640 PRINTING 



PBACTICB OF PBINTING. The workmen principally employed in printing are of 

 two kinds : compositors, who set up the types into lines and pages according to the 

 MS. or copy furnished by the author ; and pressmen, who apply ink to the surface of 

 the form of types, and take off the impressions upon paper. 



Composition. The mode of proceeding described hereafter is that which is pursued 

 in most of the extensive establishments in London : The first thing to bo done, 

 when the sizes of page, type, and paper, are determined on, is to look over the MS., 

 and see that it is correctly paged. It is then handed fo a clicker, or foreman of a 

 companionship, or certain number of compositors, each of whom has a taking of copy, 

 or convenient portion of MS., given to him, to be set up in type. 



Types. Although most of the early printers were type-founders themselves, it does 

 not appear in any prologue or colophon to the books printed by Caxton that he lays 

 claim to the title of type-founder. It would appear that he obtained his type, which 

 is precisely of the same character as that of John Brito of Bruges, from that city, or 

 from the same founders who supplied or manufactured it for John Valdener of Utrecht. 

 But as the art extended the workmanship became inferior ; ' so that while the produc- 

 tions of the first printers were executed in a very superior style, and the embellish- 

 ments showed a great proficiency both in design and engraving, the productions of 

 their competitors had all the crudeness and imperfection of a new invention ; and in 

 the 17th century it had retrograded to a very low state. At the commencement of the 

 18th century, Caslon made great improvements in types ; as also, Baskerville of 

 Birmingham, in 1750, both in types and printing: which were subsequently carried on 

 by Besley, Bulmer, Clowes, Corrall, Davison, McCreery, Spottiswoode, Whittingham, 

 and a few others in London; by the Foulis, in Glasgow ; the Ballantynes, in Edin- 

 burgh ; by Bodoni at Parma ; by Didot in Paris ; ' and by Brockhaus in Leipzic. 



Printers' types (from riJiroy, tupos, literally a blow, hence the mark left by a blow,) are 

 of great variety in size, amounting to forty or fifty : the smallest is called Brilliant, but 

 is seldom used ; Diamond is a size larger, and Pearl larger still, which latter type is 

 used for printing the smallest Bibles and Prayer-books. 



The following is a view of the comparative sizes used in printing books : 



.. To lh art of ptluiiug it U uknowlxlgtd i oi the lUformnion. Ii bit bn justly timuktd that 



Pearl .... To the art of printing it li acknowledged we owe the Reformation. It has been justly 



Ruby .... To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe the Reformation, It has been 



Nonpareil . To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe the Reformation. It has 



Minion ... To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe the Reformation. 



Brevier . . . To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe the Reformatio 



Bourgeois . . To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe the Refor 



Long Primer . . To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe the R 



Small Pica . . To the art of printing it is acknowledged we owe 



Pica .... To the art of printing it is acknowledged we 



English ... To the art of printing it is acknowled 



Great Pnmer . To the art of printing it is ack 



The larger sizes, used for printing bills posted in the streets, or broadsides, are usually 

 called Double Pica, Two-line Pica, Two-line English, Five-line Pica, Ten-line Pica, and 

 so on. A complete assortment of printing types of one size is called & fount, and the 

 fount may be regulated to any weight. Type-founders have a scale, or bill, as it is 

 called, of the proportional quantity of each letter required for a fount. The letter e, 

 as will be seen from the bill on the following page, is used more, and the letter z less, 

 frequently than others. 



In setting up indexes and similar matter, the capitals mentioned would bo con- 

 siderably deficient. This would also be the case with French and Italian works, 

 where accented letters are used in great numbers. 



The type itself is a thin metallic bar, an inch in length (seojfy. 1C70), which repro- 



