Halle Burke- chapter 7 reflection

Chapter Seven Reflection

In this chapter of Typographic Design: Form and Communication, the authors discuss the evolution of typographic technology by going into detail about how type was created starting in 1450s all the way until present day. What I found interesting were the differences between each form of technology that was used to make type in certain periods of time.

From the year 1450 until the 1880’s the method of typesetting was through hand composition. Hand composition is used by assembling individual pieces of type into lines using a composing stick. This method was extremely tedious and time consuming as the typographer would go letter by letter to create text.

In 1886, Ottomar Mergenthaler invented the Linotype machine which uses a circulating matrix that is moved into an automatic casting mechanism, and the line of type would be cast from molten lead. This machine was faster and more accurate than the traditional hand composition.

Then, in 1887, Tolbert Lanston created the Monotype machine which consisted of two parts- a keyboard and a typecaster. This machine had the ability to type 150 characters per minute which made the design much more efficient compared to the Linotype machine.

Another piece of machinery that was used at this time was the Ludlow. The Ludlow was a semiautomatic linecaster that combined both hand and machine production to produce display type for headlines (larger typefaces). This device was not very practical for large amounts of type because of its process that did not include a keyboard.

From the 1950’s to the 1970’s, the machine that was invented and used was called phototypesetting. This process uses exposing film negatives of characters onto photographic paper. There are two types of this design; display phototypesetters and keyboard phototypesetters. Display phototypesetters were used for larger headlines and titles while keyboard phototype setters were used for setting text type.

Lastly, in 1970, digital typesetting was introduced, where a computer, a high resolution cathode ray tube, and a laser were used to create type. This process using solely electronic components revolutionized the communications industry as it is was we use in present day.

These various pieces of machinery and processes helped bring typography into the world as a widely and commonly used form of communication. Its ability to unify different cultures and locations has allowed society to become a much more functioning and technologically advanced group of people, and that is all thanks to the various inventions that took place in years past.

keyboard phototypesetter

linotype machine

Ludlow linecaster