Full text of "The practical printer: a book of instruction for beginners; a book of reference for the more advanced"

University of California Berkeley

From the Library of
FREDERICK FOLGER THOMAS

F. A. RINGLER CO., ENQ.

THE

PRACTICAL

PRINTER:

A BOOK OF INSTRUCTION FOR BEGINNERS;

A BOOK OF REFERENCE FOR THE MORE ADVANCED.

By HENRY G. BISHOP.

< M.N I \1MN<;

INFORMATION ON ALL THK VARIOUS 1'AKTS OF THE
PRINTING BUSINESS.

UTI n
I>IA(,I<AMS OF IMPOSITION AND USEFUL TABI

THIRD EDITION. PRICE, $1,00.

I [SHOP, PUB1 ISH1 R, "NKONTA, N. Y.

HFOUNDHKS.

NOTE TO THIRD EDITION.

The author of this work is gratified to find another
edition made necessary but must apologize to those
who have been kept waiting for the same owing to
many unavoidable causes. An entirely new chapter
on proof reading has been added in response to many
requests. That this edition may meet with the same
success as its predecessors is the earnest wish of
the author.

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.

T) ATHER more than a year ago, it was suggested to
the author that there was room for a work, which
would treat fully of the various phases of the printing
business from a practical point of view, written by
someone who had passed through the necessary ex-
perience. After consulting with his friend, ANDREW C.
CAMERON, the able and respected editor of The Inland
Printer, the author undertook to write such a work,
and now presents it to the printing fraternity with the
hope that it may be found useful to the younger
members of the craft, and not altogether without
interest to those who are older.

For many years the author has contributed to the
pages of the printing trade journals both in the United
States and in England, and has published several works
bearing upon subjects of practical interest to printers.
He served a seven years' apprenticeship to the business
in an establishment where each branch was taught by
those who had a practical knowledge of what they
taught. Since that time he has graduated and passed
through ail the various departments, and has, during

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.

those many years, sought to learn all he could learn of
the business in which his father and grandfather had
spent their lives.

The one principal object that has been kept in
view throughout this work is the presenting of prac-
tical instruction in the order in which it will be most
useful and most likely to be retained in the memory.

The author makes no pretense to literary ability,
but claims for his book the support of every printer in
the land, on the ground of an earnest desire to impart
to others the knowledge which he has acquired during
a busy life as a " practical printer. "

NOTE BY A. C. CAMERON.

'T^HE necessity for such a book of reference as " THE
PRACTICAL PRINTER," simple, concise, explanatory,
instructive and reliable a veritable multum in parvo
has long been recognized among the craft. The informa-
tion embodied therein will be found invaluable to the
intelligent, ambitions learner, a helpmate to the journey-
man, and a material aid to the employer, referring, as it
does, to various features and branches of the business of
immediate interest to each. Its author, Mr. H. G. Bishop,
is a gentleman long and favorably known to the readers
of The Inland Printer as a contributor to its columns,
and is eminently qualified, by virtue of his ability as a
writer and varied experience as a practical printer of
many years standing, to successfully accomplish the task
he has undertaken. The information contained therein
is worth many times the price charged for the work, and
if its sale is commensurate with its merits its success is
assured. I have much pleasure in recommending it to
the printers of the United States.

A. C. CAMERON.
CHICAGO, April i, 1889.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii

DEDICATION v

PREFACE vii

NOTE BY A. C. CAMERON xi

INTRODUCTORY 1-6

The great need among printers a more thorough knowl-
edge of their business the rudiments, or A B C theory
as well as practice importance of beginning at the begin-
ning the need of a knowledge of more than one branch.
COMPOSING DEPARTMENT 7-90

Reading and Spelling peculiarities of the English language
reading bad manuscript fac-simile of a piece of bad
copy studying an author's style of writing 7 -I 4

Punctuation and Capitalization great diversity of opinions
examples of the use of punctuation marks examples
of the use of capitals I 5~ 2 3

Names of Types and their Relative Sizes Brilliant to
Canon Roman and Italic old style and modern the
point system tables of comparison 24-31

Peculiar Signs used in Printing commercial signs ac-
cents references algebraical astronomical medical
superiors and inferiors fractions Roman numerals
typographical 32-38

Terms used in the Composing Room 39~46

Composition [earning the boxes distribution position of
the body justification even spacing divisions clean
proofs correcting fac-simile of "dirty" proof job
work table work making up 47-64

xii CONTENTS.

PAGE

Imposing diagrams showing position of pages making

the margins locking up 65-90

PRESS DEPARTMENT 91-120

The " devil " the necessary training youth the time to
learn terms used in the press room making ready on
cylinder presses fac-similes of "make ready" sheets
making ready on job presses proper treatment of rollers
care of inks oil and rags cleanliness.

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT 121-131

Fitting up the stock room varieties of papers card-
board cutting tables showing quantity of stock re-
quired for jobs from 50 to 100,000 copies table showing
number of sheets contained in any number of quires
table of comparative weights of paper.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 132

Facts about profits reckless estimating capital in-
vested depreciation of plant the importance of adopt-
ing correct methods in conducting a business dangers of
failure buying plant and materials cost of printing ink
tables for calculating cost of stock the order book
fac-simile of job ticket and daily time slip.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION 153

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Portrait of the Author Facing Title page

Fac-simile of a piece of bad manuscript II

of a ' ' dirty proof " 56

The same matter corrected 57

Fac-simile A, the first impression 103

B, the patched-up sheet 104

C, the result 105

of a job ticket 151

daily time slip 152

Specimens of composition 153

TABLES.

Table showing what number of ems of other sizes will corre-
spond with pica, from 10 to 40 ems 29

Table showing the number of lines of different sizes of type

containing a thousand ems, from 10 to 40 ems pica in width. 30

Table showing the equivalents in depth of 100 lines, from

pica to diamond .31

Table showing the number of ems contained in one square

inch, from pica to diamond 31

Tables for giving out paper for jobs of from 50 to 100,000

copies 125-128

Table showing the quantity of paper required to print 1,000

copies of a book in any form from 8vo to 32mo 129

Table showing the number of sheets contained in any number

of quires 130

Table of comparative weights of paper (showing the equiva-
lents of different sizes) 131

Tables showing cost of stock used on small jobs (being a

printer's ready reckoner) x . 141-148

THE

PRACTICAL PRINTER.

INTRODUCTORY.

MANY "histories" and "treatises" have been written
on the subject of printing, and great credit is due to
some recent writers for the vast amount of information
which they have supplied. It is well that we should know
all that can be learned of the earliest growth and sub-
sequent development of the art of printing, which has
proved the greatest " tree of knowledge " that the world
has ever produced. The printer who takes any pride in
his business naturally desires to be as well posted in the
history of the industry which gives him his bread as in the
history of the country which gave him birth.

But while all this is true, and without wishing for a
moment to depreciate the importance of such writings as
have been referred to, there appears to be a growing need
for a concise, yet exhaustive work, devoted to the practical
side of the question, which will serve the purpose of an
instructor for the learner, and a book of reference for the
more advanced.

Therefore, the writer has undertaken to supply such a
work, and though he feels somewhat doubtful of doing full
justice to the subject, he nevertheless ventures forth,
encouraged by the thought that he is engaged in a good
cause, and that some measure of benefit to his fellow-
craftsmen must be the result.

2 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

The great lack of the present day among printers is a
knowledge of the rudiments of the business. A large
number of men do certain things which they have seen
others do without knowing the why or the wherefore, or
understanding the necessity for doing such things in such
ways, or the advisability of varying their methods to suit
changed circumstances and contingencies. In fact, they
learn to do their work much as a parrot learns to talk,
and know no more of the fundamental principles of the
business than it does of the construction of the English
language. Such men may acquire a superficial knowledge
of the printers' art, and may manage to pull through in a
crowd, but they are not and never will be printers in the
best sense of the word.

Now, what is needed is a theoretical as well as a
practical training. A great deal is sometimes made of
the fact that a man is a practical printer in opposition to
the idea of his being a theoretical printer, as though a
theoretical knowledge of the business were of no account.
This is a great mistake. It is of the utmost impor-
tance that a man should have a practical knowledge of his
business, but unless he knows the theory, as well as the
practice, he has no knowledge of it at all.

It is impossible to lay too much stress upon this part of
the subject, and, therefore, though some may think enough
has been said, yet for the sake of those whom it is intended
to benefit the truth must be reiterated until it has made an
impression that will be lasting and beneficial in its results.
It is impossible to learn to read without first learning our
letters, and it is also impossible to become a printer
without first learning the rudiments or elementary lessons.
Without learning the A, B, C of the business no accurate
and sure knowledge of it can be obtained. Before a

INTRODUCTORY. 3

builder puts up a house he digs into the earth and lays a
solid foundation. This digging and foundation laying has
to be done before a knowledge of the printing business
can be built up, and the deeper we dig the firmer will
be the foundation, and the more lasting will be the super-
structure.

It will be necessary to treat the two departments, com-
position and presswork, separately; and afterward several
other subjects will be treated upon, such as machinery,
power, ink, paper, cutting, managing, estimating, and
many other matters which will be of advantage to the man
who wants to become master of the business. A compositor
needs to know something of the other branches in order to
be better qualified for his own part of the work, and this
is true of the pressman, and also of every man who is
engaged in any one of the various departments. The
compositor who knows something of presswork, will better
understand how to put a form to press, and the pressman
who knows something of composition, will know better
how to treat his form when he gets it. There is no reason
why this should lead to a man being a jack-of-all- trades,
for some men take naturally to composition and would not
be pressmen, and others take as naturally to presswork and
would not be compositors.

One great difficulty which lies in the way of men
trying to obtain this general knowledge of their business,
is the fact that in most offices, particularly the larger ones,
a man is engaged on only one part of the work, and some
other men are engaged on the other parts, so that very
little insight into more- than one branch of the business
can be obtained. It is the object of the writer to
supply that deficiency, by going minutely into all the
different parts of what goes to make up the general routine

4 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

of a printing establishment to follow the different classes
of work from the moment they are handed in in the shape
of "copy," till the time they go out to the customers.
How few workmen know anything about the cost of
producing a job. or the price to be charged to the
customer! They work from year's end to year's end
without ever knowing what the public has to pay for the
work they are engaged upon. And it is probable that the
customer knows more about the cost of stock than the man
who cuts it up, or the men who set the type and do the
presswork. Moreover, it often happens that the manager
or proprietor does not know how to give an estimate for a
job, because he is not familiar with the cost of the different
parts of the work. So he has to consult the foreman of
the composing room as to cost of composition, the foreman
of the pressroom for cost of presswork, the paper dealer
for cost of stock, the ruler for cost of ruling, the binder
for cost of binding, and so on through all the various
occasions of expense. And then he calls himself a printer !
Besides the ignominy connected with such a course, look
at the loss of valuable time in thus arriving at the proper
price to quote for a job that he may never get !

It may appear to some that this is taking too high
ground, and they may be inclined to ask, " How many
are there who know all these things ? " To this question
we answer, that there are hundreds of managers and pro-
prietors who know them as fully as they know their
alphabet. Those who do not know may think this is
incredible, and to such we will quote Hamlet's remark to
Horatio : " There are more things in heaven and earth
than are dreamt of in your philosophy." But perhaps
sufficient has been said on this point to impress the reader
with an idea of its importance, and to lead him to resolve

INTRODUCTORY. 5

that, very soon, he will make himself master of these
things as far as he may have opportunity.

Those who desire to become printers, and those
printers who desire to become better acquainted with the
details of their business, are invited to accompany the
writer through the subsequent pages, which will be
devoted exclusively to the unfolding of the various phases
of the business, nothing being considered too trivial to
mention, so long as it can be used to promote the end in
view, namely : imparting a sound theoretical and practical
knowledge of printing. No attempt at fine language will
be made, but what is said will be stated in plain, simple,
every-day phraseology, so that everyone may understand
and be benefited.

It will be necessary to go over ground that many
readers may already be familiar with, but that will not
hurt them, as it is often good to go over again things that
have been learned and known for years, and they will
have the satisfaction of knowing that others who have not
traveled that way before will derive benefit, and, besides,
they themselves will have their memories refreshed and
may be glad to be reminded of some things which they
had almost forgotten.

Carefully compiled tables, diagrams of imposition, and
many illustrations will be given which will be of value in
making points clearly understood, and be of lasting
benefit for future reference. In fact, everything that can
be obtained, which is calculated to help toward the main
end, will be presented. As far as possible each different
branch of the subject will be treated separately and in
proper order, so that each lesson may be fully learned
before another is taken up, and then that other shall be
the one that is most intimately connected with its prede-

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

cessor. Thus the growth in knowledge of the various
branches of the business will be natural and logical. We
propose to clear the ground as we go along and have no
turning back, but rather moving slowly and surely for-
ward, gaining power of perception and understanding
at each step, that when we do reach the goal we may be
able to appreciate and hold fast to that which we have
obtained.

COMPOSING DEPARTMENT.

READING AND SPELLING.

THE person who is about to learn the printing business
will do well to start by learning how to read and spell
correctly ; and by this is not meant merely the ability to
read and spell in the sense in which these terms are
commonly used, for very few boys reach the age of four-
teen or fifteen years without being able to do that ; but
what is meant is learning how to read and spell correctly
everything that comes before him. Many boys, and men,
too, who think they know all this, positively know nothing
about it, or at least only know the most simple and super-
ficial part of it. Give them a newspaper paragraph to read
and they will get along pretty well, providing there are no
hard words in it ; but give them the copy from which the
compositor set up the type for that paragraph, and it might
puzzle them to read three words of it. Again, give them
a whole column of printed newspaper matter to read aloud
and it is more than probable that instead of going over it
easily and smoothly they would pause and stumble like a
horse going over a rough road. Many of the words would
be wrongly pronounced, and some of them converted
into words that have no place in any dictionary ; and as
to spelling every word in the column, the probability is
that in that they would fare twice as badly. Let those
who doubt this try it upon some of the young persons with

8 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

whom they are acquainted. We have tried it many times
among different classes, and know the truth of what is
here stated. Out of twenty-three applicants for position
as copyholder (boys of from thirteen to sixteen years of
age), there were only two who could read sufficiently well,
and one of these broke down in spelling all the words in
a paragraph of an ordinary newspaper leading article.

And any printer knows that this is only skimming the
surface of the subject, for if, instead of taking newspaper
columns, we should take the pages of a carefully-written
book, especially if it were upon some scientific subject, the
test would be much more severe. But a compositor who
is engaged on bookwork has to read everything that comes
along, on every conceivable subject, from an inquiry into
the origin of species to a disquisition on astronomy.

Now it is far better that the learner should fully under-
stand the difficulties of this part of the subject, and give
up the idea of learning the business at all, than that he
should start in with his eyes shut and only find out his
mistake by painful experience, either in the loss of situa-
tions or the small amount of his earnings. But, at the
same time, if he make up his mind to master the difficul-
ties at the start, there is no occasion to give up, provided
he has the capacity of mind required to grasp the necessary
knowledge. Let him take the place of a learner standing
at the very foot of the ladder, and strive to climb one step
at a time, and the chances are that he will succeed.

The first step, then, is to learn to spell. This he can
only do by steady practice and perseverance. The writer
can remember when, as a boy, he used to carry a pocket
dictionary and learn to spell every word in each page,
taking about a page each day, and writing down all the
peculiar and difficult words to impress them upon his

READING AND SPELLING. 9

memory. This plan he would recommend to all who
wish to learn.

The English language contains over one hundred
thousand words, and though only a small proportion of
these may be in every-day use, there are sufficient to make
it no ordinary task to spell all that come along. There
are many peculiarities about these words, with which it
will be well for the learner to make himself acquainted.
Besides there being a large number of difficult words, there
are many which are pronounced alike but spelt differently,
or spelt alike but pronounced differently, or spelt and
pronounced alike but having different meanings ; these,
also, the would-be compositor must make himself familiar
with. One or two examples may be given here. The
words rite, right, write, wright, are all spelt differently
and have different meanings, but are pronounced alike.
The words desert (a wilderness) and desert (to forsake) are
spelt alike but pronounced differently, the first pronuncia-
tion having two different meanings and the last five. Then
the words order (method), order (a command) and order
(a society) are spelt and pronounced alike but have widely
different meanings. These are only a few examples, but
there are hundreds of words in the English language that
have the same peculiarities. Now, a compositor should
not only know how to spell all these words, but also
understand all their various shades of meaning.

The next step will be learning to read, and those who have
paid most attention to spelling will make the best readers.
It is a good plan to read aloud, either alone or in company
with someone who will be able and willing to correct any
errors that may be made. A compositor should be able to
read, he should also know how to read, and be able to read
everything. Notwithstanding the many advantages in the

10 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

way of educational facilities which we have in this day
with our public and private schools and colleges it is safe
to say that not more than ten per cent of the people can
get beyond the first of the foregoing requirements, the
other ninety per cent being made up of those who cannot
read at all, those who can read a little, and those who can
read in the ordinary acceptation of the term. As for those
who know how to read, that is, to give each word its
proper pronunciation and correct color of meaning, they
will be found among the ten per cent.

A compositor must be able to read manuscript of every
kind, and no one knows so well as he does how many dif-
ferent kinds. No two men write just alike, and, as a rule,
those who write for the press acquire a habit of writing so
indistinctly that some of their copy looks more like the
work of a mischievous fly who had got his legs and wings
covered with ink and then crawled all over a sheet of
paper to show that the fly tribe had some idea of the incon-
gruous as well as the pen tribe.

What causes a good deal of trouble sometimes is the
careless way in which an author will write words between
the lines, or on the margin, without making any sign to
show where they are to be inserted, and generally writing
such words very small and indistinctly, the result being
that an inexperienced compositor may waste valuable
time in trying to put such words where they appear to
belong. The following example will serve to show the
uninitiated the kind of copy he may have to wrestle with
for a living :

READING AND SPELLING.

REDUCED FACSIMILE OF THE HANDWRITING OF AN EDITOR, WHICH SHOWS HIS
GENERAL STYLE OF WRITING FOR THE PRESS.

. f*9,/v'

,* A"~

XLdgr ^$-cr^. fr-*?^

S\^j^j

^&^fr ffb+dvv***. &G**Jr* *~fa^^ ** ^^ f <M*
^/s*a, ^^^fr^r^*t^^^

eft (^OA^C^V^AA.

And this is by no means the worst he can get, as many
a compositor knows to his sorrow. And yet there are
compositors who can read such scrawls, who know how to
wind themselves into the intricacies of the worst writing ;
and the way they do it is by closely examining the
author's style (for most authors have a style, however bad

12 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

it may be). A practiced eye will be able to detect certain
points of regularity running through the most irregular
looking mass. He will notice that although the / is not
crossed the / is dotted ; that though the n and u are both
made alike, the e and c are distinctly different, that the /
and b are looped at the top, whereas the d and h are not ;
that the r at the beginning of a word is different from that
at the end of a word, and that the s is subject to the same
rule ; that though no periods are used, all the sentences
begin with a capital letter. But even with this knowledge
it may be difficult to decipher all the words so as to make
the passage read like common sense, and, often a word has
to be put in or left out in order to help arrive at this con-
clusion.

Another common cause for trouble is the careless way
in which names of persons or places are written. It may
be possible to guess what an ordinary word is by that
which goes before or comes after it ; but names cannot be
guessed in this way, and as there are often several ways of
spelling the same name, it becomes almost impossible for
the compositor to decipher it. But still, even here, the
compositor with a practiced eye has an immense advantage
over the uninitiated ; a curve, or a loop, or a dot, or a
thickening of a stem, or some other apparently insignifi-
cant feature in one or two of the letters may enable him
to arrive at a correct solution of the difficulty.

Now all this points to the conclusion that the would-
be compositor should make himself familiar with the reading
of all sorts of handwriting; that he should go again and
again over the same ground, until he knows every land-
mark, every point of similarity, every point of divergence.
The difficulties may be great they are great but so long
as they are not positively insurmountable he should press

READING AND SPELLING. 13

forward till he conquers. The advantages which lie beyond
are more than sufficient to reward him for all his toil.
Take just one consideration. Suppose he should be
employed as a compositor on piecework for ten years,
it is safe to say that with this acquired practice and
knowledge he could earn ten per cent more than he
could without it, and this ten per cent invested in a
savings bank at compound interest, would in the ten
years amount to a considerable sum. Besides this direct
gain there are many indirect advantages that accrue to the
man who has become proficient in this as in any other
branch of his business. And, again, there is great advan-
tage as well as pleasure in this knowledge, on account of
the ease with which work is done, instead of the constant
worry and brainwork caused by puzzling over badly
written copy. And still again, the man who has acquired
this knowledge feels pardonable pride and pleasure in the
possession of it.

The compositor will often find it necessary to correct
bad spelling, and even ungrammatical sentences, in order
to arrive at what the manuscript means and what he is to
set up. If some authors were to have their copy followed
ad literatim by the compositors, they might feel ashamed
of themselves, and perhaps take a little more pains to
prepare the next, for their own credit, if not for the sake
of the compositor, who suffers so much from such care-
lessness. Thus it will be seen that besides being able to
read and spell correctly, it is necessary to have a pretty
correct knowledge of grammar, and besides this again it is
necessary to be well informed upon matters generally. An
author may only need to be posted on one particular sub-
ject, but a co^Dositor needs to be posted on all subjects,
in order to understand what is being written by all the

14 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

different authors whose copy he has to digest. It may be
true that there are a great many compositors who have not
this knowledge, but that does not alter the fact that such
knowledge is necessary, and if necessary should be acquired
at any and all cost by those who desire to become efficient
workmen. Pope says that " a little learning is a dan-
gerous thing," and it may just as truly be said that a
partial knowledge of the compositor's art is an unprofitable
thing. It is better to have a thorough knowledge of the
simplest form of employment than to have an imperfect
knowledge of anything else, however much better or more
exalted it may appear. Someone has been credited with
saying : " If I were a tinker, no tinker besides should mend
a kettle like me ; " and there can be no doubt that a good
tinker has more to be proud of than a bad compositor.

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION. 15

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION.

'T^HERE are few subjects upon which there is more
JL diversity of opinion than that of punctuation. Learned
men authors, editors, printers, schoolmasters all agree
to differ as to what should constitute the rule for accu-
rately punctuating a printed work. Books that have been
written on the subject, have sometimes been held up as
being themselves examples of bad punctuation ! There-
fore, it is not pretended here to lay down any infallible
rules, but simply to give a general idea of the subject, such
as will be of service to those who purpose learning the
printing business. If it were in our power to suggest such
a system of punctuation as would meet the views of all the
different factions, it would entitle us to the everlasting
gratitude of compositors, for they, above all others, suffer
from the present laxity and indefiniteness which prevails
among wi iters for the press.

It often happens that an author does not attempt to
punctuate his copy, and the compositor will do his best
to make up for the author's negligence; then the proof-
reader has different ideas to those of the compositor, and
changes the punctuation accordingly, and the compositor
has to make the changes in his own time. Then when the
author gets the proof he thinks that certain other changes

16 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

are necessary, and makes the punctuation entirely different
from that of either the compositor or reader.

We will now give a list of the various punctuation
points, and explain their several uses ; for some of them
serve a variety of purposes ; all of which the compositor
should be thoroughly familiar with.

Comma (,). This marks the shortest pause in reading
and writing, and is used to divide the several clauses of a
lengthy sentence. Although it is but a small point, it
causes the compositor more trouble than any other ; there-
fore, in setting up copy which is not punctuated, he will
find it more profitable to use commas sparingly than too
profusely; at the same time he should use them where
requisite, as the omission of a comma may entirely change
the meaning of a sentence. Take the following as an
example: "The troops landed, and killed a hundred
negroes." Now, if the comma were left out after the
word "landed," the sentence would have a different
meaning, making it appear that the troops first landed the
negroes and then killed them. Commas are also used, in
conjunction with apostrophes, to denote extracts or quota-
tions from other works, conversational matter, etc. This
is done by inverting two commas at the commencement
and placing two apostrophes at the end of such passages as
are quoted. There should always be a thin space between
the quotation marks and the word they precede or follow.
Where a quotation occurs within another quotation, a
single comma and apostrophe must be used ; and if both
quotations end together, a thin space is necessary to divide
the single apostrophe from the double. Commas are also
used in catalogues and other such works instead of the
word " ditto," by placing two of them under a word which
needs to be repeated.

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION. 17

Semicolon (;). This is used to mark a longer pause
than the comma. It will be seen that two points (the
period and comma) are used to make this sign, the mean-
ing of which is that what has gone before is complete in
itself, but that what follows is connected with it and
is dependent upon it. A thin space should always be
put before this point, and extra space after it. This
remark applies also to the colon, exclamation and interro-
gation.

Colon (:). This is the next longest pause, and being
made of two periods, means that what has gone before is
complete in itself, as is also what follows, and yet that
they are intimately connected. This point is also used in
other ways, such as after the words thus : as follows : the
following: Dear sir: etc.; also in reference to Scripture
quotations, as, "John 22: 16; Matt. 14: 4;" and in
many other ways.

Period (.). Besides being used to close a sentence,
the period is also used in cases of abbreviations, such as
Mr., Dr., Cr., Jno., etc.; but when used as an abbrevia-
tion mark it does not affect the punctuation. Such abbre-
viations as Tom, Ben and per cent do not need the
abbreviating period, for they have themselves become
words ; the same is true of ist, 2d, 3d, 4th, etc. The
period is used to separate decimals from whole numbers,
as, 5.055 and $104.05. It is also used after enumerating
figures or letters, as, "I have two good reasons : i. I can-
not give my attention to the business ; 2. I have no money
to invest in it.'* Some authors make their sentences so
long that twenty commas and several semicolons are used
to one period. Others break their writing up into short
sentences and use almost as many periods as commas.
The compositor has to punctuate so as to make sense, and

18 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

he often finds it hard to do this with a piece of badly
written copy.

Exclamation (!). The name of this point suggests its
use. It is placed after every sudden or abrupt exclama-
tion, such as, Oh ! Ah ! Alas ! Hush ! Bravo ! Hurrah !
or an expression of surprise, as, How wonderful ! Mar-
velous ! How beautiful ! The exclamation point is some-
times repeated, to give greater effect, as, " Selling off
below cost ! ! Great sacrifice ! ! !"

Interrogation (?). This point is always placed after a
question. It is sometimes used in the middle of a sentence
in connection with a doubtful word, or where the author
is speaking ironically. " The report furnished by the com-
pany shows that Mr. Waters (Walters ?) was among the
killed." Or, " The abuse heaped upon me by Mr. Smith
in his religious (?) journal is simply the result of personal
spite."

Em dash ( ). This has come to be used by many
writers as a punctuation mark. It is used in parenthetical
sentences, and in writing which has many disconnected
sentences. It is also placed after a colon, thus: , the
following : , etc. The dash is generally used after
side-heads, and also before authorities at the end of a
paragraph. It is sometimes added to the common points
to lengthen the pause or supply the want of an inter-
mediate point, to show emphasis, or to mark transition.
It is also used where a sentence is abruptly broken,
as " Sir, you are a But, no matter, I will not commit
myself."

Apostrophe ( ' ). This is used as a quotation mark, in
conjunction with the comma (as already stated), and has
a variety of other uses besides. It is a sign of abbrevia-
tion, as in don't, won't, we're, o'er, thro', and in many

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION. 19

other similar cases. It also shows the possessive case, as,
man's, woman's, etc.

