characters, the Linotype machine casts metal bars, or slugs, of any length desired up to 36 ems, each complete in one piece and having on the upper edge, properly justified, the characters to print a line. These slugs are automatically assembled in proper order as they are delivered from the machine, when they are immediately available either for printing from direct or for making electrotype or stereotype plates. They answer the same purpose and are used in the same manner as composed type matter.]

LINE OF MATRICES BEING LIFTED TO DISTRIBUTOR

After the slug has been cast, the matrices are carried up to the second transfer position, where they are pushed to the right, and the teeth in the V at the top of the matrices engage the grooves in the distributor bar of the second elevator, which descends from the distributor box at the same time that the matrices rise to the second transfer position. The second elevator then rises toward the distributor box, taking the matrices with it, but leaving the spacebands; these are then pushed to the right and slide into the spaceband box, to be used again.

As the second elevator rises toward the distributor box with its load of matrices, the distributor shifter lever moves to the left until the elevator head has reached its place by the distributor box. It then moves back to the right and pushes the matrices off the second elevator distributor bar into the distributor box, where they meet the “matrix lift” and are lifted, one at a time, to the distributor screws and distributor bar proper. The teeth in the matrix and the grooves in the bar are so arranged that when a matrix arrives at a point directly over the channel in which it belongs, it “lets go” and drops into its channel.

If, however, there is a matrix in the line which was not designed to drop into one of the channels operated from the keyboard, it will be carried clear across the distributor bar and dropped into the last channel, and from there it will find its way to the sorts box.]

The casting mechanism consists of the metal pot, mold disk, mold, ejector, and trimming knives. The illustration shows a cross-section of the metal pot, mold disk, and mold, with a line of matrices in the casting position. When the line of matrices leaves the assembler, they pass to a position in front of the mold disk. The disk makes a one-quarter turn to the left, which brings the mold from the ejecting position, where it stands while the machine is at rest, to the casting position. It then advances until the face of the mold comes in contact with the matrices. The metal pot advances until the pot mouthpiece comes in contact with the back of the mold; at this point the pump plunger descends and forces the metal into the mold and against the matrices. The pot then recedes, the mold disk withdraws from the matrices and makes three-fourths of a revolution to the left, stopping in the ejecting position, from which it started. The slug is ejected and assembled in the galley.

During the last revolution of the disk the bottom of the slug is trimmed off, and in the process of ejection the sides of the slug are trimmed, so that when it drops in the galley the slug is a perfect line of type, ready for the form.]

As the slugs of type, each of which represents a line, come from the linotype machine, they are arranged in order in a brass holder the width of the line of type, called a “galley.” This holder is about twenty inches long. As soon as it is filled one of the men in the typesetting office takes it to a proof press where he makes a rough impression of it. He runs an ink covered roller over the top of the slugs, lays a piece of blank paper on it and then either runs another roller over it or puts it in a hand press and secures an impression of the type just as it is. This is called making a “galley proof.”

The galley proof is then sent to the proof-reader who reads it carefully and indicates such errors in setting as appear and must be changed. Before correcting the actual type, however, the composing room sends the galley proof to the one who is publishing the book. The publisher also reads the proof over carefully and, if he does not wish to change any of the wording, he sends it back to the composing room with his “O. K.” attached in writing. If he wishes to change the wording, he does so and the galley proof is then returned to the composing room marked “O. K. after corrections and changes are made.”

The linotype operator then makes whatever changes are desired or necessary by setting new lines where mistakes or changes occur. If there is only one wrong letter in a line, he must reset the whole line as the machine, as you remember, only turns out solid lines of type. A revised proof is then sent to the publishing office and, if no further changes are to be made, he gives instructions to have the “galley” made up into pages. How the pages are made up is shown in the next picture.]

When the revised proofs come back from the publisher ready to be made into pages, the publisher has marked on same what pictures are to go on the pages of the “make up” as this is called. The compositor then picks out the pictures in the form of cuts which are to go on the different pages and puts them in the page first. He then arranges the type matter from the galley proof around, above or below the pictures, puts in the proper headings and takes a “final proof” of how the pages are arranged to look. If this is satisfactory the publisher puts a “final O. K.” on the proof in writing and the page is ready to be printed. Thus the book is made up page by page. No page is printed without the O. K. of the publisher and so, if there are any errors still in the page, the publisher is responsible.]

PRINTING THE BOOK OF WONDERS

This picture shows the pages of the Book of Wonders being printed. Thirty-two pages are printed on each side of a sheet of paper at one time. A printing office is a busy place as can be seen from the picture. As soon as the ink is dry on the printed sheets they are taken to the bindery where they are folded and sewed ready to have the covers put on.]

When the printed sheets are received in the bindery they are fed into a folding machine which is shown here. A sheet of 64 pages is folded and cut and delivered in four sections of 16 pages each ready to be gathered.]

Courtesy of the J. F. Tapley Co. New York.

Here we see the girls at work operating the sewing machines which sew the sections together at the back side of the book.]

Courtesy of the J. F. Tapley Co., New York.

In this picture we see the “case makers” at work making the covers on which the actual book is bound.]

Courtesy of the J. F. Tapley Co., New York.