Letterpress – Glossary

Bodkin

The bodkin is a tool used for example to straighten letters that have fallen over or to tie the page cord.

Borders

Besides common thin and fat line elements there exist further adornments of various kinds. With these the printer can either decorate sentences or create whole borders around adverts.

Boston Platen

In a Boston Platen the forme is placed vertically. Thus a fitting chase is always needed. The lever on the left moves the inking roller. The inking roller rolls across the colours and colour the forme in turn. By use of the lever the pressure is applied simultaneously.

Brass- lines

Brass-lines exist in length of 6 Cic., 8 Cic., 12 Cic. And 20 Cic. These line elements are used for plain borders, for more complex tables and forms.

Chase- device

Is a fastening device in which brass- locks can be opened and closed. The assembled forme is fitted in the chase from steel with the Chase- device.

Composing types

Letters larger than 16 p or 20 p are stored standing up – in so called composing- type cases.

Composing rule (Setting rule)

Is an aid, that exists in almost all lengths. It should be harmonised with the composing stick. The composing rule is placed in the composing stick, the letters are then placed on the composing rule. In that way the whole line can be lifted and put down at once.

Composing stick

The composing stick consists of a heavy brass hook with an adjustable clasp. The composing stick is used to assemble pieces of metal type into lines and to fill up the lines with furniture to make up the exact width.

Drying racks

Drying racks used to be made from wood. Nowadays they are made from metal and are easily moved on wheels. The racks are made up of bars and are used for the drying out of freshly printed products.

Forceps

Forceps are an important tool, for example to remove small type from the box.

Galley

The galley is where the forme is built and transported. A galley can be between DIN A5 to DIN A2- in size. Fabricated from heavy or light metal.

Levelling

Words or lines have to be levelled- empty spaces filled. Spaces are 1p 1/2p and 1/4p strong pieces. A current term is tracking or kerning.

Mallet

Is a flat wooden block, upholstered with leather on the lower surface. Once the forme is readily assembled the mallet and a rubber hammer are used to carefully force the upstanding metal type in file.

Metal type (Lead type)

Metal type consists of 67% lead, 28% antimony, and 5% stannous.

Metal type alley

The metal type alley is the fully equipped workspace of a type-setter.

Minuscule

Name for non- capital letters.

Misprint

Misprints mostly derive from wrongly placed letters. A letter misprint is a wrongly placed metal type of a font, for example a ‘s’ in the space of an ‘a’. A second group pf misprints are those look; a type of a different size, e.g. a bold ‘m’ is the place of a thin one.

Moistening

Paper can be moistened in order to provide effectual absorption of the colour.

Numbering machine

The numbering machine can be placed anywhere in the type, the numbering machine is freely adjustable.

Nyloprint- cutting equipment

For reasons of cost several motifs are exposed on one nyloprint plate. Afterwards the motifs can be cut out. For this the cutting machine is used.

Printing plates

Everything that cannot be arranged by hand is needed as a printing plate. Nowadays it is possible to create a nyloprint plate from your image or logo by photomechanical exposure of a negative film.

Proofing press (proofer)

The proofing press is used for proofing, meaning a trial impression of the type for the correction of errors. This works up to the size of DIN A3. After the type has been fixed the area is coloured with a roll, covered with a sheet of paper, and a pressure roller applied to it.

Type Case (Case)

Type cases are standardised- each letter has its place. The two upper rows contain the majuscules (capital letters) of a font. Apart from that the arrangement is based on the frequency of a letters usage. The non- capital e is used most frequently, thus its place is closest to the right hand.

Tying off

When the type has been assembled it can be tied to be fixed or for purposes of archiving by use of a page cord. The cord should be long enough to reach around the type four to five times. Starting on the right hand corner the last part is tied to a loop and either pushed under the collar or knotted with the help of the bodkin.

Vignettes

Vignettes are adornments. There are ornaments of all kinds in the most divers forms and strength.

Wood type

From a certain letter size (ca. 72p) used for poster etc. Wooden type is used instead of metal type.