Parenthesis (). The chief use of the parenthesis is to
inclose a sentence which is inserted in another sentence
for the sake of strengthening the argument or point to be
demonstrated, but which could be left out without break-
ing the sense of the original sentence. For example : ' ' The
defendant alleges that before the death of her husband
(not after his death, as stated by the plaintiff) Mrs.
Jones signed the agreement," etc. Parentheses are also
used in other ways, but in all cases the punctuation is not
affected by them, and points should be placed just as they
would be if no parenthetical matter were there. A good
many compositors appear to be in doubt as to this, and will
often put a comma before and after such parenthetical mat-
ter, which is decidedly wrong ; for if they were to lift out
the parentheses, and the words which are inclosed, they
would be left with two commas instead of one. For exam-
ple : " The proceedings, as stated by Blackstone, (Chap-
ter III of Commentaries), were all written," etc. Now if
the parenthetical matter were lifted out and the other
words closed up you would have two commas left. The
comma after "Blackstone" should not be there. Some-
times a few words may be put in parentheses at the end of
a sentence, and the compositor is puzzled to know whether
the period should be put inside or outside. It should be
outside. But where a complete sentence is added, and
parentheses are marked, then the period should be inside.
A few examples may be of service here, as it is well that
this point should be thoroughly understood.

"Aconite (Monkswood). For all feverish and inflam-
matory affections (with thirst and dry skin), pleurisy, neu-
ralgia and rheumatism (generally the result of cold). (See

20 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

also Belladonna.)" " Deposit required (except from mem-
bers of the A. P. A.)." "Reformed Church, Bedford
avenue (E. D.); Rev. C. Terhume."

Brackets [ ]. These are used in some works, though
not often ; but, as regards punctuation, the same remarks
apply to them as to parentheses. They are used princi-
pally in dictionaries and other books of reference, and are
often used in jobwork in a variety of ways, as, [22], [over],
[see back].

Hyphen ( -). This is also used principally in diction-
aries, to show the divisions of words by syllables, but is
used in several other ways besides, as when a word is
divided at the end of a line and also in compound words.
With reference to the latter it may be well to give a few
examples. A phrase is generally made a compound word
when it expresses a complex idea rather than two or
more distinct ideas, as, " There is pretty ten-year-old,
rosy-cheeked, golden-haired Mary." " The tree-and-
cloud -shadowed river." " Twenty-one ten-dollar bills."
"Time-tutored age and love-exalted youth " is very differ-
ent in meaning from " Time tutored age and love exalted
youth."

With regard to capitalization, which is closely con-
nected with punctuation, there is great diversity of style
among authors, some requiring that they be used freely
and others disregarding them except for proper names and
the beginning of sentences. But the following rules will
be likely to cover the ground, so far as it affects the edu-
cation of the compositor.

They must always be used in the following cases :

i. At the commencement of a sentence, after a period
and after exclamation and interrogation points, where such
points close a sentence.

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION. 21

2. For all proper names, such as Chicago, Charles,
British, French, United States, Europe, Atlantic, Pacific,
Captain Jones, etc.

3. For names of publications, public buildings, clubs
and institutions.

4. At the commencement of each line of poetry.

5. For the days of the week and for the names of the
months.

6. For all pronouns and titles that have reference to
the Deity, such as His, He, Himself, Thou, Thine, Mes-
siah, Sun of Righteousness, Savior, Lord, Almighty,
Supreme Being, Providence, etc.

7. At the beginning of quotations from other works,
such as, "We are reminded of the words of Burns:
' Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands
mourn.' " But there are exceptions to this rule, as in the
following quotation : " Shakespeare says that ' conscience
doth make cowards of us all.' "

8. At the commencement of each line or paragraph in
displayed jobwork.

Besides the cases enumerated, there are many others in
which capitals should be used ; some of them imperative
and others optional.

Many authors like to have capitals put to the words
which express the subject upon which they are writing.
For instance, when the subject is Free Trade, those words
would be capitalized ; so, if it were Protection, or Astron-
omy, or Mathematics, or Ancient History, such words
would have capital letters.

Then capitals are needed for the pronoun I, the inter-
jection O, and the exclamation Ah !

In catalogue and circular work, capitals should be used
pretty freely, for not only do they help to bring out the

22 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

salient points, but they improve the appearance of such
work, and enliven an otherwise flat page of matter.

It will be seen from the foregoing that punctuation and
capitalization are intimately connected, and compositors
will do well to study both together. There is much more
in them than appears at first sight, and we have only just
opened up some of the leading points as guides for further
study. It remains for the reader to follow along the lines
laid down until he reaches a fuller comprehension of this
important subject. However, like everything else that is
worth learning, it calls for patience and perseverance
before it yields all the benefits and rewards which it
contains.

We shall now pass on to the more practical and
technical part of our subject, giving a description of the
various implements and appliances to be found in the
composing room, with their names and particular uses,
showing the different kinds and sizes of type and their
relation to each other, explaining the meanings and uses of
commercial and other signs, references and accents, and
also give instructions in learning the boxes, distribution,
composition, correcting, making up, imposition and
tabular work.

But let no beginner think that he can afford to pass
lightly over what has gone before and plunge at once into
what is to follow. This is too often done by those who are
anxious to commence setting up type before they know
anything of the previous education which is necessary to
make a competent compositor. Such persons go to swell
the ranks of that unsatisfactory and unprofitable class called
" amateurs !"

There is perhaps a sense in which all beginners are
amateurs, but the class referred to will be nothing but

PUNCTUATION AND CAPITALIZATION 23

amateurs to the end of their days, because they have never
taken the trouble to learn the rudiments of the business,
but have commenced at once to practice what they do not
understand. There is the same difference between them
and printers as there is between quacks and doctors the
latter have passed through a proper training and obtained
their diplomas, while the former have substituted presump-
tion for knowledge and trickery for legitimate title.

24 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER,

NAMES OF TYPES AND THEIR RELATIVE
SIZES.

IN order to give full information and instruction under
this head, it will be necessary to consider two separate
systems, for there are two in existence at the present time,
viz : the old system of names and sizes of types and the
new American point system. The probability is that
within a few years the latter will be the only universally
acknowledged system, but until then we must accept
matters as they stand, and consider both.

Types which are ordinarily used for book and news-
paper work are called Roman, and these are certainly the
plainest and most readable of all the types in use. Old
Style is also Roman, but is made to imitate, in some
measure, the style of type used in olden times, and the
choice between modern and old style Roman is simply a
matter of taste, both being about equally readable and suit-
able for the same class of work. Italic has the same face,
but instead of being upright, is made to slant to the right,
and was originally intended as an imitation of hand-
writing. Italic is cast to match both the modern and old
style Roman faces, so that it can be used in conjunction
with them, part of a paragraph being set in Roman and
the other part, or certain words of it, being set in Italic.

NAMES OF TYPES AND THEIR RELATIVE SIZES. 25

When thus used, it is generally for the purpose of giving
emphasis .to such parts or special words.

Besides the ordinary Roman and Italic faces, there are a
great number of others (so many that it would be useless
to attempt to name them), which' embrace nearly every
conceivable design or character, from the plain Gothic to
the most artistic and delicately formed ornamental faces.
These are used principally for what is called Job Work ;
and further on we will give rules for the compositor's
guidance in the selection of faces to suit the class of job
he may have in hand, for this variety of faces is often a
great stumbling-block to the compositor, and leads him to
set up the most incongruous and inartistic combinations
of types.

But whatsoever the faces of types may be, and however
great their variety, they are all cast on bodies of certain
regular sizes, that is so far as their depth is concerned, so
that every type cast on what is called pica body would be
the same size in depth, no matter what its face might be.

The usual sizes, under the old system, are as follows :

Brilliant, Pica,

Minikin, English,

Diamond Columbian,

Pearl, Great Primer,

Agate (or Ruby), Paragon,

Nonpareil Double Small Pica,

Minion, Double Pica,

Brevier, Double English,

Bourgeois, Double Great Primer,

Long Primer, Double Paragon,

Small Pica, Canon (or 4-line pica).

26 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

In order to give an idea of the relationship that these
sizes bear one to another, we present some lines set up
from the same copy in different sizes of type.

Printing is the art of producing impressions, from characters or figures, on paper or other mate
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from characters or figures, on paper or
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from characters or figures, on p
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from characters or figur
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from characters or
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from characters o
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from charac
Printing is the art of producing impressions, from p
Printing is the art of producing impressions, fr
Printing is the art of producing impressio

Printing is the art of producing i

The following comparison will further illustrate this
point, though, unfortunately, under the old system, it
cannot be depended upon as an infallible guide, on

NAMES OF TYPES AND THEIR RELATIVE SIZES. 27

account of the variations in the standards of the different
foundries :

One line of Minion equals two lines of Brilliant.

" " Brevier " " Minikin.

" " Bourgeois " " Diamond.

" " Long Primer " " Pearl.

" " Small Pica " " Agate (or Ruby).

" " Pica " " Nonpareil.

" " English " " Minion.

" " Columbian "_ " Brevier.

" " Great Primer " " Bourgeois.

" " Paragon " " Long Primer.

Now, if these proportions could be depended upon,
and if a printer could order such sizes from any of the many
typefounders, with the assurance that he would get the
exact sizes with an accuracy of proportion, nothing more
could be desired. But every printer knows that this is not
possible under the old system. Not only do the above
proportions vary, but if he should order any one size from
two different foundries, he would get two sizes instead of
one. He would find that pica measures six to the inch in
some cases and not in others ; that should he be compelled
to mix the types of one foundry with those of another, he
would have to justify with paper or cardboard.

But with the point system all this is changed. Not
only do all the different foundries supply the same sizes,
but the proportions are correct, and not only do two lines
of some sizes equal one line of some other, but every size
bears a certain relation to every other size, so that the
power of making combinations with different sizes is
almost unlimited.

The following scale, issued by MacKellar, Smiths &
Jordan, of Philadelphia, shows the names and sizes of the
types under the point system :

28 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

THE NEW POINT SCALE.

3-point body Excelsior.

3^ " " Brilliant.

4 " " Semi-Brevier.

4^ " " Diamond.

5 " " Pearl.

5/4" " Agate.

6 " " Nonpareil.

7 " " Minion.

8 " " Brevier.

9 " " Bourgeois.

lo " " Long Primer.

H " " Small Pica.

12 " " Pica.

u r 2-line Minion.

' I English.

16 " " 2-line Brevier.

f Great Primer.
\ 3-line Nonpareil.

( 2-line Long Primer.

20 " " { _

C Paragon.

22 " " 2-line Small Pica.

24 " * " 2-line Pica.

28 " " 2-line English.

30 " " 5-line Nonpareil.

f 3-line Small Pica.

\ 4-line Brevier.

( 2-line Great Primer.

I 3-line Pica.

40 " " Double Paragon.

42 " " 7-line Nonpareil.

c 4-line Small Pica.

44 \ Canon.

48 " " 4-line Pica.

r 5 line Small Pica.

t 9-line Nonpareil.

60 " " 5-Hne Pica.

72 " <{ ' 6-line Pica.

NAMES OF TYPES AND THEIR RELATIVE SIZES.

It will be noticed that the old names are preserved and
a few new ones added, and that each being made to a
certain number of points (each point being one-twelfth
of a pica), it is easy to justify the different sizes together
without the aid of paper or cardboard.

TABLE showing what number of ems of other sizes will correspond
v.'i.tli pica, from 10 to 40 ems in depth.

Small Pica.

bjofc

^Pn

Bourgeois.

Minion.

Nonpareil. .

rt
PL,

Diamond.

;
5

13^

26^

13*

16^

26^

29^

20^

I4X

"51

17^

19^

22 X

28^

34K

15*

i6f

18^

3<>X

33^

37^

i6tf

22^

25^

32^

i7#

'9i

21^

27X

38^

42^

i'/

18^

20f

22%

25^

45.^

'9#

2lf

39K

20^

22j

25M"

28^

32^

4i>

45 X

5<^

21%

26%

34X

43^

53^

25i

3'X

5o/ 2

26f

29^

27|

30%

34^

39>^

55^

6i#

28|

27X

33^

37^

42^

54^

66^

28^

314

34%

44^

29^

32f

40^

46X

64^

3<^

33*

37^

34f

38%

43^

49^

69^

77X

2 9

32^

$l>i

33^

37i

41 J /3

46^

53X

67K

74/2

82^

3 2

38|

42%

39l

49^

56K

79^

4Qf

45 1 A

46%

52^

76X

93^

43^

44f

49K

55X

63^

88^

98^

45*

50%

101

42X

46*

58^

66^

93/2

104

43K

53K

68^

107

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLE showing the number of lines of different sizes of type contain-
ing a thousand ems, from 10 to 40 ems pica in width.

,cj

NUMBER OF LINES CONTAINING A THOUSAND EMS.

'p.

'
E

.2
'5

A
c

IOO

4 6

I 3

2 3

3 1

1 8

It was not considered necessary to give fractions in this table, the
figures being near enough for all practical purposes.

NAMES OF TYPES AND THEIR RELATIVE SIZES.

TABLE showing the equivalents in depth of 100 lines, from Pica to
Diamond.

IOO LINES OF

Small Pica.

IH*

Cfl

Bourgeois.

Brevier.

Minion.

Nonpareil.

1
<

Diamond.

Pica equal

IOO

109

1 20

133

150

171

2OO

218

240

266

Small Pica "

IOO

122

137

157

184

200

2 2O

244

Lg. Primer "

IOO

III

I2 5

166

182

200

222

Bourgeois . "

IOO

112

I2 9

150

164

1 80

2OO

Brevier ... "

8 9

IOO

114

134

146

160

174

Minion ... "

IOO

116

128

140

I 5 6

Nonpareil . "

IOO

110

1 20

134

Agate "

IOO

122

Pearl

IOO

112

Diamond . . "

100

TABLE showing the number of ems contained in one square inch,
from Pica to Diamond.

Pica 36 ems.

Small Pica 42 "

Long Primer 52 "

Bourgeois 64 "

Brevier . . .81 "

Minion 105 ems.

Nonpareil 144 "

Agate 168 "

Pearl 208 "

Diamond 256 "

32 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

PECULIAR SIGNS USED IN PRINTING.

H^HE number and variety of signs used in printing are
JL much greater than the casual observer would imagine.
Besides those used in ordinary work there are many which
are only needed in special cases. But a compositor needs
to know them all not only their names but also their
uses. And yet how few have ever cared to study them or
even make themselves acquainted with their names. A
great many men are puzzled when they come across a
medical, astronomical or algebraical sign in their copy,
and neither know its name, its significance, nor where to
look for it. Now, why is this ? The answer in most cases
is, perhaps, indolence a disposition to put off to some
other time the trouble of learning anything that can pos-
sibly be done without for the present.

But it is not our intention to leave out this important
part of our subject, and we believe that it is for the best
interest of those for whom we are writing that we should
insist upon a close and careful examination of every sign
which they may possibly have to use either in the present
or in the future. It is far better to learn these things too
soon than wait until the time comes for putting them into
practice.

Most of the larger dictionaries contain lists of these
signs, and there is no difficulty in becoming acquainted

PECULIAR SIGNS USED IN PRINTING. 33

with them. We shall only furnish the more important
ones, and those which are most likely to be required in
the average run of work.

COMMERCIAL SIGNS.

A I, The designation of a first-class vessel, the letter denoting the char-
acter of the hull for build and seaworthiness, and the figure
that she is well found in rigging, gear, etc.

(Latin libra.) A pound sterling.

It) (Latin libra.) A pound weight.

$ Dollars.

/ Shillings ; as, 4/6 = 45. 6d.

@ At or to ; as, Wood at $4 per cord ; Oats 47 @ 48 c. per bushel.

^ Per ; as, Rice 4C. ^ It).

% Per cent; as, Commission at 2.y 2 % = 3-38.

a/c Account ; as, S. Brown in a jc with L. A. Roberts.

%i^ Index.

| Brace.

ACCENTS.

r Acute Accent a e i 6 fi

> Grave Accent a e 1 6 u

^ Circumflex Accent a e i 6 u

The Long, or Macron a e I o u

^ The Short, or Breve a 6 I 6 u

Diaeresis a e i o u

German and Scandinavian-:

A A O a a 6 u

French and Spanish :

A g E i ft 6

a-a,gee"eeiifn66uuiiii

REFERENCES.

* Asterisk. g Section,

f Dagger, or Obelisk. || Parallels.

\ Double Dagger. ^ Paragraph.

34 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

ALGEBRAICAL.

-f- plus, or more, denotes that the quantity before which it is placed is
to be added ; as, a -\- b ; 3 + 4.

minus, or less, denotes that the quantity before which it is placed is

to be subtracted ; as, a b; 3 2.
X into, denotes, when placed between two quantities, that they are to

be multiplied together; as, a X b ; 3 X 6.
.4-, or : divided by, denotes, when placed between two quantities, that

the one on the left is to be divided by the one on the right ;

as, a -i- $ / 8-7-4; &'&

plus, or minus ; as, a-b; j/# 2 = -+- a.
~ denotes the difference between two quantities, without implying

which is to be subtracted from the other ; as, a ~ b.

: denotes the difference or excess.

OC denotes that one quantity varies as another ; as, a OC \, a varies as J-

I/ radical sign, denotes, when no number is written over the sign,
that the square root is to be taken ; as, y 'a ; 1/9.

y F, 0, functional symbols. A functional symbol denotes that two or
more quantities vary together; as,y=f(x), denoting that y is
a function of x, or that there is a general relation or depen-
dency of value between y and x.

= sign of equality, denotes that the two quantities between which it
is placed are equal; as, a -J- b = x y ; 8 -f- 4 = 5 -j- 7.

> sign of inequality, denotes that the quantity placed at the opening
is greater than the one at the vertex, and is read greater than ;
as, a > b, i. e. a greater than b.

< sign of inequality, denotes that the quantity at the vertex is less
than the one at the opening, and is read less than ; as, b<^a,
i. e. b less than a.

CT" greater than ; as, a C""-^ i. e. a greater than b.

_ "i less than ; as, a.~~\ b, i. e. a less than b.

-H- geometrical proportion ; as, a : b : c : d.
I denotes that an integration is to be performed; &$>,fdx.

d, 6, D, A, L, are symbols variously used to denote differences, differen-
tials, derivatives, or variations.

/ denotes an angle ; as, /__ A, or ^ B A C ; which is read, the angle
A, or the angle BAG.

PECULIAR SIGNS USED IN PRINTING. 35

& denotes a triangle ; as, BCD; which is read, the triangle BCD.

[___ denotes a right angle; as, [_B, or [_A B C.

Q denotes a square ; as, Q] A B C D.

I I denotes a rectangle ; as, I | A B C D.

O denotes a circle, or 360.

:= equivalent to, denotes equivalency ; as, ATB :Qr B D X B C ; i. e. a

square equivalent to a rectangle.
|| denotes parallelism.
j_ denotes a perpendicular.

ASTRONOMICAL.

Q, or The Sun. > Moon in its last quarter.

$ Mercury. $ Mars.

9 Venus. ^ Jupiter.

,0,^6 The Earth. ^ Saturn.

New Moon. $, 0r g Uranus.

O Moon in its first quarter. tJJ Neptune.

Q, or Full Moon. % A fixed Star.

MEDICAL.
R recipe, or "take." .

g^^This symbol was originally the sign 2/ of Jupiter, and

was placed at the top of a formula to propitiate the king of

the gods, that the compound might act favorably.
^ a scruple; ^ss, half a scruple; ^i, one scruple; ^iss, one scruple

and a half; "$\), two scruples, etc.
5 a drachm ; ^ss, half a drachm ; i, one drachm ; giss, one drachm

and a half; gij, two drachms, etc.
g an ounce; ^ss, half an ounce; ^i, one ounce; 3iss, one ounce

and a half; 5jij, two ounces, etc.

lb a pound. f g a fluid ounce.

1T[ a minim, or drop. O, or ( Octarius), a pint,

f ^ a fluid drachm. aa (dva), of each.

SUPERIORS AND INFERIORS.

CJacegikmoquy ^ Tp- wzJ

^ C ajg Ag xvtrpnlshfdb Q

1234567890

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

FRACTIONS.

XI/ 3/ I/ 2

/ I/ 3/ SA

7/ I/

/z 74 73 /

3 A A A

/8 /6

ROMAN

NUMERALS.

One.

XXI.

Twenty-one.

II.

Two.

XXX.

Thirty.

III.

Three.

XL.

Forty.

IV.

Four.

Fifty.

Five.

LX.

Sixty.

VI.

Six.

LXX.

Seventy.

VII.

Seven.

LXXX.

Eighty.

VIII.

Eight.

xc.

Ninety.

IX.

Nine.

One hundred.

Ten.

cc.

Two hundred.

Eleven.

ccc.

Three hundred.

XII.

Twelve.

cccc.

Four hundred.

XIII.

Thirteen.

Five hundred.

XIV.

Fourteen.

DC.

Six hundred.

XV.

Fifteen.

DCC.

Seven hundred.

XVI.

Sixteen.

DCCC.

Eight hundred.

XVII.

Seventeen.

DCCCC.

Nine hundred.

XVIII.

Eighteen.

One thousand.

XIX.

Nineteen.

MM.

Two thousand.

XX.

Twenty.

TYPOGRAPHICAL.

^ dele, expunge.

9 turn an inverted letter.

-*-*> less space between words or letters.

^> print the diphthong ae or oe as a single character ; thus, ^, ce,

$ more space.

X directs attention to bad or foul type.

J^ directs attention to a space or quadrat that stands up.

.... placed under words that have been erased, and which it is sub-
sequently decided shall remain, the word stet (let it stand)
being written in the margin.

[ begin a new paragraph ; also, bring a word to the commencement
of a line.

PECULIAR SIGNS USED IN PRINTING. 37

^[ begin a new paragraph.

:: ^= drawn under words or letters which are to be printed in capitals.

drawn under words or letters which are to be printed in small

capitals.

Italics, if drawn under a word printed in roman letters; roman

letters, if drawn under a word printed in italics.
&. transpose.
4. c. lower case ; used when a letter or word that should be printed in

common letters has been put in capitals or small capitals.
<w/. wrong font; used when a character is not of the proper size or

kind of type.
d. c., or </. ca/id. print in small capitals.

J&u.j or f Query; used in any case of doubt.

Besides making himself familiar with all these signs
and characters the compositor should know where they
are to be found when wanted. Perhaps this would be a
difficult task in some establishments where such signs are
generally thrown into the spare boxes of the cap case,
there being no proper place allotted to them. But this
very difficulty arises from a lack of the knowledge we are
seeking to impart, and only further illustrates the need for
such instruction.

Every composing room should contain certain cases
which are set apart for these peculiar signs, and each
box of such cases should be labeled with the particular
sign it contains, so that every person who has occasion to
set out of it or distribute into it should have no excuse for
mixing.

Very few employers have any idea of the amount of
time that is lost in looking for peculiar sorts when they
happen to be wanted, or else they would provide proper
receptacles and insist on careful distribution of such sorts
when done with. But not only is there great loss on

38 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

account of the time spent in finding them, it should also
be borne in mind that they cost more to replace than the
ordinary letters in a font in the event of their being lost.

Let each man and boy who reads this determine to
make himself master of the names and uses of these
peculiar signs, and he will, in the future, have many occa-
sions for congratulating himself that he did so. A little
spare time spent in this way will be an investment that
will be sure to bear good interest.

TERMS USED IN THE COMPOSING ROOM. 39

TERMS USED IN THE COMPOSING ROOM.

T)EFORE entering upon the actual work of composition
\J it will be necessary to explain the terms and phrases
employed in connection with the work, and the names of
the implements which compositors use. It is true that if
we followed the course pursued by others who have pre-
ceded us, we should put these terms in the appendix, and
it is just possible they might look better there than here.
But it certainly appears more logical to explain the terms
about to be used now than to use them and then explain
their meanings at the end of the book. The following list
contains only such as are most likely to be needed :

Ascending letters. Letters that ascend into the upper shoulders ; as b,

d, 1, etc.
Author's proof. The proof sent to an author after the compositor's

errors have been corrected.

Author's corrections. The changes made by the author in such proof.
Back furniture. The piece of furniture placed between the pages

which form the back fold, as I and 16 or 8 and 9 in a sheet of

octavo.

Bastard title. A short title preceding the general title of a work.
Bastard type. Type with a face larger or smaller than its regular

body : as nonpareil on minion body, or minion on nonpareil body.
Batter. Types injured in a form or otherwise.
Beard of a letter. The outer angles supporting the face of a type and

extending to the shoulder.

40 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Bevels. Slugs cast type high with a beveled edge, used around pages

to be stereotyped, to form the flange on the side of the plates.
Binding. This term is used when a type, lead, reglet, piece of furni-
ture, or anything else, through being too large, or being misplaced,

binds against some other part in locking up.

Blocks. The bases on which electrotype plates are placed for printing.
Blocked tip. When the font of type is all set, and none is available

for present use.

Bodkin. An awl-like tool used for correcting errors in type.
Body. The shank of a letter.
Body-type. This term is used to denote the class of type which is used

on book and newspaper work, as distinct from job type.
Bottled. Type wider at the bottom than at the top.
Boxes. The compartments of a case in which the types are placed.
Brass rule. Strips of brass of different kinds and thicknesses, used in

table work and in various other ways.
Break-line. The last line of a paragraph.

Broken matter. Pages of type disrupted and somewhat intermingled.
Cabinet. A receptacle for cases, chases, leads, etc.
Case. The receptacle for type, divided into numerous compartments,

from which the compositor sets up his matter.
Casting off. Estimating how many pages a certain quantity of copy

will make in type.
Catch-line. This is a short line, consisting of one or more unimportant

words, placed between two display lines in job composition.
Ceriphs. The lines or cross-strokes at the ends of the stem of a letter.
Chase. A rectangular iron frame in which pages of type are imposed

for printing on the press.
Clean proof. A proof containing few faults.
Clearing away. Properly disposing of materials after a work has been

completed.

Close matter. Solid matter with few break-lines and no leads.
Composing. Setting type.
Composing rule. A steel or brass rule with a beak at one end, used in

typesetting.
Composing stick. An instrument in which types are arranged in words

and lines.

TERMS USED IN THE COMPOSING ROOM. 41

Correct. A compositor is said to correct when he amends the faults

marked in a proof.

Corrections. The alterations or errors marked in a proof.
Cut-in letter. A type of large size adjusted at the beginning of the first

paragraph of a chapter as an initial letter.
Czit-in note. A note justified into the side of a page.
Dele, ^. A proofreader's mark, signifying to take out.
Descending letters. Letters that go down into the lower shoulder of

the body; as g, j, p, q, y.

Display. This is a term used in job composition, and means the select-
ing and laying out of type lines so as to produce the best results or

display.
Distributing. Returning types to their various boxes after having been

printed from.

Double. Words set up twice over,
Drive out. To space widely.
Em. The square of the body of a type,
En. Half the dimensions of the preceding.

Even page. The 2d, 4th, 6th, or any even-numbered page of a book.
Fat. Poetry, leaded or other matter which is easily or quickly set up.
Folio. The figure or numeral placed at the head or foot of a page to

denote its sequence.
Foot-note. A remark which instead of being embodied in the text is

placed at the foot of a page, with a reference mark to connect it

with the passage to which it refers.
Foot-sticks. Sloping pieces of furniture placed at the bottom of pages,

between which and the chase the quoins are driven to fasten the

pages.

Form. The pages or job when imposed in a chase.
Foul proof . A proof with many faults marked in it.
Furniture. Pieces of wood or metal used for dividing pages in imposi-
tion, filling up blank spaces and in locking up job forms.
Galley. A wooden or brass flat oblong tray, with side and head ledges,

for holding type when composed.
Gauge. A strip of reglet with a notch in it, to denote the length of the

pages in making up.
Get in. To set words closely.

42 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Gutter sticks, The piece of furniture placed between the pages in the

outside fold, as 14 and 16 or 13 and 15 in a sheet of octavo.
Half-title. The title of a book inserted in the upper port'.on of the first

page of matter.
Hanging. When a page is locked up at the side before being locked

up at the foot, causing a crooked appearance, it is called hanging.
Hammering proof. Taking a proof from the type by means of the

proof planer and a mallet.
Hanging indention. Where successive lines are set in an em or more

beyond the first line.

Head-sticks. Furniture put between the heads of pages in imposition.
Hell-box. The receptacle for broken or battered letters ; the old metal

box ; the shoe.
High spaces and quads. These are used in matter specially intended

for electrotyping and not to be printed from.
Imposing. Arranging and locking up a form of type in a chase.
Imposing stone. The stone on which compositors impose and correct

forms.
Imprint. The name of the printer or publisher appended to jobs or

title pages.

Indentation.^^ space placed at the commencement of a paragraph.
Inferior letters. Small letters cast near the bottom of the line.
Inner form. The form containing the second and third pages of a

sheet when imposed in two chases.
Justifying. Spacing out lines to a certain measure.
Keep in. To crowd in by thin spacing.

Kerned letter. Type of which a part of the face hangs over the body.
Laying cases. Filling cases with a font of new type.
Laying down pages. Placing pages of type on the stone in proper

order for imposition.

Leaded matter. Matter that has leads between the lines.
Leaders. Dots or hyphens placed at intervals of one or more ems in

length to guide the eye across the line to the folio in tables of con-
tents, etc.
Leads. Thin strips of metal cast to various thicknesses, quadrat high,

used for spacing between lines, etc.
Lean. Close and solid matter.
Lean type. Thin type.

TERMS USED IN THE COMPOSING ROOM. 43

Locking up. Tightening up a form by means of quoins.

Long-cross. The bar that divides a chase the longest way.

Lower case. The case containing the small letters of the alphabet,

figures, points, etc.

Make-up. To arrange the lines of matter into pages.
Make-up rule. A steel rule with a projection on the top used in mak-
ing up.
Making margin. Arranging the space between the pages of a form so

that the margin will be properly proportioned.
Mallet. A wooden hammer.
Matter. Composed type.
Measure. The width of a page or job.
Nicks. Hollows cast in the front of the lower part of the shank of a

type, to show the compositor how to place it in his stick.
Off its feet. When type leans in any direction, causing an imperfect

impression of its face, it is said to be off its feet.

Open matter. Matter widely leaded or containing numerous break-
lines.

Out. An omission marked in the proof by the reader.
Outer form. The form containing the first and last pages of a sheet

when imposed in two chases.

Over-running. Carrying words backward or forward in correcting.
Page- cord. Twine used for tying up pages.
Pi. Types of different kinds mixed together.
Picking. Taking letters out of one job to use in another.
Planer. A smooth block of wood used for leveling the surface of

pages of type when imposed.
Planing down. To bring down types evenly on their feet by laying a

planer on the page and striking it with a mallet.
Proof planer. A planer covered with cloth, used for taking a proof by

beating with a mallet instead of putting on press.
Quadrat. A low square blank type, used to fill up break-lines and

other spaces.
Quirewise. When the whole of the pages of a work are imposed so as

to make but one section when folded.
Quoins. Small wedges for locking up a form. There are now many

devices made of iron which are used for this purpose.

41 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Quotation furniture. Quotations cast to various sizes in length and

width, used for blanking and as furniture.
Quotations. Words or sentences quoted from other works and inclosed

by inverted commas and apostrophes. Large hollow quadrats.
Rack. A receptacle for type cases when not in use. Also, form racks

in which to stand forms.
References. Letters or characters used to direct the reader's attention

to notes at the foot of a page.
Reglet. Thin furniture, of an equal thickness all its length. It is made

to match the depth of quadrat.

Revise. A proof taken from the type after corrections have been made.
Roller. A wooden cylinder covered with composition, which, set in an

iron frame, revolves upon a rod, and is used for inking type.
Running head. The title of the book or subject placed at the tops of

the pages.

Run-on. This term means that there is to be no paragraph.
Runs on sorts. Requiring an inordinate proportion of particular letters.
Saw-block. A box similar to a carpenter's miter block, to guide in

cutting furniture, etc.
Setting. Composing.

Shank. The metal body upon which the face of a letter stands.
Sheetwise. When the pages of a sheet are imposed in two forms, which

are backed in printing.

Shooting-stick. An instrument used for locking up a form.
Short-cross. The short bar which, crossing the long bar, divides the

chase into quarters.

Shoulder. The surface of the shank of a type not covered by the letter.
Side-sorts. Types in the side and upper boxes of a case, consisting of

letters not frequently used.
Side-sticks. Sloping furniture on the outside of the pages next to the

chase, where the quoins are inserted.
Signature. A letter or a figure used at the bottom of the first page of a

sheet, to direct the binder in placing the sheets in a volume.
Slice-galley. A galley with an upper movable bottom, called a slice,

used for pages and jobs too large to be lifted by the fingers.
Slug. A thick lead generally cast to nonpareil or pica thickness.
Sorting pi. Separating different kinds of types that may have got mixed

together.

TERMS USED IN THE COMPOSING ROOM. 45

Sorts. The letters in the several case-boxes are separately called sorts.

Space rules. Fine lines, cast type high, and of even ems in length, for
table and algebraical works.

Spaces. Low blank types used to separate words.

Squabble. A page or form is squabbled when the letters are twisted
out of a square position.

Stand. The frame on which the cases are placed for composition.

Stem. The vertical strokes of a type.

Stet. Written opposite to a word in a proof to signify that the word
erroneously struck out shall remain.

Stone hand. A compositor who is chiefly employed on imposition and
other work which is done on the stone.

Sub. A compositor occasionally employed on a newspaper to fill the
place of an absentee.

Superior letters. Letters of a small face cast near the top of the line.

Table work. Matter consisting chiefly of rules and figures and set in
columns.

T"ake or taking. A given portion of copy.

Text. The type which is used in the body of a book is called the text
type.

Turn for a letter. When a sort runs short, a letter of the same thick-
ness is substituted, placed bottom upward.

Tweezers. Used for picking out letters in correcting.

Tying-up. Winding page-cord round a page of matter before imposing.

Upper case. The case containing capital and small capital letters, frac-
tions, etc.

White line. A line of quadrats.

White page. A blank page.

Wrong font. A type which belongs to some other font than that in
which it is found.

Many of the terms usually inserted in such lists as the
foregoing have been omitted, as they have now become
obsolete, and others of more modern origin have been
inserted in their place.

Besides these, however, there are many other terms
and phrases which, although not strictly technical, have a

46 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

special significance in connection with the work of the
compositor. Those who have grown old in the business
know how necessary it is to be well posted in all these
matters, and know that among the young members of the
craft there is woful ignorance and indifference as to them.

"Making up" and "imposition" are often used as
though they were interchangeable terms, whereas the first
refers to making up the lines of the book or job into a
page or pages, while the latter refers only to the putting
of such page or pages into chase in proper order for
printing.

The young compositor will find it advantageous to
study all these terms thoroughly, not only because there is
a good deal of information to be obtained thereby, but
also because when he finds himself among a body of com-
positors he will be expected to know and to use the
correct phraseology in referring to the various matters
which they indicate.

Unfortunately there is a growing tendency among
young men to shirk the thorough mastery of all these
details. They are in such a hurry to be proficient that
they neglect the very first essentials of proficiency. They
think they ought to learn in six months what it took their
fathers five or seven years to learn ! Not so fast, young
men ! It is true you may have more advantages than your
fathers, and that you may be a little smarter, but all the
smartness and all the advantages will never make you
compositors unless you pass through the same routine that
your fathers did. You may get through quicker, but go
through you must, or you will never be able to fill their
places.

COMPOSITION. 47

COMPOSITION.

WE now enter upon the field of actual operation,
where all that has been learned up to the present
will be brought into requisition. But only those who
have carefully and earnestly studied the preceding pages
will be fit to enter this field with any profit to themselves
or any likelihood of becoming useful members of the
craft. Therefore, it may be better for some that they
should turn and retrace their steps over the ground already
covered, and come back to our present standpoint with
increased knowledge and better qualifications to proceed.

Composition (or typesetting), while it is not a mere
mechanical operation, requires great dexterity and a nicety
of application, such as few other occupations call for.
The rapidity with which a good compositor can transfer
the types from the boxes, wherein they lie in a disordered
mass, to the composing stick, and build them up one by
one into all kinds of words and sentences, astonishes a
looker on who is not in the secret.

The first thing to be learned in connection with com-
position is the lay of the cases. This is called

LEARNING THE BOXES,

and is far more important than might appear at first sight.
The compositor should not only know where every letter,
figure, point, space, etc., may be found, but should go

48 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

over the boxes so frequently and persistently that he can-
not possibly make a mistake. Especially is this important
in connection with such types as are not frequently used ;
for here, as elsewhere, there is a great temptation to shirk
the thorough mastery of the necessary details and only
learn so much as appears requisite for present emergencies.
As before stated, there are very few compositors who have
thoroughly learned all the boxes in the upper case, and
consequently it cannot be wondered at that many of those
boxes are little else than receptacles for pi.

Having learned the boxes thoroughly, the compositor
will proceed to fill his case with type by means of

DISTRIBUTION.

This part of the work is of more consequence than
many compositors appear to think. It is safe to say that
more than one half the marks made on proofs are the
result of careless distribution. A little extra time spent
on this part of the work will be saved many times over in
composing and correcting. It is better to be a little
slower in putting the type into case than to lose time by
picking up the wrong letters, and having to change them
either in the stick or after the proof has been read.

POSITION OF THE BODY.

This is a matter which should receive careful attention,
not only because it materially affects the amount of work
which can be done, but also because it affects the health.
Many men have brought on serious diseases of the chest
and lungs through assuming a stooping posture, whereby
these organs have been contracted and cramped. The
body should be kept erect and the height of the cases
should be so adjusted as to conform to this position.
Sitting should be avoided, as it is almost sure to lead to a

COMPOSITION. 49

stooping habit. The left hand, which holds the stick,
should follow and wait upon the right hand, which picks
up the types. The eyes should travel a little ahead of the
hands, so as to see which way the type lies in the boxes,
that it may be taken hold of at once in the right manner
and carried to the stick with the nick in the right position.
There should be no hurry, but every movement should be
sure, deliberate and steady. Many compositors have con-
tracted the bad habit of making several false movements,
which are simply the result of hurry. Instead of picking
up a letter every time their hand goes to the box, they will
make two or three picks instead of one, and then, instead
of taking the type direct to the stick, they will stop to
turn, tap it on the center of their case, click it against
their stick, or use some other false motion equally absurd.
The amount of time lost in this way is very great, and
those who wish to become fast compositors must avoid
making a single movement which is not necessary. The
man who makes the greatest number of these unnecessary
movements sets the least number of types. A hasty habit
also leads to other evils, such as dropping types which
have to be picked up again, dirty proofs which have to
be corrected, breaking lines in spacing, bad justification,
and many others equally injurious. Boys should be taught
" first to be accurate, then to be quick. There is more
danger of their going too fast than going too slow. Speed
will almost invariably follow a slow, careful beginning,
but will never be acquired where careless haste is allowed
to become a habit.

JUSTIFICATION

is another part of the process which can be performed
in such a manner as to materially affect the amount of
work done. The time spent in justification by different

50 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

compositors varies considerably. Some acquire the habit
of looking ahead and apportioning a certain quantity of
their copy to fill the line. This is not so difficult as it
might at first appear. After a little practice it will be found
easy to see before half the line is set up what number of
words will be required for the balance. A good com-
positor will thus often avoid having to change more than
two or three spaces to justify his line, whereas a careless
one will have twice the number to change, and spend twice
the time over it. But not only does justification affect the
number of ems that can be set up, it also affects the value
of the matter after it is set up. Badly justified matter may
cost more in the shape of time lost in handling it, or
through letters drawing out after it is on the press, or
working off its feet, than it cost to set up originally.
Every line should be made exactly the same length. It
is a bad practice to justify lines so tightly that the last
space inserted has to be pushed down with another type.
The lines should be just tight enough to hold themselves
in the stick firmly, supposing the stick should be turned
upside down. It will often happen that in the setting of
a line the types may lean a little to one side, and unless
properly adjusted will appear- off their feet when printed.
A careful compositor will never allow such a thing to hap-
pen, as he will, by the aid of his left thumb, take care that
every letter is made to stand perfectly upright before he
tightens his line.

EVEN SPACING.

Besides the spacing out which is called for in justifying
the lines, there is another and perhaps more important
phase of this subject, and that is spacing evenly between
the several words which go to make up a line. There are
certain rules which it would be well for compositors to

COMPOSITION. 51

observe at all times, no matter what kind of composition
they may be engaged upon. We will just enumerate a few
of these :

First. All matter which is leaded should be more
widely spaced than solid matter, and this increase in the
width of spacing should be regulated by the amount of
space put between the lines whether one lead, two leads,
three leads or more. Nothing looks more unsightly than
solid matter with square pigeon holes between the words,
unless it be double or treble leaded matter with only thick
or thin spaces.

Second. The spacing should be uniform, not only
between the different words contained in a line, but
between the whole of the words contained in a whole
page, or the whole job. A very common error is to put
thick spaces through the last line of a paragraph, no matter
what the spacing of the previous line may be. This error
is not only one of the commonest, but is one of the most
easily remedied. Let the compositor only bear this point
in mind, and he will naturally space the last line with
either thick spaces, en spaces, or whatever is called for.
Then, in order to give the spacing a uniform appearance,
it may be necessary to vary the- spacing according to the
shape of the letter with which a word begins or ends.

Third. The indentation of a paragraph should also be
regulated by the amount of space to be put between the
lines. Where a one em indentation would be all right for
solid matter, it would not look well for widely spaced
lines; in that case it would be better to indent two or
even three ems, according to the width of the column
or page. Even in the case of solid matter, the indenta-
tion of the paragraph should depend on the length of the
line.

52 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Irregular spacing arises from carelessness as often as
from a desire to pick up more types. Of course where a
man is engaged on piecework there is a strong temptation
to rush the types together, and on newspaper work it does
not much matter, though even then a good compositor
will pay some regard to his spacing, and not lose much
time on it either. But on book or magazine work the
spacing should be carefully done, and no man who prides
himself on his ability will neglect this important point.
Let a man once make up his mind to space evenly, and he
will soon acquire the habit of doing it all the time, and
will, by looking a little ahead, learn to do it without loss
of time.

DIVISIONS.

In connection with spacing must be mentioned the
dividing of words at the ends of lines. Though it may
not be easy to avoid the division of words altogether, and
while it may be true that a bad division is better than bad
spacing, yet it is nevertheless true that a great many very
ugly and unnecessary divisions are made for the want of a
little forethought and care. Some of them are wholly
inexcusable, and are sufficient of themselves to condemn a
man as an incompetent workman. The writer can remem-
ber when, as a young man, engaged on bookwork, he had
great trouble in correcting such mistakes. The proof-
reader would think nothing of making a " ladder " nearly
the whole length of a page, in order to correct one bad
division and to avoid irregular spacing, until the end of a
paragraph was reached. Then the division of a word was
seldom allowed at all if it could possibly be avoided, but
if allowed, could only be so in certain forms. In the case
of one very particular and expensive work there was not a
single division through the whole of its three hundred pages.

COMPOSITION. 53

How was it done? Well, it was not so very difficult a
matter. The measure was wide, and we had to go back
sometimes and drive out or get in a word, but always
observing the necessity for uniformity of spacing. About
that time there had been a composing machine placed
upon the market, and a committee of about a dozen were
deputed to meet the inventor and take into consideration
the practicability of such a machine. After careful and
painstaking examination we came to the unanimous con-
clusion that the time occupied in taking up the long lines
which were set by the machine and putting them through
the composing stick, properly spacing and justifying them,
took so much time as to almost neutralize any advantage
there might otherwise be gained. The inventor tried to
persuade us that the time required for such spacing and
justifying in the ordinary method of composing was con-
siderable, and in fact did not differ much from that
required in the case of matter set up by his machine. But
one of our number took up a stick in the ordinary way
and set up for about half an hour, and by looking ahead
and arranging his words to suit his lines the justifying took
so little time that it could scarcely be taken account of,
he only having two or three spaces to change in any one
line; and when a proof was taken it was found to be free
from errors, with only one division and the spacing uniform.

CLEAN PROOFS.

A clean proof is one of the most unmistakable signs of
a good compositor, for no matter what else a man may
excel in, unless he has clean proofs his worth as a com-
positor is greatly decreased. Generally speaking, a dirty
proof (like many other defects) is simply the result of
carelessness. Let a man aim at producing a clean proof
and he will be careful in his distribution, will read his

54 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

copy so as to catch the sense of what he is setting up, and
will read over his lines before justifying. A dirty proof
is not only a disgrace to a man, but is a positive loss to
him and to his employer, for not only is his time wasted
in corrections, but the proofreader's time is wasted in
marking and revising. And yet how often do we hear
a compositor trying to excuse himself when a mistake has
been allowed to pass, by blaming the proofreader, instead
of taking the whole blame upon himself, where it rightly
belongs !

In this connection it will be well to consider another
very important part of the compositor's work, namely,

CORRECTING.

A great deal of time may be saved by going the right
way to work in correcting a proof. If the matter be still
on the galley, the quoins should be slightly loosened (not
taken out) so that the lines can be lifted up easily. Where
there are wrong letters to be changed, it is a good plan to
gather up all the letters required and hold them between
the thumb and first finger of the left hand, and then to lift
the whole line in which the correction has to be made
sufficiently high so that with the right hand the wrong
letters may be taken out and the proper ones inserted. In
order to do this the compositor should place himself with
his right side next the stand on which his galley rests, and
lean over so that he can read the matter from the head,
just as he does when the lines are in the stick. He should
then begin to correct from the top of the galley, and work
down to the bottom. Where the thickness of the letter
which has to be put in varies from that which has to be
taken out, some of the spaces must be changed so as to
allow for the difference. Where there are "outs" 01

COMPOSITION. 55

" insertions, " it is better to leave them till the wrong
letters are all changed, and then lift out so many lines
as are likely to be affected by the insertion or omission.
If several lines have to be over-run they should be placed
on another and smaller galley, and be turned round so
that the first line will take the place of the last. By this
means the beginning of the first line is brought outside, so
that it is easy to take up and pass the words through the
stick. In no case should the lines be spread out along the
galley, or, as is often done, laid along the lower side of
the boxes in the case.

Should the matter have to be corrected in the form,
the same general course should be pursued, except that it
may be necessary to use a bodkin, though this should be
avoided where possible, as the type is liable to get dam-
aged thereby; but tweezers should never be used, as they
are almost sure to injure the type. Sometimes when cor-
recting in the form a page may be "squabbled" on
account of the quoins being too loose and the matter
receiving too much pressure in a certain part. Where
this occurs, it is a good plan to walk away for a few min-
utes, until any nervousness which it may have occasioned
has passed off, and then to come back and observe care-
fully where the "squabble" has its start. It may then
happen that by putting one or two letters into their
right places the whole can be brought into proper shape,
whereas if it were undertaken hurriedly the trouble might
only be made worse.

The following reduced facsimile of a "dirty proof' 1
will be useful to many, as it contains all the marks
which are usually made by proofreaders, and by compar-
ing it with the piece of corrected matter which follows,
the meaning of these marks will be easily learned :

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

^.C Sjaeajg the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you,
7 trippingly on the tongue/ but, if you mouth^ it, as many'
^) o our plaXers do, 1 had as lief the Town crier spoke my
J. lines. Nor, dojipt saw the air too mnck with your hand,
fhusf but use all gently; for, in the very torent, tempest,
and, as I may say, \diirl\vind_ of your passion, you must
acquire a temperance that nrny give it smoothies.

X)/ it offends me to the soul to hear a periwig-pated
robustious fellow tear^ tattel^a^passiori^ to very
rags, to .*eu4 the ears of the groundlings, who, for
most part, are capjfble of nothing but inevitable dwftk
"O show and noise/ I would have such a fellow whipped
it for o^rdoing .termagant ; it out-Herods Herod, / Pray you
[0#Ar avoid it. /Be not too tame, richer, but let your own f

discretion be your tutor ; suit the action to the wordy^vith
fo fhis special observ|nce, that you o'erstep not 1

of Nature ; for any thing BO overdone is frojn^the purpose

of playing, -whose end, both at the fi^st and now, was

and is, to hold, as 'twere^ the mirror up to nature ; to &i&*

"show Virtue her owa feature, Scorn "her own picture, and /twg*.

"the -very age and body of^ Jlhe^/time,^^^ form and

COMPOSITION.

HAMLET'S ADVICE TO THE PLAYERS.

SPEAK the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you,
trippingly on the tongue ; but, if you mouth it, as many
of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my
lines. Nor, do not saw the air too much with your hand,
thus : but use all gently ; for, in the very torrent, tempest,
and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must
acquire a temperance that may give it smoothness. O ! it
offends me to the soul to hear a periwig-pated robustious
fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the
ears of the groundlings, who, for most part, are capable of
nothing but inevitable dumb show and noise. I would
have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it
out-Herods Herod. Pray you avoid it.

Be not too tame, neither, but let your own discretion be
your tutor; suit the action to the word, the word to the
action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not
the modesty of Nature ; for any thing so overdone is from
the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and
now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to
Nature : to show Virtue her own feature, Scorn her own
image, &nd the very age and body of the time, his form and
pressure.

Shakespeare.

58 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

JOBWORK.

There is no part of our business which is so difficult to
explain, or to teach by written instructions, as that of job
composition. So much depends upon personal aptitude,
good taste, and the faculty of grouping the types so as to
produce a harmonious effect. There are, however, many
points on which it will be well to touch.

The selection of suitable faces of types is of first
importance. There are some types which seem to be just
made for certain classes of work that would be entirely
out of place if used on others. In selecting types the
compositor must .be guided by the nature of the business
or profession of the customer.

For lawyers, doctors, schools and institutions, small
plain faces are most suitable.

For companies, corporations and state work, larger
plain faces will be more appropriate.

For wholesale mercantile houses, good, substantial,
well-formed faces, with just enough ornamentation to give
them style, should be used \ or some lines of script may be
introduced to advantage.

Retail tradesmen mostly prefer showy, ornamental
faces, with curves, panels, and perhaps cuts which illus-
trate some portion of their business.

Church and other religious work calls for old English
texts and other ecclesiastical faces, of which there are
many series.

But in every case it must be borne in mind that legi-
bility is of more consequence than the most artistic
arrangement or fanciful design. Where both can be
obtained, of course, it is all right, but too often the former
is sacrificed for the latter. There are plenty of good
readable faces that have style and finish, and these should

COMPOSITION. 59

be chosen rather than those which have only their flour-
ishes to recommend them. An inferior workman will
often try to cover up his deficiency by using the most
fanciful types, but, alas ! he only makes more manifest the
poverty of his ideas.

The next point to consider is the proper arrangement
of the types so as to produce harmony and effectiveness.

In order to arrive at a proper result, the sizes of the
types and the lengths of the lines must be taken into
account. In the setting up of a business card, billhead,
circular, etc., the customer's name, business and address
are the three most important points to bring out. These
can each be made equally prominent without using exactly
the same size qf type. A small line may be made just as
legible as a large one by being a little heavier in face, or
being placed in contrast with the still smaller types that
are near it. Then the length of the line has much to do
with its prominence. But where all the types are about
the same size, and all the lines about the same length, the
result is that there is too much of a sameness, and nothing
stands out distinctly.

Further on will be shown some specimens of job com-
position, which it is hoped will be of service in conveying
correct ideas on this subject, and those who desire to learn
or to improve their knowledge will do well to study all the
, different styles there shown.

Spacing has a great deal to do with the production of
a good piece of job composition. There should always be
plenty of space between the words, and sometimes between
the letters, where it is necessary to increase the length of
the line. Then the spacing between the lines is even more
important. Very few men appear to know how to do this
spacing out. The correct rule is to put more space between

60 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

long lines than short ones, and where catch lines occur
(that is, such words as "of, 11 "the," "and," "by," when
standing alone) the space put each side of them should only
be one-half of what would be put between the longer and
more important lines.

Where dashes are placed between certain of the lines,
it is better to vary the space each side of them than to
make such space uniform. For instance, where a dash is
put each side of a line, it is better to let them be closer to
the top and bottom of that line than they are to the next
lines on either side, which gives the line the appearance of
being inclosed between two dashes.

A brass rule run close up under a line, or within a lead
of it, will give that line prominence and add to the effect-
iveness of the display.

Large initials may be used with advantage, but should
never be put at the beginning and end of a line, except it
be in the case of large poster work.

Where a large amount of matter has to be put into a
small space, it is best to set up all the small or body type
first, and then to devote the balance of the space to such
lines as may have to be displayed, always bearing in mind
that the greater the contrast between the body of the
job and such display, the more striking and satisfactory
will the whole appear.

In show printing, where large bills have to be set up, it
is better to lay out the most important lines first, and then
work to them. This remark will apply to any other large
work where there is plenty of space allowed.

TABLE WORK.

This is another part of the compositor's work which
calls for special and careful training. There are com-
paratively few men who may be called good table hands.

COMPOSITION. 61

Some have never set a piece of table matter in their lives,
and would never dream of attempting such work; and so
they remain ignorant of one of the nicest of all the
compositors' accomplishments.

Of course there are tables and tables ; some of them,
perhaps, not deserving the name. But to know how to
take a piece of manuscript copy, which has been drawn
up without regard to what space it has to fill, and to
cast it off so as to make it a certain size, and to arrange
all the columns and heads in proper proportions, is an
accomplishment which any compositor may well be
proud of.

Those who have carefully studied the sizes and propor-
tions of types will have a great advantage over those who
have not, as a great deal depends upon accuracy of
measurement. A piece of table work which looks well on
the galley may, when put on the stone and locked up,
refuse to go further. If all the calculations as to justifica-
tion have not been accurately made, it will not lift, and
may take the man as long to remedy the evil as it would
have taken another man to set it up properly in the first
instance.

When commencing a piece of table work it is well to
move slowly. It should be carefully cast-off to find what
sized type it will be necessary to use ; and each column
should have its proper width in ems marked. Where there
can be any doubt as to whether some words or figures will
come in to any given space, it is better to set them up and
make sure. Guessing will not do. The man who spends
a proper amount of time in making these preparations will
have his work finished before the man who neglects the
precaution ; although at first it may appear that the latter
is half finished before the former starts.

62 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Where there are several columns which contain only -
figures, it is better to set them in long lines than to set
one column at a time. The number of ems of each
column should be added together, and the stick made
up to that number of ems. For instance, suppose there
are ten columns, and that their widths in brevier (or what-
ever type the table is being set in) are 3^, 4, 4, 4, 2^,
3, 5, 2, 4, 3 ems respectively, the stick should be made
up to 35 ems of that sized type. A line of quadrats
should then be set right across, divided according to the
various widths of the columns. It will then be easy to
set the figures in one line and yet keep them in proper
position in their respective columns. After this, the rules
can easily be inserted by opening up a space between the
columns with a knife or piece of brass rule.

Space should always be allowed between the type and
the rules. In the columns there should be at least an en
space on either side, with an em at top and bottom. In
the heads the same rule should be observed, though there
may be more reason for departing from it in the case of a
large number of words having to be crowded into a small
space, as often happens.

The type used for heads should be about two sizes
smaller than that of the body, where it can be so arranged.

If the rules have to be cut, great care is needed in
getting just the proper length, for if they are too short
they will not look well, and if too long the table will not
lift. The face of the rule should be dressed, so as to avoid
a curl on the end.

MAKING UP.

By this term is meant making up into pages matter that
has been composed for book or pamphlet work. As a rule
pages are made one-half longer than their width. If a

COMPOSITION. 63

page be twenty ems wide it ought to be thirty ems long,
without the folio. Of course this proportion cannot
always be strictly adhered to, but will serve as a good
basis for calculation.

Before the make-up is begun a gauge should be cut to
mark the length of page. A piece of reglet with a notch
cut into it will serve the purpose very well. Then the
matter should be roughly measured off to see whether there
are likely to be any bad divisions.

There are certain laws with regard to this part of the
work which must on no account be violated. The last
line of a paragraph must not be turned on to the top of a
page, nor must one line of a paragraph be allowed to stand
at the foot of a page, if it be possible to avoid it. By keep-
ing a look-out ahead these difficulties can be % usually
avoided, but it may sometimes be necessary to "get in"
or " drive out" a line.

The first page of a chapter or section should be sunk
about one-fourth the depth of an ordinary page ; that is, if
the length of the pages be thirty picas, such first pages
should be begun about seven picas from the top.

Where a chapter ends below the middle of a page it is
better to begin the next chapter on a new page rather
than to crowd the heading and have just a few lines at the
foot of a page.

Where there are running heads to the pages they
should be set either in even small capitals or in italics,
and the space under them should be equal to one line of
the type.

Where there are cross-headings occurring in the body
of the pages, such headings should be a little more promi-
nent than the rest of the page, and should have about
twice as much space before them as after them, so that

64 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

if there were a nonpareil after there should be at least a
pica before them.

Great care should be taken to secure uniformity in the
length of the pages, otherwise there will be trouble when
the pages come to be imposed.. The lines should be
pressed close together with the fingers, and examined to
find whether they may not be off their feet, for unless they
stand perfectly upright there will be a variation in length
of page.

In tying up the pages care must be taken that the cord
is placed about the center of the type and that the end is
so placed as to be easily drawn out for untying.

IMPOSITION. 65

IMPOSITION.

n^HE subject of imposition next claimsour attention, and
I will be found worthy of careful study. Unfortunately,
it is but little understood, and, like table-work, it is often
avoided as something not necessary and requiring too
much study to learn.

However, every compositor should know how to impose
a form of type or lay down a sheet of plates, and those who
do not are considered incompetent workmen. A careful
study of the following diagrams will overcome the diffi-
culty, and a little practice will soon make perfect.

The first thing to learn is how to lay down the pages
or plates so that they will back properly in printing,
and the next is to put the proper space between the
pages so as to secure the correct margin when printed
and trimmed.

By referring to the diagrams it will be noticed that the
first page of every imposition is placed at the nearest left-
hand corner, with the foot of the page outward. There
are some exceptions to this rule, where it is desired to com-
mence from the center in order to bring some lighter pages
of matter in the middle of the form, and the more solid
pages on the outside. But in every case the first page
must be placed with the foot facing in this direction, and

60 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

always to the left of the page alongside, it. It will be
noticed also that the odd and even pages always occupy
the same relative position, that is, the odd page to the left
and the even page to the right when looked at from the
foot of the page. If this be borne in mind it will save many
mistakes that might otherwise arise.

Another point having the same general application is
that the folios of the two pages which stand alongside of
each other, when added together, will make just one more
than the number of pages in the sheet. As in a sheet of
quarto, i and 8 make 9, so do 2 and 7, 3 and 6, 4 and 5,
and in every other sheet of whatever number of pages the
same rule applies.

Sheet work is imposed in two forms, one is called the
outer form (containing the first page and all pages which
print on the outside of the sheet) and the other is called
the inner form (containing the second page and all the
other pages which print on the inside of the sheet).

Half-sheet work is imposed in one form which backs
itself and is then cut through the middle, each half being
a perfect sheet. As, for instance, half a sheet of sixteens
when backed and cut through makes two sheets of octavo.

A great many printers appear to be in error regarding
the proper names of some of the sheets of imposition, some
calling a sheet containing twelve pages "a sheet of
twelves," or a form containing sixteen pages "a sheet
of sixteens," and so on. For the sake of such, a complete
list is here given :

A sheet of folio contains four pages.

A sheet of quarto contains eight pages.

A sheet of octavo contains sixteen pages.

A sheet of twelves contains twenty- four pages.

A sheet of sixteens contains thirty-two pages.

IMPOSITION. 67

A sheet of eighteens contains thirty-six pages.

A sheet of twenties contains forty pages.

A sheet of twenty-fours contains forty-eight pages.

A sheet of thirty-twos contains sixty-four pages.

A sheet of thirty-sixes contains seventy-two pages.

A sheet of forties contains eighty pages.

A sheet of forty-eights contains ninety-six pages.

A sheet of sixty-fours contains one hundred and twenty-
e'ight pages.

A half sheet of quarto contains four pages.

A half sheet of octavo contains eight pages.

A half sheet of twelves contains twelve pages.

A half sheet of sixteens contains sixteen pages.

A half sheet of eighteens contains eighteen pages.

A half sheet of twenties contains twenty pages.

A half sheet of twenty-fours contains twenty-four pages.

A half sheet of thirty-twos contains thirty-two pages.

A half sheet of thirty-sixes contains thirty-six pages.

A half sheet of forties contains forty pages.

A half sheet of forty-eights contains forty-eight pages.

A half sheet of sixty-fours contains sixty-four pages.

In the following diagrams it has not been thought
necessary to illustrate a larger form than a half sheet of
sixty-fours, for the reason that a larger form is seldom
needed, and that, should it in any case be necessary, the
man who has got so far will be able to meet the case. It
will be noticed that a half sheet of sixty-fours is nothing
more than the two forms of a sheet of thirty-twos put
together, the inner form being turned round so as to put
the second page on the far left-hand corner. The same
remark applies to all other half sheets.

Special attention is called to the " French" sheet of
twelves. As a rule both printers and binders have a dislike

68 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

for twelves in any shape, but they will find that by this
scheme the chief cause for objection is removed. The
advantages in folding will be readily seen by reading the
following remarks, which are taken from a previous num-
ber of THE INLAND PRINTER :

" Place the sheet before you so that page 3 will be at
the upper right-hand corner. Then fold the top of the
sheet toward you to match page 2. Now slide the sheet
from the right-hand top toward you until page 5 comes at
the upper right-hand corner, and fold the top of the sheet
toward you again, this time matching page 4 at the lower
right-hand corner. Now slide the sheet toward you again,
the same as before, until page 1 6 is at the upper right-hand
corner, then one more slide and fold, and you have the
twenty-four complete. Notice that in all this folding you
haven't turned the sheet over once in the whole opera-
tion."

IMPOSITION.

Six-page Folder. Eight-page Folder.

DD DD

165 1870

QD D D

Twelve-page Folder.

DDDDD

1 12 11 10 9 8

DnDDDD

Sixteen-page Folder.

DDDnDDDD

1 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

DnDDDDDD

70 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Sheet of Folio. Sheet of Quarto,

D D DDDD

Z 8 * 2 9 9.

1 .4 1872

D. D anno

Sheet of Quarto Four Sheets of Folio

Legal Cap way. imposed Quire wise.

D D DDDD

s E fir f si

1 1 16 3 14

D D DDDD

Outer form. 1st form. ?dform.

D D DDDD

L 9 II 8 6

3 f> 12 7 10

D D DDDD

Inner form. 3d form. 4th form.

IMPOSITION. 71

Sheet of Quarto Broad way.

cm CD EH CD

f Q 9 8

1 8 7 2

Outer form. Inner form.

Sheet of Octavo.

DDDD DDDD

8 6 Zl V 9 II 01 L

1 16 13 4 3 14 15 2

DDDD DDDD

Outer form. Inner form.

Sheet of Twelves.

DDDD DDDD

1 21 91 6 01 fit H It

DDDD DDDD

8 il 03 e 9 61 81 L

I 24 21 4 3 22 23 2

DDDD DDDD

Outer form. Inner form.

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Two Half -sheets of Broad Quarto
worked together.

4 3 2

H CH EH CD

Outer form. Inner iorm.

Two Half-sheets of Octavo worked together.

D.DDD DDDD

13 81 Z L 98

18 54 36 72

DDDD DDDD

Outer form.

Inner form.

Sheet of Twelves without Cutting.

5 20 17 8 7 18 10 6

DDDD DDDD

fr 17, 91 6 0[ fil ZZ 8

1 24 13 12 11 14 23 2

DDDD DDDD

Outer form.

Inner form.

IMPOSITION, 73

Sheet of Octavo imposed from the centre

DDDD DDDD

1 S 86 01 I 9 II

13 4 1 16 15 2 3 14

DDDD DQDQ

Outer form. Inner form.

Two quarters of a sheet

Half-sheet of Octavo of Octavo imposed

imposed from centre. from centre.

DDDD DDDD

98 19 VI 38

72 18 32 14

DDDD DDDD

Twelves imposed from thi

DD DD

Zl Ll H H

DDDD DDDD

OS G 8/1 81 L 9 01

21 4 1 24 23 2 3 22

DDDD DDDD

Outer form. Inner form.

Sheet of Twelves imposed from the centre.

91 6 Zl Ll n II 01 Ql

74 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Half-sheet of Sixteens Half-sheet of Sixteens

imposed from the centra

DDDD DDDD

Z [ H 8 51 S 86

7 10 11 6 13 4 1 16

DD DD DD DD
DDDO DDDD

86 ft S H 8 5 SI

1 16 13 4 11 6 7 10

DDDD DDDD

The "French" Sheet of Twelves.

DDDD DDDD

Zl 81 9E 6 OL y[ H II

1 24 17 8 7 18 23 2

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

IS OS S 9 61 SS 8

Outer form. Inner form.

IMPOSITION. 75

A Sheet of Sixteens.

DDOD DDDD

t 6 85 S 9 LZ 02 8
13 20 21 12 11 22 19 H

DDDD DDDD

91 LI n 6 01 2Z SE SI

1 32 25 8 7 26 31 2

DaDD DD DD

Outer form. Inner form.

Two Half-sheets of Twelves worked together.

DDDD DDDD

9191 8S8Q

f 6 * 6 01 .8 OE S

1 12 1 12 11 2 11 2

DDDD DDDD

Outer form. Inner form.

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

A Half-sheet of Eighteeris.
Containing 16 pages and 2 blanks,

DDDDDD

Zl 9 U

DDDDDD

f 1 8 6 H ?.
1 16 7 JO 15 2

DDDDDD

When the first side is printed the centre pages must be
transposed, viz. pages 7 and 10 in the place of 9 and 8,
and pages 9 and 8 in the place of 7 and 10. Then back
up.

A Half -Sheet of Kighteens.

DDD D

n f 01 a

DDDD

11 8 17 *L

DDDD

When the first side is printed transpose the form,
viz. pages 11 and 8 in the place of 7 and 12, and pages
7 and 12 in the place of 11 and 8, Then back up.

IMPOSITION.

Outer Form of a Sheet of Eigliteens,
with one Signature.

DDDDD

II OZ Ll

1 36 33-4 23 14

DDDD

8 QZ Z V
1 S6 33 4

DDDD

Inner form of a Sheet of Eighteens,
with one Signature.

DDDDDD

Z 8S 9

1 OC I

34 35 2

DDDD

81 91 Zl

91 IG 9 1 OC
13 24 3 34 35

78 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Outer form of a Sheet of Eighteens,

to be folded together.
5 32 29 8 17 20

DDDDDD
D D ,D D D D

G 91 16

25 T2 13 24

DDDDDD

Inner form of a Sheet of Eighteens,

to be folded together.
19 18 7 30 31 (5

DDDDDD
DDDDDD

25 i oi LZ n 8

23 14 11 2G 35 2

DDDDDD

IMPOSITION.

Inner Form of a Sheet of Twenties.

Eds S Q -Ed

8| | | | ss a | | | I

Outer Form of a Sheet of Twenties

I l~

| |g

I Is a | | ^| |

| |jg S| | S| |

]s -I I I Is -I I -

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Zl 21 91 G 98 18

Outer Form of a Sheet of Twenty-fours,
with two Signatures.

DDDD DDDD

8 II OZ S ZS I? ft 63
1 24 21 4 25 48 45 28

DDDD DDDD

Inner Form of a Sheet of Twenty-fours,
with two Signatures.

DDDD DDDD

fg G8 88 S8 01 St fl It

DDDD DDDD

08 SF & 18 9 61 81 1
27 46 47 26 3 22 23 2

DDDD DDDD

IMPOSITION. 81

Half -sheet of Thirty-twos.

ODD DDDD

63 S3 2 9 LZ 02 8
20 21 12 11 22 19 14

DDD DDDD
DDDD DD

Ll IZ 6 0[ Co

32 25 8 7 2G

D DD DD DD

91 LI n 6 or cs si et

1 32 25 8 7 2G 31 2

Half-Sheet of Twenty-fours.

DDDD DDDD

zi i or 6 or ci n IT

DDDD DDDD

8 Ll 03 Q 9 61 81 I

1 24 21 4 3 22 23 2

DD DD DDDD

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Outer Form of a Sheet of Thirty-twos.

DDDD DDDD

? 19 98 63 85 18 09 Q
13 52 45 20 21 44 53 12

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

91 6f 8* it n ]f 9S 6

I 64 33 32 25 40 57 8

DDDD DDDD

Inner Form of a Sheet of Thirty-twos.

DDDD DDDD

9 6S 88 LZ 08 8 E9 8

II 54 43 22 19 46 51 14

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

01 ee & & <?[ if os si

7 58 39 26 31 34 63 2

DDDD DDDD

IMPOSITION. 83

A Half-sheet of Thirty-sixes.

DDDDDD

Z eg frg 8 fz SI

7 30 31 6 21 16

DDDDDD

9 28 25 12 19 IS

DDDDDD
DDDDDD

01 LZ dZ II OZ LI

DDDDDD

8 62 8 5 ZZ Ql

1 36 33 4 23 14

DDDDDD

84 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

A Half-sheet of Forties.

DDDD DDDD

OS IZ IZ LI 8L Z ZZ 61
5 36 33 8 7 34 35 6

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

91 c 8S SL n LZ 9S Ql
9 32 29 12 11 30 31 10

1 40 37 4 3 38 39 2

DDDD DDDD

A Quarter-Sheet of Forty-eights,

without cutting.
5 20 17 8 7 18 19 6

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

V IZ 91 6 Ot SI ZZ 2
I 24 13 12 11 14 23 2

DDDD DDDD

IMPOSITION. 85

A Half -Sheet of Forty-eights,
with two Signatures.

DDOD DDDD

5 80 ZZ 8 93 Lf Of /S
7 18 19 G 31 42 43 30

DDDD DDDD

11 14 15 10 35 38 39 34

DDDD DDDD

Zl 81 91 6 98 18 OF 88

DDDD DDDD

8 II 05 S SS If ff 63
1 24 21 4 25 48 45 28

DDDD DDDD

86 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

A Common Quarter-sheet of Sixty-fours.

DDDD DDDD

t 63 S3 ^ 9 LZ 08 8
13 20 21 12 11 22 19 14

DDDD DDDD
DD DD DD DD

91 LI tZ 6 01 83 81 SI

1 32 25 8 7 26 31 2

A Quarter-sheet of Sixty-fours,
with two Signatures.

DDDD DDDD

81 18 08 - 61 03 63 38 LI
23 26 27 22 21 28 25 24

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

8 6 31 Q 9 II OL L

1 16 13 4 3 14 15 2

DDDD DDDD

IMPOSITION. 87

A Half-sheet of Sixty-fours.

DDDD DD DD

Z 89 n 12 93 68 8S L
15 53 47 18 23 42 51 10

DD DD DD DD
DDDD DDDD

H IQ Of 61 ZZ W W II
3 62 35 30 27 3S 59 6

DDDD DDDD
DDDD DDDD

f 19 98 65 83 18 09 Q
13 52 45 20 21 44 53 12

DDDD DDDD

9t Gf 8fr il If OS 6
1 64 33 32 25 40 57 8

DDDD DDDD

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

MAKING THE MARGIN.

Having learned how to lay down the pages, it will now
become necessary to learn how to make the proper margin.
This is done in the following manner : Fold a sheet of
the paper which is to be used into as many parts as there
are pages in the form. Then place the sheet thus folded
on the first or left-hand page of the form, one edge even
with the left-hand side of the type, place the adjoining
page so that its left side may be even with the right-hand
edge of the folded paper, which will leave a sufficient space
between the two pages to admit the furniture, which
should then be selected of a proper width to suit the form
in hand, as follows : In octavos, about a great primer less
in width than the space between the pages, as determined
by the above rule ; in twelves, about a pica less ; in six-
teens, about a long primer ; and proportionally less as
the number of pages are increased. Having thus secured
the proper width for the gutter-sticks, cut them somewhat
longer than the page, and holding one of them between
the two pages, above the page cord, close the pages up to
it ; then open the folded sheet so as to cover the two pages,
and, bringing the fold in the paper exactly in the middle
of the gutter-stick, secure it there with the point of a pen-
knife or bodkin ; the right-hand edge of the paper thus
opened must be brought to the center of the cross-bar,
which determines the furniture required between it and the
pages. Having thufl arranged the margins for the back
and fore edge of tUe book, proceed in like manner to
regulate the head and foot margins, by bringing the near
edge of the folded paper even with the bottom of the first
page, and so placing the adjoining off page that its head
may be barely covered by the off edge of the folded paper,

IMPOSITION. 89

which will give the required head margin. All other
sections of the form must be regulated by the foregoing
measurements, when the margins for the whole sheet will
be found correct.

The greater the number of pages in a sheet, the smaller
in proportion should the margin be ; the folded paper,
therefore, should lie proportionally less over the edge of
the adjoining page, both for gutter and back, in a form of
small pages than in one of larger dimensions. A folio may
require the page to be half an inch nearer the back than
the fore edge ; while a twelves may not require more than
a pica em.

In imposing jobs where two or more of the same size,
requiring equal margins, are to be worked together, fold
the paper to the size appropriate for each, and so arrange
the type that the distance from the left side of one page
to the left side of the adjoining one shall be exactly equal
to the width of the folded paper, as before described.

LOCKING UP.

The locking up the form is the next thing to be con-
sidered, and this part of the work requires as much skill
and care as either of the others mentioned. The quoins
should first be gradually and equally tightened all round
with the fingers, then the form should be planed down,
and the sides of the pages should be examined, to find out
whether any letters have slipped at the ends of the lines, or
whether the furniture binds in any part, causing hanging
or crookedness. After this the quoins may be tightened
until the form will lift. The inside quoins should be
tightened first, that is, those that are nearest the thick end
of the sidestick and footstick. The secret of locking up
a form so that it will be square and lift properly is in

90 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

proceeding to lock up gradually and evenly all round. All
the hammering and tightening in the world will not take
the place of this. If the planing down has been carefully
done before locking up, it will only be necessary to go
over the form lightly with the planer to find whether any
of the pages " spring." Beating the form with planer and
mallet after locking up may spoil much type, but will serve
no other purpose.

PRESS DEPARTMENT.

IN order to thoroughly understand all the details of this
department, the learner will need to commence at the
very threshold and take the place of "devil." Many
would, no doubt, prefer to skip this part and begin by
learning how to put a form on the press and make it
ready ; but this would lead to a superficial knowledge and
must not be allowed. Many a pressman looks back to his
experience as "devil" with thankfulness, not because he
relished the experience which he then passed through
consisting, as it did, of much that was unpleasant and
disagreeable, including the washing of forms and rollers,
which caused chapped hands to smart with lye, and
which could not be washed clean even for Sunday ; sweep-
ing floors and filling waste-paper bags; being daubed with
ink, which sometimes gave him the appearance of having
a sudden growth of moustache or beard, with many other
peculiar vicissitudes "too numerous to mention" but
because all that experience formed the basis of his future
success as a workman.

Education in a pressroom is a slow process, and cannot
be acquired in a few months. The eyes, the ears, the
hands and the mind all need to be slowly educated to
understand the various objects, sounds and operations that

92 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

surround them. All the faculties need to be brought into
harmony with their environment. The eye that is trained
will see a hundred things connected with the machinery,
presses, forms, paper and ink which another would not
notice at all. The trained ear will detect sounds that are
unusual, and will be able to trace them to their source,
whether they come from a loose pulley, a bearing that
needs oil, or from some internal part of a press, where
another would be utterly ignorant. The trained hand
will handle things as only such a hand can, because it has
become accustomed to its work by experience, and is able
to detect anything wrong in the condition of the rollers
or vibrations of some parts of the machinery or presses.

Now all this proves the necessity of a slow and
constant education, which can only be obtained in the
pressroom. No amount of reading will supply its place ;
no theoretical knowledge, however accurate, will serve the
same purpose, there must be actual contact touching,
seeing, and hearing or no real knowledge of this part of
the business can be learned.

And the proper time to get this knowledge is when
young, while the faculties are developing and the mind is
receptive, and the hands pliable and the heart hopeful.
The best pressmen today and at all times are those who
began young. Such men will do the right thing in the
right way and at the right time, almost unconsciously,
simply because the doing of such things has become a part
of their regular habits of life. Their eyes and their ears
are in full sympathy with their surroundings, and can
readily detect any irregularities that may intrude them-
selves into their domain. Such men would find it difficult
to explain the why and the wherefore of everything they
do, and more so to impart their knowledge to others,

PRESS DEPARTMENT. 93

except by ocular demonstration, and then it would have
to be a slow process and would require that the learner be
on the spot all the time.

But it must be clearly understood that without this
teaching by practical and experienced men, no accurate
knowledge of the business can be obtained. Merely being
in a pressroom will not of itself be of much use, however
important and helpful it may be, as has been shown.
There must be instruction as well as environment, and
even with both these and with everything else favorable,
it is not everyone who can become a good pressman.

Let not anyone imagine for a moment that the art of
printing can be acquired easily and in a short time ; let
him not think that a few months will suffice to learn how
to put a form on the press and make it ready, or he may
become one of those useless beings which we call " ama-
teurs," and all his life be a failure as far as he is concerned
and a nuisance so far as others are concerned.

It is pitiful to hear young men talk of having learned
the printing business in a year, and to see them starting
up small offices with small capital, small presses and small
prospects of reaching anything better than the failure
which they deserve. Let not the reader be led away by
any false theories on this subject. There is but one way
to become a pressman, and that is by following in the
footsteps of those who have been all their lifetime in the
business, and by coming practically and constantly in con-
tact with all the various details of the pressroom.

The great lack among the majority of pressmen is
technical knowledge and experience. So long as they
have to operate upon a form which consists only of plain
type, all goes well, but when plates have to be made ready
or engravings " brought up," matters do not proceed so

94 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

satisfactorily, and waste of time or imperfect work
exposes the deficiency. Again, it is difficult to find a
man who is equally able to manage all the different makes
of presses. The principles of making ready, however, are
very nearly the same in all, and we are convinced that
a little study of the construction of each press would
enable a man to prepare a form with equal success on any
press. In some cases, however, considerable allowance
should be made, for a man has but little chance of becom-
ing familiar with a press he has had no opportunity of
working, and it too often happens that his experience has
been obtained in a small office where, perhaps, only one
or two presses were employed.

It is necessary to mention at the outset that the quali-
fications necessary to fit a man to manage presses are,
quickness (as distinguished from fussy haste), a thorough
knowledge of the construction and peculiarities of his
press, a strong nerve and, above all, unremitting care.
Should a roller be left out of its place, or a plate insecurely
fastened, the consequence might be disastrous.

In producing newspapers, quality is necessarily made
subservient to speed, and if our favorite paper possesses
the merit of containing the latest details of the previous
day's news, we are not overcritical about its typographical
appearance. The case, however, is very different with
bookwork so different, indeed, as almost to constitute it
a separate trade. The newspaper may be destroyed in a
few hours ; the book, or bound-up serial, remains, perhaps,
for a century, a credit or a disgrace to the establishment
from which it proceeded.

One of the difficulties the pressman has to contend
with is his feeders. We attribute the difficulty of manag-
ing the feeders greatly to the lax discipline exercised by

PRESS DEPARTMENT. . 95

the pressman. During the time he is patching a sheet,
when he supposes the feeders are rather in the way than
otherwise, they are allowed to do just as they think proper,
and consequently are ripe for any mischief which may
present itself. In a pressroom, above all places, there is
always work to be done. Feeders can always be profitably
employed in cleaning and wiping up the presses, besides
which the accumulation of paper, which is so noticeable in
the majority of pressrooms, might be profitably prevented
by insisting that it be continually collected and placed in
baskets, which ought to be provided for the purpose.

As a rule, the way pressmen treat their feeders is very
reprehensible, and we often wonder that the latter are not
more refractory than they really are. If the pressman
would only take the trouble to teach them their duties
how to clean rollers properly, wash up without waste of lye
and benzine j how to brush the forms over without batter-
ing them he would speedily find that they would take
greater interest and pleasure in their work, besides being
of more general assistance.

It is a well-known fact, that a great quantity of work is
spoiled by the dirty fingers of the feeders. Proper provi-
sion should be made for washing, that no excuse could be
offered, and the pressman should, in all cases, insist that
the feeders wash their hands well before commencing, and
on every occasion when the rollers have been handled.
It is a lamentable thing to see really good books having
one or two well thumbed sheets bound up in them. We
are perfectly aware that this may sometimes be caused in
the folding or binding departments, but the feeder invari-
ably gets the credit of it.

Rags and paper that have been saturated with oil or
benzine should never be allowed to accumulate, as they

96 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

are dangerous in case of fire. Iron pails should be pro-
vided, in which they can be placed when done with, or
they may be carried directly to the engine room to be
burnt. Many fires have been caused by allowing such
matter to collect in corners, as it quickly generates heat,
and combustion takes place at a comparatively low tem-
perature.

We will commence cur instructions on this subject by
giving a list of the technical terms used in a pressroom :

Bearers. Lengths of type-high wood or iron, placed along each side
of the bed of a cylinder press, on which the cylinder travels when
passing over the form. Also pieces of wood or metal placed on
the insides of job chases, for the purpose of carrying the rollers
evenly over small forms.

Bed. The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.

Blanket. A woolen or rubber cloth used on cylinder presses for some
classes of work, to avoid much making ready.

Blocks. The bases on which electrotype plates are fastened for
printing.

Broadside. A form of one large page.

Chase, A rectangular iron frame in which pages of type are im-
posed.

Cylinder. That part of a cylinder press on which the sheet is carried
over the form.

Devil. The youngest boy, who generally does the dirty work and
goes on errands.

Feed-guide. An implement attached to a press to aid in correct
feeding.

Feeding. Supplying the press with sheets.

Fly. The apparatus which takes off the sheets from the press.

Fotm. The type imposed in a chase ready for printing.

Fountain. Reservoir for ink, attached to the press.

Friar. A light patch in a printed sheet caused by defective rolling.

Gauge. A strip of reglet with a notch in it to show the position the
form must occupy on the press to get proper gripper margin.

Gauge-pin. An instrument to aid in feeding job presses correctly.

PRESS DEPARTMENT. 97

Good color. Sheets printed neither too black nor too light.

Grippers. The appliances which take the sheet from the feed-board

and carry it around the cylinder. Also, on job presses, long

pieces of iron which grip the sheet against the platen and pull it

off the form.
Guides. A side-guide is a piece of iron or other metal affixed to the

feed-board to which the sheets are fed so as to strike in proper

position on the form. Front-guides are made adjustable and lie

along the front of the feed-board, to which the sheets are fed.
Inset. A sheet or section which is so printed as to set in some other

sheet or section.

Mackle. When part of the impression appears double.
Making ready. Preparing a form on the press for printing.
Monk. A black spot in a printed sheet, owing to the ink not being

properly distributed.

Out of register. When the pages do not back each other.
Overlay. One or more thicknesses of paper so cut and placed on the

tympan, platen, or cylinder as to improve the impression.
Perfecting. Printing the second form of a sheet.
Pick. A particle of ink or paper imbedded in the hollow of a letter,

filling up its faces and occasioning a spot.
Platen. The part of a job press which, acted upon by a lever, gives

the impression to the sheet.
Points. Pieces of steel or other metal placed in the form to make holes

in the sheet by which the second side can be pointed so as to give

accurate register. Also for folding to points on a folding machine.
Quire. Twenty-four sheets of paper.

Ratchet. An instrument for turning the screws of electrotype blocks.
Ream. Twenty quires of paper.

Register. To cause the pages in a sheet to print precisely back to back.
Register sheet. The sheet used to make the register.
Revise. The last proof of a form before working it off.
Roller. A wooden cylinder or iron rod covered with composition, for

inking the type.
Set-off. When sheets that are newly worked off soil those that come in

contact with them, they are said to set off.
Sheetwise. When the pages of a sheet are imposed in two forms which

are backed in printing.

98 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Signature. A letter or a figure placed at the bottom of the first page of

a sheet to direct the binder in gathering the sheets in a volume.
Slur. A blurred impression in a printed sheet.
Token. Two hundred and fifty sheets.
Tympan. A frame covered with parchment or muslin ard attached to

the bed of a hand press, to lay the sheet on before printing.
Underlay. A piece of paper or card placed under types or cuts to even

up the impression.
WJiite page. A blank page.
Work and ttirn. When a sheet is printed half sheetwise, the paper

must be turned and worked on the second side.

Besides the foregoing technical terms, it will be well
for the pressman to make himself acquainted with those
previously given for the composing department.

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES. 99

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES.

TO properly make ready a form on the press, so as to
get an even impression and regularity of color, is the
first and most important part of a pressman's duties; and
how to proceed properly with this part of his work, to
produce the best results in the least possible time, is what
everyone should earnestly strive to learn. There are
many men, however, who have very crude ideas on the
subject, and are wofully deficient in the very rudiments of
such knowledge.

It often happens that a man will spend hours cutting
out, underlaying, patching up, and overlaying a job, with-
out first seeing whether the bed of his press is clean, or
whether his form is in proper condition. Sometimes the
form may spring, causing one part of the form to be higher
than the other parts, and, without stopping to find the cause
of this and remedying it at the start, he will proceed to
adjust it in his making-ready sheets. It may be that after
he has succeeded, in his way, and is just ready to start, the
form has to be unlocked for some reason or other, and
when it is locked up again it is done more carefully, the
part sprung is planed down, and then the pressman dis-
covers that all his leveling up has to be done over again.
Whereas, had he taken the ordinary precaution to see that
his form was properly locked up and planed down at the
start, all that time would have been saved. It is safe to
say that about one-half the work done by such men, under

100 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

the name of " making ready," is not only unnecessary,
but almost renders it impossible to get a decent job at all.

To see the force of these remarks it is only necessary to
watch the proceedings of two men at work, the one a com-
petent workman and the other not. You will notice that
at first it looks as though the incompetent man is getting
along faster than his fellow. He gets his form on first,
begins his cutting out first, and has managed to get his
first " patched-up " sheet on the cylinder before the other
man has taken an impression of his form. But look at
them in an hour's time ! The first man is still laboring in
vain to get a result that will even satisfy himself, while the
other man has just got his sheet marked " O. K." by the
foreman, and is ready to go ahead. The reason for the
latter' s success is that he did not start till he was ready.
He stopped to get his cylinder and bed cleaned off, to see
that his form was properly planed down and locked up, to
get a few bad letters changed, and in other ways to try and
prevent having to do anything twice over. But when he
did begin it was all plain sailing, for he knew what he had
to do and how to do it.

There are many men who can make ready a form of
type in fairly good shape, who are at a loss when they get
a form of plates; and there are more who can do both and
yet know nothing of fine cut-work. If they have to make
an overlay for a cut at any time it is pitiful to see how they
go about it, doing the things they ought not to do, and
leaving undone the things they ought to do. Perhaps it
may be unreasonable to expect every pressman to be able
to make ready cut-work, but this is no excuse for any
man's not being able to do it ; and if all tried their
best there would be twice as many good pressmen as
there are.

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES. 101

But now to begin. We will take a half sheet book
form, on a cylinder press. The first thing necessary is to
see that the right kind of ink for the job to be printed with
is in* the fountain, and that the rollers are in suitable
" condition," and that the fountain is set so as to give out
a proper quantity of ink. Then let the press run for a
little while before putting on the form, which will give an
opportunity for observing whether all is as it should be.

Next, clean off the bed of the press, making sure that
there is nothing there that will interfere with getting a level
impression. Then see that the back of the form is free from
dirt or other substance and place it on the press. Then
loosen the quoins, plane down the form, and lock up
again, being careful not to lock it up too tightly, or it may
spring. Then gauge the position of the form so as to
place the feed edge the proper distance from the gripper
edge of the cylinder. (This may vary according to the
margin required on the sheet.)

Now give attention to the cylinder, and see that it is
clear from any irregularities, that the packing is clean and
suitable for the kind of form that is being put on ; that
the thickness of the packing is such as will give a light
impression to start off with ; and, also, that such packing
is securely fastened so that it will not shift.

Next, set the guides and take one or two impressions
of the form on its own paper, and back up by feeding the
same sheets in again with the printed side turned end for
end and face down, so that page 2 will print on the back
of page i. This is for the purpose of making register, and
should always be done before patching up the sheet, as it
often happens that pages have to be shifted and other
changes made.

After accurate register has been obtained in this way,

102 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

then proceed with the making ready, which will vary
according to the nature of the form and the quality of
work required. If there are cuts, they will in all proba-
bility need to be underlaid. If they should be lo'w all
over, it will be necessary to underlay all over, and to put
such thickness of paper or cardboard as appears to be
necessary to level them up to the height of the surrounding
type matter ; but if only low in some parts, then only such
parts need to be underlaid. Care must be taken that the
underlays do not extend under any part of the type
matter.

Now, take another impression. If the underlaying has
been successful you can begin to patch up a sheet, as
follows : Notice first any parts that are too heavy and cut
them out of your sheet with a sharp knife. (This sheet
ought rather to be too thin than too thick, as in cutting
out such parts from a thick sheet you may make too great
a difference where only a slight difference is needed;
whereas, if the difference should not be sufficient, you can
cut it out again from the next sheet.) Next, notice the
parts that are low and which need to be brought up by
overlaying. This is remedied by laying one or more
pieces of thin paper on such low parts and sticking them
with paste, being careful that the paste is thin and free
from lumps.

The accompanying reduced fac similes are intended to
show first, the need for making ready; second, the
patched-up sheet ; third, the result obtained.

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES.

103

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UOVF.H. X II., K.-l'. 17th is>3
r hturanct Co. ,,f ,\'- n, . | ;. . .. .
OEKTLEMEJI: 1 ln-ivi.y .v n.nvl.'d^'.
the receipt of the Company 1 * riuvk i..t- MU..TI. ,,i
fall settlement 01 my claim, rienxc :ir. vpt tli.inkt
for your promptness in regards to saiiii-,.iinl I i>uhl
cheerfully 'recommend your. Com;.anv i all !,>
intend taking accident insurance.

JOHN v\ l-'O.-S.
TotJOHKEEPSIE. If. V. \.n-. ilitli. I.XX7.

tt B. BULL A Co.. ALIIANT, N. V

I with to thank you lor the i.i..rn ; .i ...ivinrnt
Of my claims in full, lor injuri.K .>,,,>,,! at mu
Eignmie (Fire. I can cheerfully n...mnh-ti.| y..nr
Company, for the prompt and enW. -ut wayol L.iii','
bnsinett.

Ypurs truly,

. ___... . N. T , Tel'. -Ji'ili. iv
H. B. "BULL * CO., MAS AOIBS.

'I hereby ackaowledt(e receipt for full ;mi.

of mr claim against the "Accident lii-m: r (

pany of North America.' 1 for injam- rcrrivn
me trom falling. 1 can especially rcci>ininrn<l
Company for beins very liberal and piou.pt in
meat. 1 have been Insured mother Coini>.iHiet
bii_U tbtunoat prompt ot them all.

/A*e W. Moon

$5,000

n case you .meet with an Accidental
Death,

$25.OO

er week for Totally Disabling injuries,'
all for

'S18.OO"o^T

PER YEAR.

The t argesi ) The Oldest!

The Cheapest!
i he Most Liberal The Bestt

Purely Accidcot eoropany on Ibis toritteal.

Qvor SI.OOO.OOO Paid In Losses*

104

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES.

105

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DOVER, V. IT., Feb. 17th, 1SSS.
TV AcctdenCInturance C-. / .VortA Amrrica.

GENTLEMEU: I hereby acknowledge
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full settlement of my claim. Please accept thanks
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Taurg respectfully,

OHX V. FOSS.

YouoiiKKEPsir, V.Y..Tfov. 20th, ISSt
a 8. BULL A Co., AuiAsy. N. Y.

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Yourstrmr,

rooooKEEPsiE, K. Y., fib. 20th. J883.
B. S. BULL A CO., MAVAOBM.

I hereby acknowledge receipt for full amount
Of mr claim acalnst the "Accident Insurance Com-
pany of Worth America," for Injuries received by
me from falling. I can especially recommend this
Company for being very liberal and prompt in pay
numt. I have been Insured in other Companies but
this is UM most piomnt of iliem all.

W, YOOKB,

mn ^&

$5,000 ^

I In case you meet with an Accidental
Death.

$25.00

The Largest! The Oldest!

The Cheapest I
The Most Liberal The Best I

Eurel/ Accijerit Company on His Goulinccl

Over $I,OOO,OOO Paid In Losses-

106 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Now take an impression on the cylinder (or rather on
the packing). Then paste the sheet, which you have cut
out and patched up, on the cylinder so that it will be
exactly over the impression just taken. A top sheet may
now be put over the whole and securely fastened. (This
top sheet should be smooth and strong enough to be pulled
tightly to avoid bagging.) Then take another impression
and proceed with patching up as before, until the proper
results are obtained. On no account must this patching
up be done on the top sheet, but either on the sheet that
has already been worked on or a new sheet may be made
and placed ever it by raising the top sheet for that
purpose.

The foregoing remarks are intended to apply to a type
form. A form of plates should be treated in the same
way, except that more can be done in the way of leveling
up by underlays instead of overlays.

For fine cut-work it will be necessary to spend more
time in cutting out and overlaying them so as to bring up
the solid parts and lighten the parts which are intended to
be light. Good cut printers are always scarce, and the
reason is that for such work a man needs to be an artist,
for there is almost as much art in printing an engraving
properly as in making the engraving. It does not always
follow, therefore, that the man who spends most time in
making his overlays will arrive at the best results.

It is a great advantage in this part of the work to try
and grasp the idea of the artist who made the cut, and
then to try to help toward the same end. It is also well
to remember that with a good cut, a clean press, a level
impression, good ink and good rollers, satisfactory results
should be obtained with little or no patching up. Now,
then, if all is not right, ask yourself the question, " What

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES. 107

is wrong?" and the time spent in finding the answer to
the question will be more than saved afterward in putting
things right.

These remarks apply equally to every kind of form and
all classes of work, but are particularly applicable to fine
cut or book work, where much time may be spent in trying
to produce a good job.

The following extract from an English work on this
subject is worthy of attention t

The pressure to be given in order to print an engraving properly must
not be uniformly equal, or the effect apparent on the engraver's proof will
not be attained, for instead of the impression containing light, medium and
darker shades, it will be uniformly dull and lifeless the light tints will
be too hard and black, and the solids will neither be firm nor contain
enough color, nor will the medium tints possess any of the mildness and
softness which ought to pervade part of the engraving.

It ought to be perfectly understood that the cutting of an overlay
must not be performed in a merely mechanical manner. It is a common
practice, after having hastily looked at an impression of an engraving,
to immediately commence cutting out the lights and heightening the
solids, regardless of the greater artistic effect to be produced. In many
cases the paper is cut abruptly, without any study of the required grada-
tion of light and shade; and the workman is satisfied, after having
finished, by feeling the overlay, and finding the blacks heightened and
the lights depressed. This is, however, not the proper method.

Before commencing operations, the proof supplied by the engraver
should be properly studied, with the aim of producing as nearly as
possible the same effect. It will be patent to all that engravings worked
on a press rarely, if ever, equal the proof supplied with the cut. In the
latter, superior ink is used; the india proof-paper is beautifully soft,
with a splendid surface; and the use of the burnisher enables the
engraver to obtain altogether a superior effect. In addition to this,
where extreme lightness and delicacy of tint are required, the ink is
partially wiped from the block, so that, putting aside the fact of the
thoroughly experienced eye for artistic effect, the means employed in
the production of an engraver's proof are altogether of a different and
more effective character than those at the disposal of a pressman.

108 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

In making an overlay, the ground-work must be first prepared on
the proof that has been pulled on plate-paper. Supposing the subject
to be a landscape, the sky should be peeled, i. e., a thin layer of the
paper scraped evenly off. It is not advisable to cut the lighter shades
away altogether, as it may cause them to look " rotten." Just sufficient
impression should be given to allow the fine lines to appear plainly, but
not indistinctly. Considerable judgment must therefore be used in
preparing the extreme lights. After having finished the foundation,
the blacks or solids must be added. These will always be found in the
foreground. In fastening the pieces onto the first proof, the paste must
be of the thinnest consistency, and very sparingly laid on, as it soon
dries, becomes hard, and gives impression where not intended, thus
f marring the effect.

From proof number three must be cut all the lighter shades, retain-
ing the darker and medium ones, and these must be pasted on. The
fourth and last pull should possess the extreme, medium and lighter
shades only the lightest part being cut away and fastened on as
before. The greatest care is necessary that the pieces be fixed on
exactly in their places ; if not, the overlay is worse than useless. The
extreme edges of the overlay should be scraped or cut gradually away,
to prevent them from appearing hard and abrupt.

In figure subjects, the fleshy parts the face, arms, etc. should be
soft and delicate ; in fact, nothing condemns an illustration more than
the dark, muddy face and hard outline. We would certainly prefer
them " rotten," or indistinct, of the two ; but the medium should always
be aimed at, and attained. Of course, the surface and substance of the
paper have a great deal to do with the satisfactory appearance of
engravings. When calendered paper is used less labor and ink are
required, and the effect is infinitely superior.

Here we may mention the frequent appearance in illustrations of
small white spots, about the size of a pin's head. These, in the majority
cf instances, are small batters, caused by pieces of grit being pulled on
to the cut, or by the shrinking of the metal beneath the copper shell.
Under any circumstances these will occur, and should be attended to
immediately they are perceived. The plate should be lifted, and by
means of a pair of calipers the exact place can be marked underneath.
Place the face of the electro downwards upon a piece of thick paper, to
prevent its being scratched, and by means of a small punch force up the

MAKING READY ON CYLINDER PRESSES. 109

place marked. This should be done with care, or the work on the
surface of the plate will suffer.

Where a sheet is printed in two forms it is usual to
print the inner form (containing the second page) first.
The reason for this is that it often happens that a first
page will contain larger type and if printed first would be
more likely to set off on the top sheet. And in the case
of illustrated journals the cuts are usually put on the first
and other pages that come in the outer form, and in that
case it is better to print the cuts last.

110 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER,

MAKING READY ON JOB PRESSES.

WHAT has been said in the preceding pages will apply
in a great measure to making ready on job presses.
At the same time, there is a great difference between the
two kinds of work ; hence, it is often found that a man
who may be very good on cylinder presses is quite at a
loss when he comes to handle a job press, and vice versa.

It is important, first of all, to see that the impression
screws are set so as to give a uniform impression, and that
the form is in the center of the chase. Should the form
be a light one, consisting of delicate type, or only a few
lines of matter, it will be well to have type-high " bear-
ers " on the inside of the chase. These will serve to bear
some of the impression, and help to keep it uniform,
besides carrying the rollers evenly over the type and pre-
venting their wiping on the edges.

For the larger part of jobwork it is better to have the
" packing " hard, and the impression screws set so as to
bring the platen as near as possible to the bed of the
press. For most forms it will be found well to have one
sheet of cardboard (about equal to six-ply), four sheets of
book paper (about forty pound), and a top sheet of writ-
ing paper ; though these will need to be varied in quantity
to suit the different forms, some requiring a sheet or two
more or less of the book paper. The top sheet ought not

MAKING READY ON JOB PRESSES. Ill

to be put on until the patching up and cutting out has
been done.

Supposing the press to be leveled up and the form in
proper condition for putting on, then proceed as follows :
Take a light impression on a piece of book paper ; notice
the general appearance of such impression. There will
probably be some parts that are heavy and some that are
light, some single letters that appear too high and some
that are too low. Now proceed to remedy these evils by
first trying to remove their cause. It may be found that
the form needs to be unlocked and planed down, or that
a particle of dirt is sticking under some letter, or that
some other letter is really worn out and too low to bring
up, and needs to be changed. Then take another proof
in the same way, and also take an impression on the pack-
ing, which should consist of the sheet of board and the
several sheets of book paper, as mentioned above, the top
sheet of book paper being the making-ready sheet. Then
lift out the form and underlay such letters (or cuts, if
there should be any) as are low, and on the making-ready
sheet patch up with thin paper such parts as may appear
hollow and need to be brought up, and cut out any parts
that are too high, or scratch the part with a knife, if
cutting out would make too much difference. This being
done with proper results, next put on the top sheet, take
an impression thereon, and proceed to set the guides.

Although there are many devices called guides, the
best results are obtained by the use of quadrats. Take a
sheet of the paper to be printed on and measure across the
impression on the top sheet to ascertain the proper posi-
tion for the guides ; mark with a pencil, and then stick
the quadrats on with some good paste or mucilage. The
advantage of this kind of guide is that you do not need to

112 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

make holes in the packing. By the use of pins, or other
such appliances, the packing sheets and board are soon
rendered worse than useless, as the different sized forms
bring the type right over where pin-holes have been made
for some previous job. To prevent the sheet slipping
over the quadrats, it is well to paste a strip of card along-
side of them, with one end left loose, and under this the
sheet can be fed without any inconvenience; or a small
piece of card may be pasted on top of the quadrat, over-
hanging slightly on the side to which the sheet is fed.

Let it be understood that the less embossing a job has
the better will be the result. Some work is so indented
that the back looks as though it had been embossed for
the blind to read with their fingers. A hard, sharp
impression is what should be sought for, and this can only
be obtained by having very little underneath the top sheet.

In patching up imperfect letters, care must be taken
to put the patch just where it is needed, and not allow it
to touch any other part. For instance, if the dot of a
letter "i" does not show up, and you put on a piece that not
only covers the dot, but some other letter, you may bring
up the dot, but you will make whatever else you cover too
heavy. It is easy to cut a very thin strip of paper so that
you can put on the smallest particle without touching any
other part. All that is required is care, and generally all
that makes the difference between a really good job and a
very bad one is the want of a little care.

Those who are determined to produce good work will
soon learn how to accomplish it, and will find themselves
well repaid for the extra pains they may have taken in the
meantime.

It may be well to refer to the importance of cleanliness
in connection with good work. It too often happens that

MAKING READY ON JOB PRESSES. 113

an otherwise creditable piece of work is spoiled in the
handling. Finger marks are inexcusable, and denote a
slovenly workman or feeder at once. And not only are
these caused by dirt, but on some kinds of paper a mere
dampness of the fingers will cause an ugly mark that
cannot possibly be wiped off. Then, again, it often
happens that either through using bad ink, or by using
too much, the sheets will set off on the back of each other
when laid on the board. If the job is such as to call for a
large amount of ink, thin sheets should be laid between
the printed sheets as they come from the press, so as to
prevent the back of one sheet coming in contact with the
face of another.

The use of a good quality of ink is the greatest econ-
omy in the long run, for not only does it result in a better
appearance, but it saves considerable spoilage, and goes
further than a cheaper grade. Especially is this true with
colored inks, for unless a really good result is obtained,
the job had better have been printed in black. When
colored work is bad, it is bad indeed, and. attracts more
attention to its inferiority than would a job in black.

Before leaving this part of our subject, we would men-
tion the advisability of carefully preserving overlays of
jobs that have taken a large amount of time to prepare.
It often happens that a job may be duplicated, and then a
great saving may be effected in this way. Of course, this
applies to work done on either cylinder or job presses.

114 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

THE PROPER TREATMENT OF ROLLERS.

HTHE importance of this subject cannot be overrated, as
JL good printing depends, to a very great extent, upon
the condition of the rollers. Constant care and judgment
are required in their treatment, as the materials of which
they are made render them particularly sensitive to warmth
and cold. The form may be perfectly made ready, the
paper be of the best quality and surface, and superior ink
used, yet the result will be unsatisfactory if the rollers are
not in fit condition. Indeed, rollers well chosen will often
compensate for deficiencies in hurried making ready, and
will hide many glaring defects which would become pain-
fully apparent were the rollers out of condition.

If the temperature be too warm they will fret and
burst; if too cold they will become hard, akin to leather.
The composition should be neither too hard nor too soft ;
but a certain amount of elasticity is desirable, so that it
can adapt itself to the form in every part.

When rollers are very soft and pulpy and inclined to
leave the stocks at either end, consequent upon the tem-
perature being high, they should be lifted out of the press,
and stood in a cool place until the composition becomes
firmer. They must be constantly watched, for if they
burst while working, it necessitates the table and form
being thoroughly cleaned, as the detached composition
adheres firmly to both.

THE PROPER TREATMENT OF ROLLERS. 115

By having a duplicate set of rollers at hand much time
and labor may be saved, especially in the summer, in warm,
confined pressrooms. Under these conditions it will
sometimes be found necessary to change the rollers every
hour say every two reams. Long stoppages may be
often avoided by adopting this plan, and the work will
look very much better.

The less violent friction the surface of a roller is sub-
jected to, the longer it will keep in condition, so an
allowance should always be made for the speed at which a
press runs. In a warm temperature the rollers on a press,
running from 750 to 900 copies per hour, will last much
longer than on a press printing from 1,200 to 1,500. In
the latter case the rollers should be slightly firmer than in
the former.

When rollers become hard, as they will in cold
weather, they should be wiped down several times with a
rag dipped in hot water, which will slightly soften and
render them " tacky." Care must be taken that no drops
of water be left on the surface, as damp penetrates the
composition, causing swellings, which burst, leaving
punctures. Washing them with strong lye, and allowing
them to be exposed to the atmosphere when not in use,
soon renders them useless. It must also be remembered
that it is a very injurious practice to wash rollers too much.
When they become hard and leathery through long usage,
they should be at once discarded, as it is almost impossible
to restore them to a proper working condition.

Ink will also affect the rollers. If there is much
" dryers " in its composition, it will dry or " cake " upon
the surface of the rollers in a short time, unfitting them for
decent work. The only way to really remedy this is to
have several auxiliary rollers ready, and change when they

116 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Become flat, wiping down the ones just lifted, that they
may be ready when again required.

The greater the diameter of the inking-roller the
better, as it carries a larger inked surface to the form.
The smaller the roller, the sooner the ink is exhausted.

The working condition of a roller can be easily ascer-
tained by the feel. If, when pressing the finger into the
composition, it leaves an indentation, the roller is either
too new or the temperature in which it has been kept has
been too warm. No attempt should be made to work a
roller in this condition, as the surface will be injured, or
the composition leave the stock. When rollers are first
cast they are invariably unfit for use, being too new, and
should be stood in a moderately cool place for at least a
week. If a roller be too green, it will not take up the ink
evenly, added to which, it is liable to change the nature
of the latter, which loses its brilliancy. An " inker" in
prime condition should feel, when the finger is drawn
along it, " tacky," i. e., somewhat rough and adhesive.
In this state it will take the ink well from the table, and
also deposit it almost uniformly over the form. As we
have said before, if the roller be old and tough, with a
bright, leathery surface, it should not be used. If it takes
the ink from the table, it will do so unequally, and deposit
nearly the whole of it on its first revolution, leaving the
end of the form farthest from the table without ink.

The length of time a roller should last cannot be
accurately fixed, as there are so many agencies at work
speed of the press, the class of work it has to perform,
the kind and quality of the ink, and above all, as we have
before said, the temperature. But careful attention will
in all cases materially add to its durability.

Monks, or thick ridges of ink running across the form,

THE PROPER TREATMENT OF ROLLERS. 117

are owing to the imperfect distribution of ink by the dis-
tributers, or are sometimes caused by the fountain knife or
roller being out of order and allowing the ink to escape at
intervals in larger quantities than is required. If they are
owing to either of the last-mentioned causes, the defect
can only be remedied by the knife being ground or the
roller turned. Rollers in bad condition will sometimes
produce monks.

Friars named, we suppose, in contradistin.ction to
the former appear across the page or pages as lighter
patches than the greater part of the form. This may be
the effect of some foreign substance having got onto the
roller bearers, causing the inkers to jump, or, as in the
case of monks, by the bad condition of the rollers ; under
any circumstance, the cause may soon be discovered, and
remedied with little trouble or ingenuity.

Rollers should not be allowed to stand about on the
floor, but be kept in a cupboard built especially for them,
and should not be stood on end but be laid lengthwise.
This cupboard should be placed in that part of the room
which is least liable to be affected by changes of tempera-
ture. A roller properly cared for will last much longer
than it would otherwise, and will do good work for a long
time. But it often happens that a new roller is spoiled
after a few days' use, and ought to be discarded, for when
once out of condition there is no economy in continuing
to use it, as the time spent in doctoring it up will soon
cost more than a new one. Pressmen should be very care-
ful and painstaking in regard to their rollers, not only for
the sake of their employers, but also for their own comfort,
convenience and credit.

118 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

CARE OF INKS.

INKS should also have much more care bestowed upon
them than they usually get, and should be kept in cup-
boards where dust cannot reach them. Lids ought always
to be kept on the cans that are not in constant use and a
strip of paper should be pasted around the part where they
open, just as it is when first received from the ink manu-
facturer. It is impossible to estimate the immense amount
of loss occasioned by leaving ink cans and barrels lying
about the pressroom with no covering over them allow-
ing dust and other matters to fall into them ad libitum.
Not only is the ink affected thereby, but the particles of
dust are carried onto the face of the form, and the type or
cuts are injured thereby. Many a valuable cut has become
covered with "pin-hole " spots from this cause, and many
a font of delicate-faced type has been destroyed in the
same way.

Where ink has been standing unused for a length of
time, it is a good plan, before using, to turn it all out onto
a slab and well mix with an ink-knife.

Pressmen should always make sure that a former can of
ink has really been all used up before opening a fresh one,
as the neglect of this precaution results in having several
cans of the same ink in use at the same time. A good
plan is to see that the empty can is thrown away or other-
wise disposed of before opening a new one.

OIL AND RAGS. 119

OIL AND RAGS.

two articles play a prominent part in every
JL printing establishment and cannot be passed over
without a slight recognition.

The proper oiling up of presses and shafting is an
important part of a pressman's duties. The neglect to
supply the usual drop of oil to any one of the many small
holes found in a press may cause some part to " fire," and
result in great loss and delay. A careful pressman will
regard this as one of his first concerns when starting up in
the morning, and during the day will have his ears on the
alert for any unusual noise that' may arise from a dry
bearing. Oil should be used plentifully but judiciously.
Simply pouring a stream of oil on any part may do more
harm than good, besides wasting the oil. Too much may
be as bad as too little. The great aim should be to put
the right amount of oil in the right place and at such
intervals as experience shows to be necessary. Where
parts become gummed up or holes are clogged it is a good
plan to apply a little kerosene oil which has the effect of
loosening the obstruction.

Oil cans should be kept in good condition, and when
they become injured from any cause they should either be
repaired or replaced by new ones. A faulty oil can is a
nuisance, as well as being the cause of much loss of oil.

120 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Benzine should be used with great caution, as it is
highly inflammable and has more to answer for in the way
of fires than anything else that is used. There are many
devices for storing this in small quantities, and the printer
who does not avail himself of such lays himself open to
just censure.

Rags should be supplied to the pressroom in sufficient
quantities to provide for washing up properly and speedily,
but, at the same time, should be well looked after, espe-
cially when they have become saturated with oil and
benzine. If a printer wishes to have a fire he need only
allow a pile of such dirty rags to lie in some corner until
spontaneous combustion takes place, for which he will not
have long to wait. Therefore, those who wish to prevent
fires, and avoid the risk of having to answer for causing the
death of some unfortunate persons, will take the precau-
tion to have all dirty rags taken care of while in use and
destroyed when done with.

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT. 121

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT.

IN an establishment of moderate size, it is well to have
the stock handled by one man (with assistance, if
necessary), both before and after printing. All stock that
comes in should be passed into his care, and all that goes
out should go through his hands. He should also have the
giving out of all stock whether to be printed, ruled or
bound. By this means an easy check is kept upon the
quantity received and used. It too often happens that
there is great looseness with regard to stock, and it is often
easy for a pressman who spoils a quantity of paper to help
himself to more without its being charged up against the
job. Then in the matter of delivering to customers there
is great advantage in having the work, when finished,
passed through the hands of the man who gave out the
stock, as he will more readily detect anything that may be
wrong as regards quantity or otherwise. To see that a
customer gets full count is an important matter, and
when it is understood that the work is being counted or
measured, the chances are that the pressmen will not spoil
so much.

The man who has charge of this work should know
something of the printing business ; should be strong and
active, and also be quick at figures. These are qualifi-
cations that are not hard to find, and need not necessarily

122 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

involve the paying of a large salary, but it is the poorest
kind of economy to put a cheap man in so responsible a
position, and a mistake to think it is only laborer's work,
which can be done by anyone.

The fitting up of a stockroom is another important
point to be considered. The tables and shelves should
be so arranged that each kind and weight of stock can
stand by itself, instead of being piled one on the other.
Nothing should stand on the floor, but platforms should
be provided which would raise the paper at least twelve
inches, and so prevent the damage occasioned by knocking
the sweeping-broom against the edges of the paper. It is
better to build the shelves so that the stock can be carried
the full height of the room rather than have it spread
around and occupying all the floor space.

Another point of importance is the carrying of such
stock as will use up to most advantage. There are certain
leading sizes and weights which should always be on hand,
and never be allowed to run so low as to fall short in a day
or two. The same remark applies also to certain standard
qualities. But the idea of trying to keep on hand every
size and weight, and every kind and quality, is unwise.
Rather have less kinds and greater quantities, than more
kinds and smaller quantities. In regard to flat papers for
general jobbing work, two leading qualities will often
suffice one a good, substantial number one rag, and the
other a cheaper grade, costing about one-third less. For
instance, if the better kind cost 12 cents then the other
should cost about 8 cents. Any intermediate quality is
likely to lead to mistakes and loss. If an intermediate
quality is carried it will often happen that when the cheaper
kind is not on hand the intermediate quality will be used
at a loss, and when the job is done again the customer will

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT. 123

expect to get the same quality. Or if the better kind runs
out then there is a temptation to substitute the intermediate
quality, with the chance of having the whole job* thrown
back, or a deduction made on the bill which will cut off
all the profit. And with other kinds of paper or cardboard
the same rule holds good, though, of course, circumstances
may alter the case in some instances.

In the matter of cutting stock for printing, it is well to
have it done by a man who knows something of the print-
ing business, as he will often cut it so as to suit the job and
help the pressman in his part of the work. As, for instance,
where there is little margin on a job it is well to cut it
double the size, and then work and turn the sheet round,
which gives an opportunity for using the grippers ; and in
various other ways the cutter can help the printer. While
speaking of cutting it may be well to mention another
point which may be of value to some who have not had
much experience. It often happens that in cutting up a
job which has been printed several on a sheet, there will
be a set-off caused by the clamp pressing upon the printed
matter. This can often be avoided by laying a strip of
thick cardboard along the front of the clamp and between
the printed parts so as to bear off the pressure from such
printed parts. Where a small number of a job has to be
done in a hurry, and cut before the ink has had time to
dry, it is a good plan to take a little magnesia or plaster of
paris and dust over the sheet, and then rub off with a piece
of cotton batting.

Where cardboard has to be cut on an ordinary cutting
machine, it should be so done as to have an inside cut edge
all round, as it will be noticed that the edge which comes
from the outside of the knife is always rough and broken.
This can be easily accomplished by cutting the card a

124 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

trifle larger and then turning it round and cutting a shaving
off, which will give a nice, clean, even edge.

The following tables will be found useful in this depart-
ment, and the man who has charge should make himself
familiar with each one, which will result in his work being
done not only more accurately, but also much more easily.

Tables I to IV show the amount of paper to give out
for jobs of any quantity from 50 to 100,000 copies, and will
save much time in figuring.

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT.

125

TABLES for giving out Paper, calculated in Reams, Quires and Sheets.
20 Quires (480 Sheets) to the Ream. No Overs.

TABLE I.

No.
Required

Full
Sheet.

Half
Sheet.

To Sheet.

4
To Sheet.

R. Q. S.

022

Oil

o o 17

o o 13

IOO

044

022

O I IO

Oil

2OO

088

044

2 19

O 2 2

250

10 10

055

o 3 12

O 2 15

300

12 12

066

044

033

4OO

o 16 16

088

o 5 14

044

500

I O 2O

O IO IO

o 6 23

o 5 5

600

i 5 o

O 12 12

088

066

700

i 9 4

o 14 14

o 9 18

077

750

i ii 6

o 15 15

O IO II

o 7 20

800

i 13 8

o 16 16

0113

088

900

I 17 12

o 18 18

12 12

099

I,OOO

2 I l6

I 20

13 22

O IO IO

1,250

2122

I 6 i

o 17 10

o 13 i

1,500

3 2 12

i ii 6

I O 21

o 15 15

1,750

3 12 22

i 16 ii

i 4 9

o 18 6

2,000

438

2 I 16

i 7 19

I O 2O

* 2,500

544

2122

i 14 18

i 6 i

3,000

650

3212

2 I l6

i ii 6

4,000

8 6 16

438

2 15 I 4

2 I l6

5,000

10 8 8

544

3 9 ii

2 12 2

10,000

20 16 16

10 8 8

6 18 22

544

20,000

41 13 8

20 16 16

13 7 20

10 8 8

30,000

62 10 o

3i 5 o

20 16 18

15 12 12

40,000

83 6 16

41 13 8

27 15 16

20 1 6 1 6

50,000

104 3 8

52 i 16

34 14 14

26 o 20

100,000

208 6 16

104 3 8

69 9 4

52 i 16

126

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLES for giving out Paper, calculated in Reams, Quires and Sheets.
20 Quires (480 Sheets) to the Ream. No Overs.

TABLE II.

No.
Required

6
To Sheet.

8
To Sheet.

9
To Sheet.

To Sheet.

R. Q. S.

009

007

006

005

100

0017

o o 13

O O 12

009

200

I 10

Oil

o o 23

o o 17

250

o i 18

o i 8

OI4

3 00

022

o i 14

O I IO

Oil

400

2 19

022

O I 21

O I IO

500

o 3 12

2 15

028

o i 18

6OO

044

033

2 19

022

7OO

o 4 21

o 3 16 036

O 2 II

750

056

3 22 3 12

O2I5

800

o 5 14

044

o 3 17

O2I9

QOO

066

o 4 17

044

033

I,OOO

o 6 23

055 o 4 16

o 3 12

1,250

o 8 17

o 6 13

o 5 20

049

1,500

O IO II

o 7 20

070

056

1,750

o 12 5

093 086

063

2,000

O 13 22

o 10 10 097

o 6 23

2,500

o 17 10

o 13 i o ii 15

o 8 17

3,000

I O 2O

o 15 15

O 13 22

10 10

4,000

i 7 19

I O 2O

o 18 13

13 22

5,000

i 14 18

i 6 i

i 3 2

o 17 9

10,000

3 9 12

2 12 2

264

i 14 18

20,000

6 19 o

544

4 12 15

3 9 12

30,000

IO 8 12

7 16 6

6 19 o

5 4 6

40,000

13 18 o

10 8 8 958

6 19 o

50,000

17 7 12

13 o 10

II II 15

8 13 18

100,000

34 15 o

26 o 20

23 3 6

17 7 12

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT.

127

TABLES for giving out Paper, calculated in Reams, Quires and Sheets.
20 Quires (480 Sheets) to the Ream. No Overs.

TABLE III.

No.
Required

To Sheet.

16
To Sheet.

18
To Sheet.

20
To Sheet.

R. Q. S.

004

003

IOO

007

006

005

200

o o 14

o o 13

O O 12

o o 10

250

o o 17

0016

o o 14

o o 13

300

o o 19

o o 17

o o 15

4OO

o i 3

Oil

o o 23

o o 20

500

O I IO

o i 8

014

Oil

600

o i 16

o i 14

O I IO

o i 6

700

o i 23

I 20

o i 15

O I II

750

023

o i 23

o i 18

o i 14

800

026

O 2 2

O I 21

o i 16

9 00

O 2 12

O29

022

I 21

I,OOO

2 IQ

2 15

028

O 2 2

1,250

o 3 12

037

O 2 22

O 2 15

1,500

045

o 3 23

o 3 12

3 3

1,750

O 4 22

o 4 15

042

o 3 16

2,OOO

o 5 H

055

o 4 16

044

2,500

070

o 6 13

o 5 20

o 5 5

3,000

088

o 7 20

o 6 23

066

4,000

0113

O IO IO

097

088

5,000

13 22

o 13 i

o ii 14

O IO IO

10,000

i 7 19

i 6 i

134

I O 2O

20,000

2 15 I 4

2 12 2

268

2 I 16

30,000

439

3 18 3

3 9 12

3 2 12

40,000

5 ii 4

544

4 12 16

438

50,000

6 18 22

6 10 5

5 15 20

544

100,000

13 17 20

13 o 10

ii ii 16

10 8 8

128

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLES for giving out Paper, calculated in Reams, Quires and Sheets.
20 Quires (480 Sheets) to the Ream. No Overs.

TABLE IV.

No.
Required

To Sheet.

32
To Sheet.

36
To Sheet.

To Sheet.

R. Q. S.

003

002

o o ij

100

005

004

003

2.\

200

009

007

006

004}

250

008

007

o o 5

300

o o 13

O O IO

009

007

400

o o 17

0013

O O 12

009

500

O O 21

0016

o o 14

O O II

600

Oil

o o 19

0017

o o 13

7OO

O I 6 O O 22

O O 2Q

o o 15

750
800

o i 8

I 10

O I O
I I

o o 23

o o 16
o o 17

900

o i 14

o i 5

Oil

o o 19

1,000

o i 18

o i 8

OI4

O O 21

1,250

025

o i 16

Oil!

o i 3

1,500

O 2 15

020

o i 18

o i 8

1,750

032

028

2 I

o i 13

2,000

0312

2 15

028

o i 18

2,500

049

o 3 7

2 22

025

3,000

055

3 22

O3I2

O 2 15

4,000

o 6 23

<> 5 5

o 4 16

0312

5,000

o 8 17

0613

o 5 19

049

10,000

o 17 9

o 13 i

o ii 14

o 8 17

20,000

i 14 18

I 6 2

i 3 4

o 17 10

30,000

2 12 2

i 19 3

i 14 18

i 6 3

40,000

3 9 ii

2 12 4

268

i 14 20

50,000

4 6 20

3 5 5

2 17 22

2 3 13

100,000

8 13 16

6 10 10

5 15 20

472

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT.

TABLE showing the Quantity of Paper required to print 1,000 copies
of a book in any form from octavo to 321110.

No. of
Forms.

Svo.

I2mo.

i6mo.

24mo.

32mo.

Paper for
1,000 Copies.

Pages.

Rms. Qrs.

I 2

2 4

3 6

128

4 8

1 20

1 60

5 10

144

192

6 12

112

1 68

224

7 H

128

192

256

8 16

1 08

144

216

288

9 18

1 20

1 60

240

320

132

I 7 6

264

352

12 2

144

I 9 2

288

384

I 3 4

. 104

156

208

312

416

14 6

112

1 68

224

336

448

15 8

120

1 80

240

360

480

16 10

128

192

2 5 6

384

512

17 12

136

204

272

408

18 14

144

216

288

432

19 16

152

228

456

20 18

1 60

240

320

480

1 68

252

336

23 2

176

264

352

....

24 4

184

276

368

....

25 6

2 4

192

288

384

26 8

200

300

400

27 10

208

312

416

28 12

216

324

432

....

29 14

224

336

448

3 l6

2 9

232

464

31 18

240

360

480

EXAMPLE. How many reams will be required for a i2mo. book containing
312 pages? Find the number of pages (312) in the i2mo. column: in the outer
column on the left of the table the number of forms (26) is seen : and in the outer
column on the right, the quantity of paper required is given (28 reams 12 quires).

130

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLE showing the Number of Sheets contained in any Number of
Quires.

Quires.

Sheets.

Quires.

Sheets.

Quires.

Sheets.

984

528

1008

552

1032

2 4

576

1056

120

600

1080

144

624

1104

168

648

1128

192

672

1152

216

696

1176

240

720

1200

264

744

1224

288

768

1248

312

792

1272

336

816

1296

360

840

I32O

384

864

1344

408

888

1368

432

912

1392

456

936

I4l6

480

960

1440

NAMES AND SIZES OF DIFFERENT PAPERS.

Flat Letter

Law Blank or Small Cap,

Flat Cap

Crown ...

Demy ....

Folio Post -

Check Folio -

Medium Writing

10x16
13x16
14x17
15x19

16x21
17x22

17x24

Medium Printing - 19x24

Royal Writing 19x24

Royal Printing - 20x25

Double Cap - - 17x28

Super Royal Writing - 20x28

Cardboard - - 22x28

Imperial Writing - 22x30
22x32

18x23 Imperial Printing

STOCK AND SHIPPING DEPARTMENT.

131

TABLE OF COMPARATIVE WEIGHTS OF PAPER.

24x38

14x17

17x22

18x23

2 3

19x24

25.

20x25

22x28

22x32

J 9

3 1

23x41

24x36

26x38

26x40

27x40

28x42

103

28x44

108

29x41

104

29x43

109

30x42

33x46

IOO

117

133

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.

HAVING treated of the various processes of the print-
er's art, it is now necessary to consider the methods
of conducting business. And at the outset it is important
to emphasize the fact that there is no business more
dangerous as regards the liability for failure than that of
printing, Perhaps not more than one-fourth of those
started ever reach a paying basis, and less than that
number ever make anything like a success. Indeed, the
number of successful printing businesses cannot be more
than ten per cent of those which are begun. These are
stern facts, and safely within the bounds of truth. There-
fore, those who contemplate making a start for themselves
need to be careful lest they go with the great majority.

But, at the same time, there is money in the business,
if properly handled. The chief danger lies in the fact
that there are so many incompetent men trying to conduct
printing businesses, who take work at ridiculously low
prices (many of them not knowing that they are doing
so) that a new beginner is compelled to compete with
them, and is in danger of losing sight of the important
fact that he cannot do a job at a certain price because
someone else does it for that amount. He is in danger of
forgetting to figure on the cost of production, and of

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 133

losing sight of the fact that someone else doing work at
a loss will be no consolation when he fails. There is only
one safe way of doing business, and that is seeing that a
fair profit can be made on all work done. The head of
one of the largest printing businesses in America lately said
that the amount of net profit made on their total output
for a year was only ten per cent ; and it is safe to say
that more than half the printers in the country do not get
such good prices as does that firm. Net profit is a thing
that very few men ever get to understand. They figure
roughly or approximately, and flatter themselves that they
are making profit when they may be getting poorer every
year. They sometimes forget the amount that the capital
they have invested in the business would bring them in
if invested at compound interest. They also lose sight
of the fact that their plant depreciates in value to the
extent of at least ten per cent per annum, to say nothing
of the materials furniture, reglet, leads, brass rule,
etc. which are being used up all the time, making the
depreciation more like twenty per cent per annum ! They
sometimes also lose sight of the fact that their own time
and labor has a market value outside of their own
business.

Take a sample case : A man has $25,000 invested in
a printing business, the plant having cost $20,000 and the
working capital being the other $5,000. Now, that amount
invested at six per cent would net him $1,500. Then add to
this the ten per cent depreciation on the $20,000, making
$3,500. Next, take his services at, say, $2,000, and you
have a total of $5,500 a year. Now, suppose his business
pays him that amount every year, what are his net profits ?
Just the $2,000 which we have allowed for his services !
For the interest on the money he could get anywhere, and

134 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

the $2,000 allowed for depreciation has to be spent in buy-
ing new plant to replace that which is being worn out all
the time. But suppose he should draw out the $5,500 a
year, and spend it, what would he be worth when his plant
was worn out ? Why, absolutely nothing. Whereas he
would have no difficulty in investing his $25,000 at seven
per cent interest, which would net him almost as much
without his services, and he would still be worth $25,000
all the time. And this argument holds equally good
where a smaller or larger amount than that mentioned is
invested.

It may be that in some instances a better result than
the above might be shown, but it is just as likely that even
a worse result would represent the majority of cases. There
are hundreds of employing printers who have all their
capital invested in their business, and who give more hours
of their own time than anyone in their employ, whose net
profits do not amount to more than the salary of some of
their employes.

These facts are here stated for the purpose of pressing
home upon the mind of the beginner the importance of
adopting right methods in the conduct of his business,
and to make him cautious and watchful against the many
liabilities to failure and loss which are before him ; for
the more deeply he is impressed by the foregoing remarks
the less likely will he be to indulge in cutting prices
for the sake of getting work, or to allow any other bad
practices to ruin his business.

It does not follow that because a man is a good printer
he will necessarily make a successful business man when
he starts for himself, as many have found to their sorrow.
At the same time it does follow that he will not be so
likely to give his work away for less than it is worth, as

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 135

will a man who has never had to earn his living as a com-
positor or pressman and that is a strong point in his
favor.

BUYING PLANT AND MATERIALS.

After a printer has been carrying on business for a
number of years, he looks back and sees some of the
mistakes which he has made during that time, and
mentally remarks that if he were to have his time over
again he would do many things differently.

As he walks around his establishment and takes an
inventory of his plant and appliances for carrying on his
business, he is apt to make a comparison between the
amount of money it has cost him and its intrinsic value at
the present time the result often being far from
encouraging. He sees some things nearly worn out and
others quite so, and unless he has been allowing a proper
amount each year for depreciation, his thoughts are likely
to be very gloomy. He thinks of many things for which
he has paid high prices that have not yielded him the
profits he expected. Some of them he could have done
almost as well without. He sees materials which have not
been bought in proper proportions, the result being that
one-half of such materials were never brought into profit-
able use. And so he mutters to himself as he returns to
his office, " If I had the buying of this plant over again,
I would buy differently."

Is this merely an imaginary picture ? Or is it what
may be found in actual fact ? Nine printers out of every ten
will be ready to admit that it is more fact than fiction.

Now, that being the case, will it not be of advantage
to those who are only now beginning to buy if they can
get some few pointers on the subject ? Undoubtedly it

136 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

will ; and with a view to this end the writer ventures to
make the following suggestions :

In the first place let it be distinctly remembered when-
ever purchases are being made that " the best is the
cheapest." Well, of course, that saying is as old as the
hills; but that is in its favor, so don't forget it. Low-
priced articles are, as a rule, dear enough in the end. It
is better to buy less in quantity and have more quality.
This is especially the case with presses and machinery.
It is best to buy presses of standard makes that have a
reputation among printers generally ; though there may be
now and then some really good article that has yet to
make its name, and in such cases it is well to look closely
into its merits j but great caution is needed in buying a
new invention.

Having decided to put in a certain make of press, it is
better to buy several of that kind than to have a variety.
And this for various reasons, not the least important of
which is that all your pressmen get used to them and can
easily change off from one to another. The manufacture
of printing presses has reached such a point that there
really is not much choice between the several standard
and accepted makes ; of course, special kinds of work
will sometimes call for special presses, but this does not
weaken the point in the least.

The same remarks apply to machinery of every
description in each department.

And type is no exception to this rule, either ; for
unless it come from a good foundry, where the appliances
are of the most approved kind and the metal is of the
best, it would be real economy to throw it away, rather
than suffer the loss it will occasion if once put into use.

In buying for the job composing room great care

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 137

should be exercised. Here, everything should be not only
of the best, but in proper proportions. It too often hap-
pens that the contents of a job composing room gives the
idea that the buying has been done by half a dozen different
individuals, each acting independently of the other ; for
instead of there being harmony and proportion in the differ-
ent kinds and quantities of types there is just the reverse.

Now, with regard to harmony of design and character
it is a great mistake to attempt to carry all the various
faces that are made by all the typefounders. What should
be aimed at is the bringing together of such of the best
designs as will make a harmonious whole. At the same
time, contrast must not be lost sight of ; for contrast and
harmony are both essential to make the beautiful in design
or color.

Then, with regard to proportion, there is just as much
care needed. It is better to buy all the sizes that are
made of a certain face than to pick out two or three sizes
at long intervals. If you have the whole of a series, it
will be of more use to you than twice the amount picked
out from several series ; though, of course, where a man
has limited capital and yet has to have some measure of
variety, he may find it difficult to purchase the whole
series of each kind of type.

But this brings us to the most important part of our
subject, and that is the difference between buying many
kinds and buying much of a kind.

IT IS BETTER TO HAVE FEWER KINDS
AND PLENTY OF THEM THAN TO HAVE
MORE KINDS AND LITTLE OF THEM.

One hundred fonts of job type, weighing four hundred
pounds in the aggregate, will be twice as useful as two
hundred fonts weighing the same amount.

138 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

It is safe to say, where there are so many kinds, not
more than one-third of them are brought into actual daily
use. The rest lie in their shrouds of dust waiting for the
day when they will return to the melting pot.

Of course, all that has been said about type applies
equally to wood letters. Indeed, so far as the question of
small fonts is concerned, there is a special need for care
in regard to wood letter, as the fonts contain fewer letters
of each kind. What is the use of a three A font in an
office where much poster work is done ? It is worse than
useless ; and yet, how many such fonts there are.

Type and printing materials have two values : one is
the price they will sell for, and the other is the amount
they can be made to earn. But whether this latter value
is commensurate with their cost depends more upon how
they were bought than upon how much was paid for
them.

There is another point of importance to be mentioned,
and that is the advisability of buying a sufficiency of
quads and spaces, leads and reglets, furniture and quoins.
These materials cost less than anything else, and yet
they play a very large part in the operations of every-day
business.

COST OF PRINTING INK.

A very important item of expense in running a printing
business is that of ink, and yet it is often left out of calcu-
lation when prices are being given for work. Of course,
it may be that in the majority of jobs the ink forms but a
proportionately small part of the entire cost, but that is
no reason why it should be left out of our calculations
entirely, for there are times when it forms a large propor-
tion, and if we get into the habit of neglecting it all the

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 13$

time, the chances are that we shall forget it when it should
be thought of.

Granting that the quantity used on a single thousand
of a small job is but very little, how about figuring on ten
thousand of the same job? Is it not the rule to say,
"Well, the composition is the same, the paper will be ten
times as much, the presswork so much per thousand runs
after the first thousand," and to omit the ink entirely?
Then, on printing a single thousand a trifle better price is
generally charged, which may cover the cost of the ink ;
but when a larger quantity is figured on the price has to
be made proportionately lower, and unless the ink be
made an item in figuring the cost, it will certainly be an
item in the lost profit.

Then, again, the habit of leaving it out of our calcula-
tions entirely results in ignorance of what quantity to
allow for when it has to be considered. How few seem
able to calculate the quantity of ink required to run a
certain number of any job ! Say, for instance, on poster
work. A case came under the notice of the writer where
the cost of the ink used on two thousand three-sheet block
bills, printed in red and black, came to one-third the
amount charged for the job ; whereas the person who did
the figuring had just allowed a "dollar or two " extra for
the red ink.

It is difficult to lay down any definite rule as to the
quantity required on different jobs, as they vary so much,
but what is urged is the importance of taking the matter
into consideration. After a little practice any man with
ordinary ability to figure will be able to calculate closely
enough to prevent making a loss on that score.

It is well to bear in mind, too, that certain colors go
further than others. The writer has a small memorandum

140 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

book in which are jotted down points of importance in
regard to ink and other matters that affect the cost of
production, and on the ink page is a line which reads
" Beware of red i "

There is no economy in using poor ink because it
appears cheap. A better grade will often be cheaper
in the end, as it will go further and work better, saving
not only on the bulk of ink used, but also saving in the
time of pressmen and presses.

COST OF STOCK.

In figuring the cost of stock, too much care cannot be
taken, as when a mistake occurs here it is likely to be a
serious one. There is a great tendency on the part of
printers to "guess" at the cost of stock used on small
jobs. Now this is not safe in practice, for the habit of
guessing in small matters will lead to guessing in large
matters and a wrong guess may cause the loss of many
dollars. The few minutes extra time required to arrive
at accurate figures will not be time thrown away. The
only safe way of conducting business is knowing without
doubt just what you are doing and how much profit you are
making on each transaction. To some it might appear that
this would be a difficult matter. But it really is not so
when once the mind is made up to accomplish it.

Certainly, in the matter of the cost of stock it is easy
enough, provided you take the trouble to figure at all.

The following eight tables will be found of great service
in figuring on the cost of stock used in small quantities, as
they show at a glance the cost per pound, ream and quire,
of paper of any weight from eight to seventy pounds, and
at any price from 6 to 20 cents a pound, rising by quarters
of a cent.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.

141

TABLE I.

Weight, 8 to 1 6 Ibs. Price, 6c. to I2^c. per Ib.

Weight -

8 Ib.

10 Ib. 12 Ib.

14 Ib.

i61b.

Trice perlb.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

$0.48

$0.60

$0.72

.04

$o 84

^0.96

0.50

0.63

.04

0,75

.04

0.88

.05

I.OO

-05

0.52

0.65

.04

0.78

0.91

.05

1.04

.06

63/

O ^4

0.68

O4.

0.81

O QC

1 .08

^ j^t
0.56

.03

0.70

^T 1

.04

0.84

J
.05

w yj
0.98

. w J

.05

I . 12

.06

0.58

0-73

.04

0.87

.02

.06

1.16

.06

7!^

O.6O

o 7q

.04

O QO

.OS

.06

I . 20

.06

7 3 /

O.62

.04

/ j
0.78

.04

v . yw

O Q3

oc;

j
OQ

.06

I .24

.07

0.64

.04

0.80

.04

o 06

.05

y
. 12

.06

1.28

.07

8*/

0.66

.04

0.83

^ . y~>
O QQ

.05

.16

.06

1 .32

.07

0.68

.04

0.85

.05

. ^y
I .02

.06

. IQ

.06

1.36

.07

0.70

0.88

.05

1.05

.06

2 3

.07

1.40

.07

0.72

.04

0.90

.05

I. 08

.06

.26

.07

1 .44

.08

Ql/

0.74

o.cn

.05

I . 1 1

.06

.07

1.48

.08

9tf ....

0.76

.04

yj
o-95

.05

I.I4

.06

.07

!-5 2

.08

0.78

.04

0.98

I.I7

.06

1.56

.08

0.80

.04

i .00

.05

I . 2O

.06

.40

1. 60

.08

ioX ....

0.82

.05

1.03

.06

1.23

.07

.08

1.64

.0 9

I0#

0.84

1-05

.06

1.26

.07

.08

1.68

.09

10^

0.86

i. 08

.06

1.2 9

.07

.08

1.72

.09

1 1

0.88

I . IO

.06

I 72

i 76

0.90

.05

1.13

.06

'3*
1-35

w /
.07

JT-
58

.08

1 i
i. 80

w y

.09

0.92

.05

1.15

.06

1.38

.07

.61

.09

1.84

. 10

0.94

.05

1.18

.06

I.4I

.08

.65

.09

1.88

.10

0.96

i .20

.06

I .44

.08

.68

I Q2

. IO

0.98

v J

.05

1.23

.07

1.47

.08

.72

.09

* . y^.
1.96

.10

I2#

1. 00

1-25

.07

1-50

.08

.09

2.OO

.10

1 .02

.06

1.28

1-53

.08

.09

2.O4

.11

142

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLE II.
Weight, 8 to 1 6 Ibs. Price, 130. to 2OC.

Weight -

81b.

10 Ib.

12 Ib.

14 Ib.

i61b.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

nc . .

$I.O4

.06

I .30

.07

1.56

.08

1.82

. IO

2.08

. II

I .06

.06

1-33

.07

1-59

.08

1.86

. IO

2. 12

. II

1 -7 i/

1. 08

.06

i-35

.07

1.62

.09

1.89

.10

2.16

.11

13^

I . IO

.06

1.38

.07

1.65

1-93

.10

2. 2O

.11

I 12

.06

i .40

.07

1.68

.09

i 06

. 10

2.24

.12

.06

1-43

.08

1.71

.09

y v

2.OO

.10

2.28

.12

I A I/

1.16

.06

1 .4^

.08

i .74

.09

2 O7

. II

2.32

. 12

I4j^

1.18

.06

1.48

.08

i-77

.09

2.07

.11

2.36

.12

I 1 ? .

i .20

.06

I. SO

i. 80

2. IO

.11

2.40

. 12

I .22

.07

. JV^

i-53

.08

1-83

. IO

2.14

. II

2.44

1 5 /'z . .

1.24

.07

i-55

.08

1.86

. 10

2.17

. II

2.48

-13

T 3/

1.26

I eg

.08

i 80

. IO

2. 21

. 12

2 S2

I 7

1.28

/
.07

J. . 3<_>

1. 60

.08

^y
I .92

.10

2.24

.12

* j

2.56

O
.13

1.30

.07

1.63

.09

1-95

.10

2.28

. 12

2.60

16^

1.32

.07

1.65

.09

1.98

.10

2.31

.12

2.64

16%

L34

.07

1.68

.09

2.01

.11

2-35

.12

2.68

1.36

.07

i .70

.09

2.O4

.11

2.38

.12

2.72

.14

1.38

.07

i .73

2.O7

. II

2.42

.13

2.76

i 7 i/ 2

1 .40

.07

'75

.09

2.10

. II

2.45

2.80

17^

1.42

.08

1-78

.09

2.1 3

. II

2.49

J 3

2.84

1 .44

.08

i. 80

.09

2.16

. II

2.52

j -,

2.88

.15

1 .46

.08

1.83

.10

2.19

. II

2.56

.13

2.92

18^

1.48

.08

i.8 5

.10

2.22

. 12

2-59

2.96

18^

1.50

.08

1.88

.10

2.25

. 12

2.63

.14

3.00

I S2

.08

I QO

. 10

2.28

. 12

2.66

1 4

1 04

.16

i-54

.08

* jr*

1-93

.10

2.31

.12

2.70

.14

o T

3.08

.16

I O \^

1.56

.08

1-95

.10

2-34

. 12

2-73

.14

3.12

.16

1. 60

.08

2.00

.10

2.40

. 12

2.80

.14

3.20

.16

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.

143

TABLE III.

Weight, 1 8 to 26 Ibs. Price, 6c. to I2^c. per Ib.

Weight -

18 Ib.

20 Ib.

22 Ib.

24 Ib.

26 Ib.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

$1 .08

.06

$1 .20

.06

$1 . 32

.07

$! -44

.08

$1 56

.08

I-I3

.06

1-25

.07

#" o

1.38

.07

1.50

.08

p* j v
1.6 3

.09

(> 1 A

I . 17

.06

I .30

.07

I .43

.08

1.56

.08

I. 6q

.09

(>x

1.22

.07

i-35

.07

1.49

.08

j
1.62

.09

. v^f
I. 7 6

.09

1.26

.07

i .40

.07

i-54

.08

1.68

.09

1.82

.10

1.31

.07

1-45

.08

i .60

.08

1.74

.09

1.8 9

.10

r/2

i-35

.07

1.50

.08

1.65

.09

i. 80

.09

i-95

.10

i .40

.07

1-55

.08

1.71

.09

1.86

.IO

2. 02

.11

1.44

.08

i. 60

.08

1.76

.0 9

1.92

. IO

2.08

.11

1.49

.08

1.65

.09

1.82

. 10

1.98

. IO

2.15

.11

1-53

.08

1.70

.09

1.87

.10

2.04

.11

2.21

.12

1.58

.08

-7S

.09

i-93

.10

2.10

.11

2.28

. 12

9 ....

1.62

i. 80

i g8

. IO

2.16

. II

2 34

. 12

gi/

1.67

y
OQ

i 8s

y
. IO

* y^>
2.O4

. II

2.22

. 12

m ' OT*
2 4.1

. 13

V 1 A

1.71

?
.09

w j
i .90

. IO

2.O9

.11

2.28

. 12

. t*

2-47

.13

s / &

1.76

.09

1-95

. 10

2.1 5

. II

2-34

. 12

2-54

i. 80

?. .00

. IO

2. 2O

. 1 1

2.40

. 12

2.6o

1 3

ioX

1.85

^y
.10

2.05

. II

2.26

. 12

2.46

2.67

10^

1.89

.IO

2.10

.11

2. 3 I

.12

2.52

2-73

.14

10^

1.94

. IO

2.15

.11

2-37

.12

2. 5 8

2.80

1.98

.10

2.20

.11

2.42

2.64

2.86

2.03

.11

2.25

.12

2.48

2.70

2-93

UK....

2.07

.11

2.30

.12

2-53

-13

2. 7 6

2-99

11^

2. 12

.11

2-35

. 12

2.59

,13

2.82

3.o6

.16

2.16

.11

2.4O

. 12

2.64

2.88

3.12

.16

I2#

2.21

.12

2.45

2.70

.14

2-94

3.19

.16

2.25

.12

2.50

-13

2-75

3.00

3-25

2.30

.12

2-55

2.81

3-06

.16

3-32

144

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLE IV.
Weight, 1 8 to 26 Ibs. Price, 130. to 2Oc. per Ib.

"Weight -

i81b.

20 Ib.

22 Ib. || 24 Ib. 26 Ib.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

I3<=

$2.34

.12

$2.60

.! 3

$2.86

.! 5

$3.J2

.16

#3-38

13*

2-39

.12

2.6 5

2.92

3-l8

.16

3-45

.18

j ^ T/

2 43

2 7O

2 Q7

5 24

1 51

.18

'3*:

" T- J
2.48

* 3
13

~'i"

2-75

y/
3-03

x j
.16

o **r
3.30

* /
17

3.58

.18

2.52

2.80

3.08

3.36

3 64

14. i/ .

2 57

1 3

2 85

3 '4

.16

2 4.2

.18

3 7T

j i
2.61

' ^ j
2.90

3.19

.16

O ' T"
3.48

.18

3 1 *

3 77

143^

2.66

2 05

J -

3 25

17 ? c/i

.18

7 84.

. 20

15 ....

2.70

* :7J
3.OO

3.30

* i
.17

3.60

.18

3 T-
3QO

. 20

1 5 i/

2- 75

2 Q5

.16

3 36

3.66

y
3Q7

*j/t

2.79

xi r

O D
3.10

.16

O 3
3.41

/
.18

3.72

.19

y/
4.03

.21

j f-7/

2.84

1 S

3- J 5

.16

3-47

.18

3.78

I 9

4 10

. 21

2.88

3.20

.16

3-52

.18

3^4

.20

4.16

.21

i6X

2-93

3-25

3-58

.18

3-90

4-23

.22

16^

2.97

3-30

3-63

3.96

.20

4.29

.22

16*

3.02

.16

3-35

3-69

.19

4.02

.21

4.36

.22

3.06

.16

3.40

.17

3.74

1 9

4.08

.21

4.42

.23

'7*

3."

.16

3-45

.18

3-80

4.14

.21

4-49

I7 1 / .

J JC

.16

2 50

.18

7 85

. 20

4.2O

.21

4. 55

I73/ .

J *-J

3 20

.16

O J

3-55

3 ^J
3.91

.20

4.26

.22

*T a JJ

4.62

3
.24

3.24

. 17

3.60

.18

3.96

.20

4.32

.22

4.68

3-29

.17

3.65

.19

4.02

.21

4.38

.22

4-75

18^

3-33

-I.7

3-70

.19

4.07

.21

4-44

4.81

-25

183^

3.38

-17

3-75

.19

4.12

.21

4-50

4.88

-25

3 4.2

.18

3.80

4. 18

.21

4.56

.23

4-94

.25

19*

3 *T^

3.47

.18

3 85

y
.20

4.24

.22

4.62

-24

5.01

.26

19^

3-5 1

.18

3 90

.20

4.29

.23

4.68

.24

5-7

.26

3-6o

.18

4.00

.20

4.40

.22

4.80

.24

5.20

.26

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.

145

TABLE V.

Weight, 28 to 36 Ibs. Price, 6c. to I2^c. per Ib.

Weight -

28 Ib.

30 Ib.

32 Ib.

35 Ib.

36 Ib.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

$1.68

.09

$1.80

.09

$1.92

. IO

$2. 1C

. II

02.16

.11

6*/

I .75

.09

1.88

. IO

2 .OO

. IO

2. 19

. II

2.25

. 12

1.82

.10

1-95

.10

2.08

.11

2.28

.12

2.34

. 12

1.89

.10

2.03

.11

2.16

.11

2-37

. 12

2.43

2 q6

. 10

2. IO

. II

2 24

. 12

2 4;

1 1

2 .52

T 7.

2.03

. II

2.18

. II

* T"
2.32

.12

' TO
2-54

.13

2.6l

2. 10
2. 17

.11

. II

2.25

2. 33

.12
. 12

2.4O

2 48

.12

2.63

2 72

-14
14

2.70

2 . 79

.14

2.24

. 12

2.40

.12

*r* J
2. 5 6

* /
2.80

2.88

2. 3 I

.12

2.48

2.64

2.89

-15

2.97

2. 3 8

.12

2-55

2.72

.14

2.98

3-06

.16

2.45

2.63

2.80

3.07

.16

3-15

.16

2. C.2

2 7O

2.88

7 1C

.16

7 24

* j^
2.50

** , j \j
2.78

2 06

O J

7 24

O ^T-
7 77

* /
17

9 y 2

J y

2.66

.14

.> . ^ \J
3-04

.16

O ' T"

3-33

/
17

J OJ
3-42

* /
.18

2.73

2-93

J 5

3.12

.16

3-42

.18

3-51

.18

2.80

3.00

3-20

.16

3.50

.18

3-60

.18

10%

2.87

3.08

.16

3.28

3-59

.18

3-69

.19

10^

2-94

3-15

.16

3.36

3.68

3.78

io^f

3.01

3-23

3.44

.18

3-77

.19

3.87

.20

3-o8

.16

3.30

J 7

3.52

.18

3-85

.20

3.96

.20

3.15

.16

3.38

3.60

.18

3-94

.20

4-05

.21

11^

3.22

.17

3-45

.18

3-68

.19

4-03

.21

4.14

.21

11^

3-29

3-53

.18

3-76

.19

4.12

.21

4.23

.22

3.36

.17

3.60

.18

3.84

.20

4.20

.21

4.32

.22

12^

3-43

.18

3.68

.19

3-92

.20

4.29

.22

4-41

12^

3-50

.18

3-75

4.00

.20

4.38

.22

4-50

12 %

3-57

.18

3.83

.20

4.08

.21

4-47

4-59

.23

146

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLE VI.

Weight, 28 to 36 Ibs. Price, 130. to 2oc. per Ib.

Weight -

28 Ib.

30 Ib.

32 Ib.

35 Ib.

36 Ib.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

I 7C . .

$-1 64

5"? QO

.20

$4.l6

. 21

\A trc

$4.68

I'M.

JP J V1 T

7 71

. * y
10

iPj ' y*+
1 08

. 20

4 24

. 22

P*fr* JD

464

^ J

24.

4 77

. f>t\
24

iVA

v> /

^.78

y
10

o y

A OS

.21

t **t

4 -22

. 22

. V/iJ.

4. 77

^T-

24.

^r ' 1 1

4 86

*T-

'3 3 /

o /

3-85

.7
.20

*r V J
4-13

.21

*r O

4 40

.22

T" / O

4.82

^''r

t . <-"->
4-95

^ J
25

3v92

. 2O

4.2O

.21

4.48

4.90

5-04

.26

i4#

3-99

.20

4.28

.22

4-5 6

4-99

5-13

.26

i4i<

4.06

. 21

4 7C

. 22

4- ^4

2 4

q 08

.26

; 22

'4#

4.13

.21

T" * O J

4-43

4.72

.24

j vy< - 7

5-17

.26

j . ****
5-31

.27

4. 20

.21

4 ^O

4.80

.24

c 2t;

c 40

i5X

4.27

.22

*t j

4.58

4.88

-25

j j
5-34

.27

j *r w

5-49

.28

i5^

4-34

.22

4.65

.24

4.96

5-43

.28

5.58

.28

'5#

4.41

4-73

.24

5-04

.26

5.52

.28

5.67

.29

4.48

.23

4.80

.24

5 I2

.26

< 60

.28

5.76

i6X

4-55

4.88

5.20

.26

5.69

J * /

5.85

.7
30

16^

4.62

.24

4-95

5.28

.27

5.78

.29

5-94

i63/

4.69

.24

5.03

.26

5.36

.27

S-87

. 3 d

6.03

.31

4 76

. 24

c 10

.26

c 44.

J "/

c nc

6.12

17^

T" / w

4.83

5.18

.26

j *r*t

5-52

.28

j yj
6.04

o w

6.21

-32

'7#

4.90

5.25

5 .60

.28

6.13

6.30

I73/ .

4. 07

C . "2-2

t; 68

6.22

6 70

*T ' .7/

c 04

J
.26

J JO

^ 4-O

/
2 7

j
^.76

6 70

o
72

** J:?
6.48

O
77

i8X

J V*T
5.II

.26

J T w

5.48

.28

j /
5-84

7
-30

w J^y

6-39

)
32

6-57

i&'A

5.18

.26

5-55

.28

5.92

6.48

6.66

'8*

5-25

.27

5-63

6.00

6.57

6.75

^ 72

2 7

c 70

.29

6.08

6 6s

6.84

I9#

J O

5-39

.27

D I
5-78

.29

6.16

V . V^ J

6.74

OT^

6-93

I9>2

5.46

.28

5.85

6.24

-32

6.83

7.02

.36

20 . ...

5.60

.28

6.00

6.40

7.00

7.20

.36

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.

147

TABLE VII.
Weight, 40 to 70 Ibs. Price, 6c. to I2^c. per Ib.

Weight -

40 Ib.

45 Ib.

50 Ib.

60 Ib.

70 Ib.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

$2.40

. 12

$2.70

.14

$3-

$3-60

.18

$4-20

.21

2.50

2.82

3.13

.16

3-75

.19

4.38

.22

2.60

2-93

3-25

3 90

.20

4-55

2.70

3-4

.16

3-38

4-05

.21

4-73

.24

2.80

3-15

.16

3-50

.18

4.20

.21

4.90

7 1/

2.90

1 26

.17

1 6l

.19

4-35

. 22

5.08

.26

r/*

3.00

J
15

j
3.38

o o

3-75

.I 9

4.5o

5-25

.27

3 10

.16

3-49

.18

3-88

.20

4-65

5-43

.28

3.20

.16

3.60

.18

4.00

.20

4.80

.24

5.60

.28

3-30

.17

3-72

.19

4.13

.21

4-95

-25

5.78

3-40

3-83

.20

4-25

.22

5-io

.26

5-95

3-50

.18

3-94

.20

4.38

.22

5-25

.27

6.13

i 60

.18

4. oc,

. 21

4. CQ

c 40

2 7

6.30

. 12

3 ww
3-70

.19

*T ' ^J
4.17

.21

T- j^
4-63

.24

j "r w

5-55

.28

6.48

-33

3.80

-19

4.28

.22

4-75

.24

5-7o

6.65

3-90

.20

4 39

.22

4.88

5.85

6 83

4.OO

.20

4-50

5.00

6.00

7.00

ID*/ . .

4. 10

.21

4.62

2 4

^ n

.26

6.15

.31

7.18

.36

IO 1 / .

4. 2O

. 21

4. 71

24.

j j

c 2Z

6 30

7-35

-27

*^/2 * '

">#

T. *" v
4.30

.22

T^ / O

4^4

- **r

j j

5-37

*/
.27

W . JV

6.45

7-53

J 1
.38

4.40

4-95

5-50

6.60

7.70

4-50

5-07

.26

5.6 3

.29

6.75

7.88

.40

II,'4

4.60

2 3

5-l8

.26

5-75

.29

6.90

8.05

.41

II#

4 70

.24

5-29

.27

5.88

7-05

.36

8.23

.42

4.80

.24

5-40

6.00

7.20

-36

8.40

I2#

4.90

5-5i

.28

6.13

7-35

8.58

12^

5.00

5.63

.29

6.25'

7-50

8.75

12^

5.10

.26

5-74

7.38

7,65

8-93

148

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

TABLE VIII.
Weight, 40 to 70 Ibs. Price, 130. to 2Oc. per Ib.

Weight -

40 Ib.

45 Ib.

50 Ib.

60 Ib.

70 Ib.

Price per Ib.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr-

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

Ream

Qr.

13C

$5.20

.26

5.85

$6.50

$7-8o

$9-10

-46

'3X

5-30

.27

5-97

6.62

7-95

.40

9.28

iil4

c .40

2 7

6.08

.31

6.75

. "34

8. 10

4 1

.48

'3^

j *r*
5.50

.28

6.19

6.88

OT^

8.25

y *r j
9-63

.49

5.60

.28

6.30

.32

7.00

8.40

.42

9.8o

14. i/

5-7

2 9

6.42

7- 1 3

8.55

9.98

14^ ..

5.80

6-53

7.25

j j
8.70

10.15

j
.51

I4#

5-90

6.64

7.38

8.85

iQ-33

6.00

6.75

7.50

9.00

10.50

i5#

6. 10

6.87

7.63

9-15

.46

10.68

i5#

6.20

6.98

7-75

9-30

10.85

i5#

6.30

,32

7.09

7.88

.40

9-45

ii .03

6.40

7.20

8.00

.40

9.60

.48

ii .20

i6X

6.50

7-32

8.13

9-75

11.38

i6#

6.60

7-43

8.25

9-90

ii-55

'6#

6.70

7-54

.38

8.38

.42

10.05

11-73

17 ....

6.80

7.65

8.50

IO.2O

.51

n .90

.60

1754;

6 90

7.77

8.63

,44

10.35

.52

12.08

.61

i7#

7 .00

7.88

.40

8-75

IO.5O

12.25

.62

'7#

7.10

7-99

.40

800
. oo

10.65

12.43

7.20

.36

8.10

9.00

10.80

12.60

-63

i8X

7-30

8.22

9.13

.46

10-95

12.78

i8# .....

7.40

8-33

.42

9.25

1 1. 10

12.95

-65

i8#

7-50

.38

8.44

9.38

11.25

13-13

.66

7.60

8-55

9-5

.48

11.40

13-30

-67

I9X

7.70

8.67

9-63

11.55

13-48

.68

'9#

7.80

8.78

9-75

11.70

13-65

.69

8.00

.40

9.00

10.00

12.00

.60

14.00

.70

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. 149

ORDER BOOK AND JOB TICKETS.

In order to keep track of the cost of work through-
out its several processes there have been various systems
adopted, with more or less success, and it is difficult to
say which of those systems is entitled to be considered
best. But the following has borne the test of many
years' practice, and is recommended as being reliable and
practicable :

Have a book in which jobs can be entered and num-
bered consecutively, as they are received. Let this book
be ruled in columns, so as to provide for entering all the
particulars of name, address, quantity, description, etc.,
on the left-hand page, and on the right-hand page ruled
so as to provide for the entry of the various items of cost,
such as composition, presswork, stock, cutting, padding,
ruling, numbering, perforating, folding, sewing, binding,
etc., with a column for total cost, and one for the price
charged to customer.

Then have a small blank, called a " job ticket," printed
so as to provide spaces for all of the above particulars, on
which the person putting the job in hand will enter all
particulars and instructions to correspond with the entry
in the order book, and those who are engaged on the job
must enter the time occupied. Let each person also have
a " daily time slip," on which to enter against the job
number the same time which they enter on the job ticket,
the total of these entries being the time they have worked
during the day. There will be times when a man is
engaged on general distribution or other work in other
departments, which cannot well be charged to any job
number, in which case he will enter the time on his daily
slip, and not on the job ticket, such work being taken into

150 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

account, as will be explained shortly. No job should be
allowed to be put in hand without a job ticket being made
out, and such ticket must accompany the job from start
to finish.

The following reduced fac similes will illustrate the
system.

To arrive at the cost of the time thus charged on the
job ticket, it is necessary to take other things into account
besides the wages paid. A good plan is to fix a certain
rate per hour. Take the composing room, for example.
Find the total amount paid in the room (including fore-
man, proofreader, etc.) ; then by dividing that amount by
the aggregate number of hours worked, you have the cost
per hour. But that would not represent the full cost of
composition. Experience shows that at least one-half
more must be added in order to cover distribution and
other necessary expenses, so that if the cost shown was
20 cents you will have to reckon 30 cents. The press-
room can be figured in the same way, for although there
is no distribution to be allowed for, there is power to
think of, and there are times when presses are standing
idle and other such like matters to be provided for. And
so for bindery and other rooms.

After a job is finished, the time on the ticket is to be
figured at the rates per hour which have been decided
upon. Should the composition rate be 35 cents, and the
time charged be 2 ^ hours, then the cost of composition
would be called 90 cents. The time on the other parts of
the work being figured in the same way.

After the various items of cost have been figured out
on the job ticket they will be entered in the order book
against their proper numbers, as shown on the fac simile
sheet. Of course, the difference between the " total

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.

151

..188^

THIS TICKET arST ACCOMPANY JOB TimorCHOtTV

Job No.*
Name.....:
Quantity.
Pescription..

Stock

Cost of Stock_yLZ2 Color of Ink.....*

Proof Wanted <L

Bound in A/.. ...books. P_ads

Ruied... {^r*f....Numbered../^<<*^.. Perforated ..

BE CAREFUL TO

CHARGE ALL TIME

OCCUPIED.

1 jj|f| I

I B| 9am
1 IIVlE^!

"^TT

Tak Proof of Job on Back of Ticket before Lifting.

152

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

DAILY TIME slR

JOB NO.

cost," and the " billed at " columns, will only show the
gross profit. Then will come rent, gas, office expenses,

etc., before the net
profit is arrived at.

Those who have
used this system have
found that it took
them a very little
time to get used to
it, and they would
not give it upon any
account.

But do not at-
tempt to carry on
business without a
system of some kind
that will furnish you
with the particulars
enumerated here ; for
without such infor-
mation you will be

Time entered on xnla Slfp must correspond with time . - .

on job TicKet. groping in the dark

and find when it is too late that your business is a
failure.

nut*

PROOF READING, 153

PROOF READING.

NO part of the work of printing is of more import-
ance nor requires more care than that of proof
reading. The type may have the newest and hand-
somest face, the paper may be the best that can be
made, the presswork may be unsurpassable and the
binding the most elegant, and yet if the proof reading
has been carelessly done the whole of the work may be
disfigured and spoiled. Not only will there be inaccu-
racies as regards spelling, punctuation or grammar, but
also a lack of uniformity in style throughout.

There are some points upon which there may be
diversities of opinions, but whatever style is adopted
at the commencement of any work should be followed
closely to the end. Capitalization, spelling, punctua-
tion and spacing are each open to some difference of
opinion, but there should be no two opinions followed
in any one piece of work.

Very few authors are aware to what an extent they
are indebted to proof readers for uniformity of style,
and those who are most indebted are the least likely to
appreciate it. Copy is very often prepared in the most
careless manner, and compositors and proof readers
have to spend much valuable time in putting it into
proper shape, although perhaps the author may never
know that anything has been done to it. But only let
a proof reader allow a trifling error to pass and that

154 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

same author will come down upon him like a mighty
avalanche !

Proof reading is by no means as easy a matter as
some persons would seem to suppose. To be qualified
for this work a man must have a very large amount of
general knowledge, must be a good scholar, must have
a powerful memory, must be acquainted with the prac-
tical part of the printing business, and must have an
eye quick to detect errors. Besides this he should be
somewhat familiar with several languages besides his
own and have an acquaintance with the geography of
the whole world.

Very often he is called upon to read scientific and
classical works, in which he will meet with a variety of
abstruse subjects, with all of which he is expected to
be more or less acquainted. Medical, mathematical,
philosophical and botanical works often form part of
that which he has to read and revise and prepare for
the public eye. And generally speaking the authors
who deal with these more difficult subjects have the
worst kind of handwriting and bestow least pains upon
trying to make what they write intelligible to the poor
compositor. The consequence is that the proof reader
has to be consulted again and again and must make
" sense " somehow.

Therefore it will be easily seen that a proof reader's
duties are by no means light, and the man who ably
fills such a position has an amount of hard work and
mental worry which no one else in the business has to
endure. And yet there must be proof readers and
someone must be found who is able and willing to
cope with these difficulties.

PROOF READING. 155

Unfortunately, it happens that some of those who
are engaged in this work take so little pains to do that
work properly or to qualify themselves for reading in
the higher branches of literature that discredit is thus
brought upon the body generally, and the work done is
not appreciated as it should be. Those who desire to
become good proof readers must be prepared to under?
go a large amount of mental preparation and to give
themselves up to hard work.

A few suggestions may be given here which will be
likely to benefit those who are desirous of entering on
this kind of work:

1. Before starting to read a proof find out whether
you are to " follow copy" in regard to doubtful spell-
ing or compound words and whether the author has
given general instructions on other points.

2. Ascertain whether you are to adopt any particu-
lar style as regards capitals or punctuation.

3. Take a general survey of the copy in order
to find out whether there is uniformity in the author's
styla ; whether he spells words differently in some
places from what he does in others ; whether he capi-
talizes all through alike, and whether he underlines
properly and uniformly for capitals, small capitals or
italics.

4. If you find that no uniformity of style has been
adopted, and that you are to use your own judgment,
then write down carefully such leading rules as will
help you in securing uniformity throughout.

5. When the proofs are laid before you, treat them
to the same examination. Notice whether the para-
graphs are all indented alike, whether the spacing is

156 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

uniform, and whether such instructions as may have
been given have been followed.

6. It is a good plan to let the copyholder read in an
even tone, one word at a time, without trying to give
expression to the sense of what is being read, and then
to let your eyes keep just a little ahead of his reading,
as by this means you will be more likely to detect
errors than by following his lead.

7. If the copyholder be a fast and accurate reader
it will be well simply to compare with copy and look
for "outs," "doubles" and other typographical errors
at this first reading, and then go over the ground a
second time by yourself for punctuation, spacing and
the other finer points.

8. When revising a proof which has been corrected
it will be advisable not only to see that all the changes
have been made, but to see that no alterations have
been made other than those marked. Where the cor-
rections are very numerous it is a good plan to have
the whole re-read by the copyholder.

9. When the matter has been made up into plages,
it will be necessary to look carefully after such points
as the following:

That no lines have become transposed in making

up;

That no lines have been left out;
That the bottom line of each page reads on to

the top line of the next page;
That no page commences with the last line of a

paragraph; and
That the running heads and folios are in proper

sequence.

PROOF READING. 157

An experienced proof reader will have an immense
advantage over a novice, from the fact that when he
reads a proof he knows what he is looking for and
what he may expect to find. Especially is this so
when he has some experience as a compositor. For,
on the principle of the old adage, <4 Set a rogue to
catch a rogue," he knows the kind of errors which are
most likely to be made and where to look for them.

Wrong letters, turned letters, wrong font letters,
doubles, outs, bad spacing, bad spelling, transposition of
letters at the ends of lines these and many other such
irregularities he is constantly looking out for, and,
like a detective, he acquires the power of quickly
recognizing his objects.

Failure to detect an error and then to have that
error found by someone else is, to a conscientious
proof reader, not only annoying but humiliating. I
can well remember some painful experiences of this
sort myself, and the mortification and chagrin are
more easily written about than they were endured.
But every proof reader has to pass through this ordeal
at some time or other, and it is comforting to remem-
ber that others have had the same experience and
afterwards made a success. In spite of the greatest
precaution and most careful examination, mistakes
will find their Way into the best of works:

We are told that Aldus, in order to eliminate all
errors from his edition of Plato, offered a gold coin
for every mistake that could be discovered. Also,
that publishers in his day used to publicly expose the
proof sheets of their works and offer rewards to those
who would point out errors. " And yet such unlucky

158 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

mistakes often crept into their works that they de-
clared that either the devil presided over typography
or there was diabolic malice on the part of the com-
positors."

The subject of proof reading covers a very wide
range. Books, magazines, newspapers and job work
each furnish a large field for the exercise of the natural
talents, and yet each call for distinctive treatment.
As a rule, more time is given to the reading of proofs
for book work than for any other kind. Generally
there is no hurry, while accuracy is of greater account
than speed. Therefore the reader can devote all his
thought and attention to that one point of supreme
importance accuracy. Not a word should be spelt
wrongly; not a punctuation mark should be misplaced ;
not a capital should be misused or omitted; not a space
should be out of uniformity; not a wrong font or turned
or broken letter should appear ; but everything should '
be accurate.

Magazine work comes next in this order, and while
it naturally calls for accuracy it often calls for expedi-
tion. Therefore the reader has these two special
features to bear in mind. To be accurate as well as
to be quick is a qualification which requires a good
deal of nerve, in addition to knowledge and practice.
But if there should be so much hurry as that some-
thing must be slighted, do not let it be the uniformity,
for as the articles will be written by different indi-
viduals, there will be more danger of failure in this
respect than in any other.

For newspaper work there must be speed. Some
other points may have to give way to this and even

PROOF READING. 159

accuracy may be sacrificed on the altar of necessity,
but at all cost latest news must be received and the
forms must be on time. A press which runs tens of
thousands an hour cannot be kept waiting because the
compositor has misspelt the word "diabetes" or made
Shakespeare the "Bard of Avos."

Job work calls for both accuracy and speed, and
is, perhaps, the hardest kind of work to read. Here,
more than anywhere else, the proof reader will find
the advantage of having a knowledge of the composi-
tor's work. . To know something of the different
names and sizes of types, to be familiar with the
faces of special kinds used in display work, and to
have some amount of taste for judging the artistic
merits of such work will be found immensely help-
ful. But job work embraces such a great variety of
matter and changes so often that a proof reader needs
to be able to turn from one job to another and be just
as much at home on one as on the other. Figure
work requires accuracy in its fullest sense, and yet
often has to be done with as much speed as is ever
called for on newspaper work.

In every kind of work the copy should always be
read by the copyholder and on no account should
the proof reader read the proof aloud while the copy-
holder simply holds the copy and compares with what
is being read. It would almost seem superfluous to
mention such a matter as this, but among job print-
ers there is a good deal of this kind of proof reading,
and many mistakes and much spoiled paper result.

Large posters and show bills can be read in the
type before being locked up, as the type is large and

160 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

the locking of such forms is quite an item. In this
large work the rules of punctuation need not be so
rigidly enforced. Where a large line of wood letter
just fits the measure a point may be dispensed with, or
where it falls short and an exclamation point would
be in keeping, then two or even three of these may be
used to fill out the line.

Divisions of words in job work ought not to be
allowed. Not only do divisions look bad in displayed
lines, but also in the solid matter of circulars. " Wide
spacing and no divisions in job work " used to be a
part of the printed instructions in one of the largest
and best printing establishments. And it is a very
good rule to follow.

Proof readers will do well to be very careful about
making changes in displayed work other than actual
errors. If it should appear to them that a line would
look better if set in some other type, or that some
different arrangement of the lines should be made, it
will be better to make the suggestion before marking
the change on the proof. The compositor may have
some reason for doing as he has done of which the
reader might be totally ignorant.

It is important in reading displayed work to see
that all of the short lines, brass rules and dashes are
in the centre ; also to see that all reprint jobs are
spaced out according to copy, particularly in blanks
and other jobs where spaces are left for writing.

Another important point is to see that the form
is locked up straight ; that it does not hang down
on one or both corners ; that no pieced leads have
become crossed in the centre ; that the form is not

PROOF READING. 161

crooked on account of a piece of the furniture being
too long, thus causing it to bind, and that from no
other cause the form is thrown out of square or is in
an unfit condition to be put on the press.

Where jobs are printed in two or more colors it is
important to see that the spacing between the lines
is perfectly accurate, as it will be too late to find this
out when the first form is finished and the second is
being printed into the spaces left. It is best to have
a proof of the whole page taken on dry paper
before it is dissected for colors, and then to measure
each form by such proof.

Picking and turning for sorts in job work is a con-
stant source of trouble to the reader, as after he has
carefully read and corrected all of the errors in a proof
some delay may arise before the job is printed, and in
the meantime letters are taken out and perhaps not put
back carefully. Therefore when the job is actually on
the press it is advisable to read every displayed line
again with this fact in view.

And yet, even then, the last danger is not passed.
A letter may draw out and break while the press is run-
ning, and the person who puts in another letter may put
in a wrong one. But this should not be allowed.
There ought to be a rule that whenever letters draw
out or matter is pied the reader should be told of it so
that he may revise the changes made.

In the case of a very long run from one form plates
are mostly used, but where such work is done from
movable types the reader should take a sheet every
now and then and carefully examine it to see whether
any letters have been pulled out or broken off.

102 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

It has become customary in some establishments to
let a proof reader read over copy before it is given to
the compositors. He marks the punctuation, makes
the spelling and capitalization uniform, and in other
ways seeks to lessen the number of changes that
would have to be made in the proof. This is a good
plan, and while at first sight it might appear that the
compositor was the only one benefited, yet in reality
the reader's time in doing this first work is more than
paid for by the reduction in the amount of his work
afterward.

It is the rule in most large houses where they print
books of reference, public documents and other works
which require the very greatest care, to have the proofs
pass through the hands of two or more different read-
ers. Sometimes each reader will read by copy and go
over the same proof, making their additional marks
alongside of those already there. And then the proof
may be revised by still another reader.

Press proof reading on book and magazine work
should be done by a special reader. Here it is not so
much a question of followng copy or punctuation or
capitalization as a general scrutiny of the whole to find
whether anything may have happened to the matter
since it was made up and imposed ; also to see that
each sheet follows on from the end of the previous one
and to give a final glance over/the whole, in view of
the fact that this is the last examination the work will
get before it is too late to make. changes. The man
who fills this pest will find that he holds a responsible
and important position.

A proof reader should be very careful not to make

PROOF READING. 163

unnecessary marks. He should never make a change
which he can avoid. Some readers are apt to think
that they please their employers and display their
ability by making a proof look as dirty as possible.
What they are expected to do is to mark all ERRORS,
and if they do more than this they waste their employ-
er's time and provoke the bad feeling of the
compositors.

Sometimes a reader may get out of patience with a
compositor because he has made more mistakes than
he thinks ought to be made, and will for that very
reason try and make the proof look as black as possi-
ble, thus provoking the compositor to wrath. But if he
were to go to the case and try his hand on setting up
the same work he might modify his idea.

On the other hand, compositors often accuse read-
ers of spiteful motives and actions where they do not
exist, and while they sometimes think they would like
to change places with the readers, they would find, if
they really did so, that a reader's position is anything
but a bed of roses.

The fact is that, instead of either of them having
cause to find fault with the other, the trouble of both
principally comes from their common enemy, the
author. If every writer for the press would write in a
plain, readable style the compositor would make fewer
mistakes, the reader would have less to do, and all
parties concerned would be better off. But, alas, the
prospect of any such blissful state of things appears to
be afar off. This has always been the trouble
with the writing of most authors, and is likely to be
in the future, although the introduction of type-

164 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

writing machines has modified the evil to some small
extent.

In closing, and in connection with the foregoing, it
may be well to quote the following lines from Johnson's
" Typographia," published in 1824 :

Ye Author's list ! we must a tale unfold,

Which, doubtless, some of you have oft been told ;

You little dream how much poor Typo's vex'd,

When with bad copy his mind's sore perplex'd j

Nor is this all, he still has cause to dread

The Reader's gall, when first his proof is read ;

Corrected now, to you 'tis straight convey'd,

And in a trice the greatest havoc's made ;

Methinks we see you every page survey,

As with blunt pen the world's map you portray !

The numerous marks, on its margin's plain,

Appear like soldiers in the battle slain !

The proof's returned the Chapel's members all

Rush to the stone, obedient to his call,

To view this carnage, though no blood appears,

Yet e'en the sight awakes their manly fears !

Aloud they roar enough to strike him dead,

" A mob, a mob, th' riot act must be read ! "

His grief to soothe they sympathizing bawl,

" Patience and a sharp bodkin cures all."

His form, with heavy heart he then lays up,

And letters seeks, which fill his bitter cup ;

How often, when correcting at the stone,

He's prayed for you, while breaking his breast bone.

Reflect, when next you wield your potent quills,

And spare the printer all these dreaded ills :

Revise, transcribe and make your copy right,

Thus save his labor and his precious sight !

For this, your pardon we must humbly crave,

And of this subject beg to take our leave.

PECIMENS OF

COMPOSITION

BRASS RULE WOBK.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

167

168 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

MANUFACTURERS OF

PRINTING INKS

FOR ALL THE VARIOUS SYSTEMS OF PRINTING.

The largest and best appointed Factories in
existence.

The largest assortment of black and colored
Printing Inks always in stock and furnished at
short notice.

Printing Inks made to order exactly fit for
any press on any kind of paper or other
materiaj.

Specimen book furnished when requested.

JAENECKE-ULLMAN COMPANY,

536 AND 538 PEARL STREET, NEW YORK.
FACTORIES AT NEWARK, N. J.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

.169

170 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

CHAS. POTTER, Prest. J. M. TITSWORTH, Treas.

H. W. FISH, Vice-Prest D. E. TITSWORTH, Secty.

POTTER

PRINTING PRESS CO,

Web,

Lithographic/

AND

Cylinder Presses.

Potter Building, 38 Park Row,
NEW YORK.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

171

S Iieighton 3p os

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

WE FURNISH

anything from a Hand Cylinder to a Rapid
Rotary Web Perfecting Press.

For Speed, Simplicity and Durability come
to us.

Paper
Folders
also our
Specialty.

Campbell Printing Press Mfg. Co.,

334 DEARBORN STREET,

CHICAGO,

I MADISON AVENUE,

NEW YORK.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

173

LUSTRATED ^
CATALOGS. 4*

BOOK AND
JOB WORK

ttl

112 AND 114 N. ST. PAUL STREET,

ROCHESTER, N. Y.

RETURN IF NOT CALLED FOR IN 5 DA

MANUFACTURERS OF

Off!c^ndactory,]gROCKPORT, N. Y.

174 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

ALBERT NATHAN & CO.,

MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS

INCLUDING

ALL GRADES OF BLACK

AND

Every Shade of Colored Inks.

VARNISHES

AND

BRONZE POWDERS

7-9-11 NEW CHAMBERS STREET, KI -j
COR WILLIAM STREET. 1 1 C YY

176 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

EMPIRE TYPE-SETTING MACHINE

STRONG,

"SIMPLE,

SERVICEABLE.

Adapted to Newspaper and the finest kind of Book Work. Un-
like ALL other machines, this requires no machinist. Not liable to
get out of order. The stereotypes made from type set by this
machine are perfect. There is no breaking of type.

Average Capacity of Speed, 5,600 Ems an Hour.

DISTRIBUTION ENTIRELY AUTOMATIC.

This is without doubt the Fastest and Most Accurate Machine that
has ever been brought before the craft. We invite investigation of
this statement. For further particulars apply to

Empire Type-Setting Machine Co,,

"Mail and Express" Building,

No. 203 Broadway, New York,

This is the Best Machine for Book Printers. No Gas. No
Loss of Metal. No Boy to Shave Slugs.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

177

W. H. WRIGHT, JR.

PRINTER,

293 WASHINGTON ST. BUFFALO, N. Y.

RINTING COMPANY, /

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

178

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

179

CHASSEUR

M . K. T

180

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

I1-LC-STEVENS-

SUCCESSOR

DESIGNERS lj

PHOTO-NGRAYERS

OF THE ?J\pOOCTJOJ^ OF

ARTISTIC
CATALOGUES. PROORAHMES,

CIRCULARS,
DESCRIPTIVE BOOKS AND

MERCANTILE
AND GENERAL
PHOTOGRAPHY

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

181

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CO
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Composi

r ROLLERS IN EITHE]
WARRANTED TO SATI
QUIREMENTS.

LIC ANNIHILATOR.

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V-4 ' P4 ^

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182 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

MANUFACTURERS OF

BLACK AND COLORED

Printing Inks

For Domestic Use and Export.
28 READE STREET, NEW YORK.

P. O. BOX 2042

INKS FOR HALF-TONE AND ART WORK
A SPECIALTY.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 183

SECOND EDITION. PRICE $3.00.

BISHOP'S

JOB (DRDEFTBOOK

: : AND : :

RECORD OF COST.

COPYRIGHTED BY H. G. BISHOP.

Printed and ruled so as to afford a simple plan of recording

the cost of every job done, there being a separate

column for each of the following heads :

Date, Stock,

Job Number. Cutting,

Name Padding,

Quantity, Ruling,

Description, Numbering and Perforating,

Proof Wanted, Folding and Sewing,

Job Wanted, Binding,

Color of Ink, Other Charges,

Composition, Total Cost,

Presswork. Charge to Customer.

These items of cost are easily arrived at by the use of a "Job
Ticket" and " Daily Time Slip." which can be printed by any.
one. Each book contains 100 leaves, 10 x 16, half bound, and
provides room for entering 3,000 jobs. Printers who have
seen this book pronounce it the best of the kind. The price is
less than half what it would cost any printer to make a single
book.

Can be obtained from H. G. BISHOP, Oneoiita, N. T., and
through all Type Founders.

184 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

J. P. FELT. A. T. FELT.

JOS. P. FELT 8 CO.,

25 Rose 3treet, New York,

ELECTROTYPERS.

Blocking on Wood or Solid
Metal Bodies.

Metal Plates for Engravers
Made to Order.

Elevator, to receive and deliver Forms, always running.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 185

This Firm is not connected in any way with the AMERICAN '
TYPE FOUNDERS' TRUST.

The Old New York Type Foundry.

Established 1804,

A.D.FARMER&SON

(Late FARMER, LITTLE & Co.)

TYPE FOUNDING CO.,

6$ & 6^ Beekman Street, Corner Gold Street,
NEW YORK.

Orders for Type, &c. , supplied promptly by this firm.

We carry a Large Stock of our Roman and Old

Style Faces, Jobbing Type, Brass Rule, &c.,

from which entire outfits can be supplied

quickly. Every Printing Requisite

sold at manufacturers' prices.

ESTIMATES GIVEN WHEN REQUIRED.

Foundry : Beekman & Gold Sts.

186 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

FaCtS e fetter" Numbering
Machine

for printers' use.

Locks up in the form same
as a slug and numbers simul-
taneously with type matter.

It is very small, entirely
automatic, sitnple, conven-
ient and as durable as perfect steel and perfect workmanship can
combine to make it.

There are 6,000 or more in daily use and every one of them pan-
ning out profit for the printers owning them. They are just as im-
portant in a hustling printery as composing sticks.

Composed of few parts; a boy can take it apart and put it together
with ease.

The figure wheels will not clog or corrode.
Colored inks won't harm it in the least.

If you are in dead earnest and want to increase the volume of your
business our catalogue will throw out many valuable hints to you.
Ask for one.

Joseph Wetter & Go.,

20-22 Morton Street,

BROOKLYN, N. Y.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 187

SPECIMENS

JOB WORK

FOR PRINTERS.

BEING SUGGESTIONS FOR SETTING UP

Business Cards, Letter Heads,
Bill Heads, Circulars

And all kinds of DISPLAY ADVERTISING.

PRICE TWO DOLLARS.

To BE OBTAINED FROM II. G, BISHOP, ONEONTA, N. Y.

AND FROM AI.I. Tvi'K FOUNDERS.

188 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Headquarters ifor

LIBERTY PRESSES.

SOLE AGENTS FOR

HOWARD IRON WORKS PAPER CUTTERS.

Gem, Victor and Diamond Self-Clamp.

EASTERN AGENTS FOR

BARNHART BROS. & SPINDLER'S SUPERIOR
COPPER-MIXED TYPE,

AND

SEYBOLD MACHINE CO.'S BOOKBINDING
MACHINERY.

MANHATTAN TYPE FOUNDRY,

2 6k 54 Frankfort Street, New York.

COMPLETE OUTFITS A SPECIALTY.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 189

SECOND EDITION. PRICE 50 CENTS.

AS HANDY AS A WATCH AND QUITE AS USEFUL.

DIAGRAMS OF IMPOSITION

COPYRIGHTED BY H. G. BISHOP.

PRINTED ON BOND PAPER. BOUND IN RED LEATHER.

SHOWING ALL THE MOST USEFUL SCHEMES FOR

LAYING DOWN PAGES; WITH NOTES

AND EXPLANATIONS.

FEW SUBJECTS ARE SO IMPORTANT AND YET SO
LITTLE UNDERSTOOD AS THAT OF IMPOSITION.

THIS LITTLE BOOK GIVES THE WHOLE SUBJECT
IN A NUTSHELL.

EVERY COMPOSITOR AND PRESSMAN SHOULD HAVE
IT IN HIS POCKET FOR REFERENCE.

190

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

EDW. L. MEGILL,

THE SPECIALIST IN

~ FEED GAUGES ~

For Printing Presses.

.RIPPER FINGER SOc M. 75c e> iJ Mt

INVENTS, MANUFACTURES AND OFFERS TO THE TRADE

Gauges for Every Purpose of the Printer

Comprehended in over seventy sizes and varieties, and secured by over twenty
patents. Send for circular, or order of the type founder or dealer in printers'
supplies.

E. L. MEGILL, Pioneer Inventor and Manufacturer,

iD-u.a,aa.e Street,

"STorlc-

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION. 191

THE JOB PRINTER'S

LIST OF PRICES

AND

ESTIMATE GUIDE:

CONTAINING

PRICES TO BE CHARGED FOR ALL KINDS OF JOB
' AND BOOK WORK, FROM A SMALL CARD
TO A LARGE VOLUME.

By H. G. BISHOP,

AUTHOR OF "THE PRACTICAL PRINTER," "SPECIMENS OF JOB
WORK," AND OTHER WORKS.

PRICE ONE DOLLAR,

THROUGH ALL TYPE FOUNDERS.

NEW YORK :
H. G. BISHOP, 128 DUANE STREET.

1893.

192 THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

THE PRINTER'S

READY RECKONER:

CONTAINING

MANY USEFUL TABLES,

SHOWING THE COST OF STOCK USED ON SMALL

JOBS, QUANTITY OF PAPER TO GIVE OUT,

COMPARATIVE WEIGHTS OF PAPER,

THE RELATIVE SIZES OF TYPE,

AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION FOR PRINTERS.

By H. G. BISHOP,

AUTHOR OF "THE PRACTICAL PRINTER," "SPECIMENS OF JOB
WORK," AND OTHER WORKS.

PRICE FIFTY CENTS.

THROUGH ALL TYPE FOUNDERS.

NEW YORK:
H. G. BISHOP, 128 DUANE STREET.

1893.

SPECIMENS OF COMPOSITION.

193

INDEX.

195

INDEX

Abbreviations 17

A B C of the business must

be learned 2

Accents 33

Advantages of the point

system 27

Algebraical signs 34

"A little learning is a dan-
gerous thing." 14

Amateurs 22, 93

Apostrophe 18

Arrangement of types for

display work 59

Astronomical signs 35

Authors might feel

ashamed of their copy . . 13

Authors' peculiarities 10

Bad divisions 52

Bad manuscript 10

Bad spacing 51

Bad spelling, compositors

have to correct 13

Bearers 110

Bed of press to be clean . . 99

Benzine 120

Body, position of the 48

Boxes, learning the 47

Boys who cannot read nor

spell 7

Brackets 20

Bursting of rollers. 114

Business management. ... 132
Buy ing plant and materials 135

Capitals, the use of 20

Cardboard, cutting 123

Carelessness of authors ... 12

Care of inks 118

Care required in making

overlays 108

Cases, learning the lay of. 47

Casting off table matter. . 61

Catalogues and circulars. 21
Chapters should net begin

near bottoms of pages . . 63

Clean proofs 53

Colon 17

Comma 16

Commencing table work . 61

Commercial signs 33

Composing machine 53

Composition 47

Composition, rate per hour

for 156

Compositors blaming read-
ers 54

Compositors have to cor-
rect bad spelling 13

Compositors must be able

to read bad manuscript. 10
Compositors need to know

more than setting type . 3

Compound words 20

Correcting 54

Correcting in the galley

and in the form 55

Cost of printing ink 138

11)6

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Cost of work, keeping

track of 149

Copyholders, difficulty in

obtaining 7

Cross headings 63

Cupboard for rollers 117

Cuts, underlaying 102

Cutting cardboard 123

Cutting rules for table

work 62

Cutting stock 123

Cylinder presses, making

ready on 99

Daily time slip 149

Depreciation 133

Difficulties the learner

should fully understand 8

Dirty proofs 54

Display work 59

Distribution 48

Diversity of opinion re-
garding punctuation ... 15

Divisions of words 52

Drawback to obtaining a

general knowledge of

the business 3

Dropping types 49

Duplicate set of rollers. . . 115

Dust in ink 118

Effects of temperature on

rollers 114

Embossing should be

avoided 112

Em dash 18

Empty cans to be thrown

aside 118

Estimating 132

Even impression . 99

Even spacing 50

Examples of punctuation . 16

Exclamation point IS

False movements in type

setting 49

Facsimile of bad copy ... 11

Feeders 94

Few boys who can read

and spell 7

Figuring on work 132

Fine cut work 106

First be accurate, then be

quick 49

Fitting up of stock room . 122
Form on press may

"spring" 99

Fractions 36

Friars 117

Full count 121

General knowledge, com-
positors need a large

amount of 8

Good ink necessary 113

Grammar, compositors

need to understand 13

"Green " rollers 116

Gauge for making up 63

Gauging form on press ... 101
*' Guessing " at the cost of

stock , . . 140

Half -sheet work 66

Hard packing 110

Hard rollers 115

Headings 63

Headings for tables 62

How to correct a proof ... 54

Hyphen 20

Imperfect plates, how to

remedy 108

Imposing from the center 65

INDEX.

107

Imposition 65

Indentation 51

Injury to type by using

tweezers 55

Inks, care of 118

Inner form 66

' ' Insertions " 55

Instructions to pressmen . 91

Interest on capital 133

Interrogation point 18

Irregular spacing arises

from carelessness 52

Job presses, making ready

on 110

Jobticket 149

Job work 58

Justification 49

Keeping track of cost of

work 149

Kerosene oil, when to use 119

Laying down pages 65

Last line of paragraph not

to be turned over to

next page 63

Leaded matter 51

Learners should fully un-
derstand the difficulties 8
Learning the A B C of the

business 2

Learning the boxes 47

Learning to read 9

Learning to spell 8

Lengths and widths of

pages 62

Lines should be same

length 50

List of punctuation marks 16

Locking up 89

Low prices, danger of. ... 132

Machine for composing. . . 53
Making ready on cylinder

presses 99

Making ready on job

presses 110

Making register 101

Making the margin 88

Making up 62

Management 132

Managers not sufficiently
acquainted with esti-
mating 4

Manuscript, bad 10

Measuring off matter. .... 63

Medical signs 35

Movements, false, in type

setting 49

Names of types 24

Need for a knowledge of
the rudiments of the

business 1

Net profit 133

Oil and rags 119

Oiling presses and shafting 1 19

Order book 149

Outer form 66

" Outs," how to remedy. . 54

Overlays 106

Pages all to be one length. 64

Pages, laying down 65

Paragraphs, indention of. 51

Parentheses 19

Patching up 102

Patching up must not be

done on top sheet 106

Peculiarities in authors'

copy 10

Peculiar sorts, time lost in
looking for 37

THE PRACTICAL PRINTER.

Period 17

Planing down 90

Plant and materials, buy-
ing 135

Points, and how to use

them 16

Point system 27

Positions of odd and even

pages 66

Position of the body 48

Poster work 60

Practical and theoretical

knowledge necessary. .. 2
Practiced eye, the advan-
tage of having a 12

Preserving overlays 113

Pressmen need to know
something of composi-
tion 3

Presswork 91

Press work, cost per hour

for 150

Principles of making ready 94

Printing ink, cost of 138

Proper names 21

Proofs, clean 53

Proprietors not sufficiently
acquainted with estim-
ating 4

Proper treatment of rollers 1 14
Punctuation, diversity of

opinion regarding 15

Quotations 16

Quoins to be gradually

tightened 89

Rate per hour for composi-
tion 150

Reading and spelling 7

Read, learning to 9

References 33

Regularity of color 99

Rollers, their proper treat-
ment 114

Rudiments of the business,

a need for knowing the . 1
Rules, cutting for table

work 62

Rules for making up 63

Running heads 63

Secret of locking up a

form properly 89

Selecting suitable types. . 58

Semicolon . . . . 17

Set-off caused by cutting. 123
Setting figures in long lines 62

Setting guides 101

Sheet work 66

Show printing. . . '. 60

Signs thrown into spare

boxes 37

Signs used in printing. . . 32

Sizes of types 24

Soiled sheets 95

Spacing 50

Specimens of bad copy. . . 11

Spelling 7

Spell, learning to 8

Spontaneous combustion. 120
' ' Squable," how to remedy 55
Stock and shipping de-
partments 121

Stock room, fitting up 122

Superiors and inferiors ... 35
Table matter that will not

"lift" 61

Table work 60

Technical terms 39

INDEX.

191)

Tendency to shirk learning

details 46

Terras used in composing

room 39

Terms used in press room 96
The advantage of having a

practiced eye 12

Theoretical and practical

knowledge necessary ... 2

The use of capitals 20

Time lost in looking for

peculiar sorts 37

Time slip, daily. 149

Top sheets on cylinders.. 106

Treatment of rollers 114

Tweezers injure the type. 55

Tying up pages 64

Types off their feet 50

Type suitable for certain

classes of work 58

Types, their names and

sizes 24

Types r their relative pro-
portions 26

Typographical signs 36

Underlaying cuts 102

Uniform spacing 51

Unnecessary divisions .... 52
Upper case, learning all

the boxes in the 48

Varieties of words in the

English language 9

Washing rollers 115

Words pronounced alike

but spelled differently. . 9
Words spelled alike but

pronounced differently. 9
Words spelled and pro-
nounced alike but having

different meanings 9

Words, varieties of 9

Work, keeping track of
cost of i4i