TOOLS

PICA GAUGES—AND TYPOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS

Skilled typographers, typesetters, and compositors are constantly measuring things. In metal-type shops, the pica gauge is what they measure with. The traditional printer’s shop apron has a long, narrow pocket for a 12-inch pica gauge. They measure the size of pieces of type, the length of leads and slugs, empty space that has to be filled with furniture, page dimensions, gutters, furniture—everything, because all those pieces of metal and wood have to fit together exactly. (If they don’t, bad things will happen when they’re locked up to go on press.) The measuring starts long before the typesetting: these are layout tools, too, used in planning a typesetting job. Pica gauges are graduated in printers’ measurements: points and picas. In the traditional system reflected on pica sticks, there are almost exactly seventy-two points in an inch, and twelve points in a pica. Answering the common questions about that measurement system requires an article in its own right. Suffice it to say here that it was devloped specifically for typographic use, and is still the only practical system there is for type—metal or digital.

You’ll see metal pica gauges in digital environments, too, along with the usual plastic film gauges—a metal ruler has its uses everywhere.

Unlike the “traditional” point system, the PostScript point system used in computer typesetting has exactly 72 points to an inch. For most purposes, the difference between the two systems can be ignored, but it can’t be forgotten. 48 picas traditional is one point larger than 4 inches; 48 picas PostScript is exactly 4 inches. On large pieces printed letterpress, this can make a difference that has consequences; once in a while the consequences may be critical, like something not fitting on a press or on the sheet size required.

COMPOSING STICK—AND THE BASIC TYPESETTING PROCESS

The next letter is placed to the right of the first, and so on. When a line is nearly filled, the line is then “justified”: fine spaces are added so the line fills the width. The tightness or pressure of all the lines must be kept consistent, and the compositor must keep the wordspacing visually even, while avoiding bad word breaks and other faults. There’s a lot of skill to the work.

The next line is set the same way, until the stick is full. The type is then moved to a galley (see below), a long tray with raised sides. The thickness of the metal back of the composing stick is the same as the thickness of the metal of the galley, so the type can be easily slid from one to the other. The next “stickful” or “stick of type” is then set, and placed in the galley after the previous one. When the galley is full, it is typically stored until all the type for the job (or the next portion of the job to be printed) has been set. The type is then assembled with any other type that goes in the job, and readied for the press.

BODKIN & TWEEZERS These are essential tools for the many frequently required manipulations of often tiny type and spaces, and thin leads. Type metal is much softer than steel, and bodkin and tweezers must be used carefully to avoid damage to the type, and especially to the face of the type. A bodkin is a long, thin, round, pointed steel shaft, like a big needle, that is set in a handle. The bodkin shown here is a type I’ve seen in several books and catalogs from the early 1900s. It looks very functional, but none of the bodkins I’ve used have looked like this, and I don’t know if this configuration has any special merits for type, or if it was considered canonical. Certainly, anything with a handle of suitable size, and a suitable point and shaft, has been used and will work. Compositors in earlier times made their own bodkins.

“Is this a  bodkin I see  before me?”

A tweezers is a tweezers.

The one shown above is from the 1923 American Type Founders catalog. Some kinds of tweezers are more suitable for type than others. The tips should be small enough to grip small types, but not so small that they act like needles, since some pressure is put on them. (The bodkin is typically used for lighter manipulation, especially around printing surfaces that should be guarded from the slightest scratch.)

SPECIMEN BOOKS

Specimen books are also essential composing-room tools.

TYPOGRAPHIC MATERIAL

TYPE

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SORTS & SPECIAL FONTS

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WOOD TYPE

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ORNAMENTS

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RULES, BORDERS

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CUTS & OTHER ART

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SPACES & QUADS

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REGLET & FURNITURE

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LEADS & SLUGS

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FIXTURES & EQUIPMENT

CASES

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CABINETS & FRAMES

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GALLEYS

Galleys were made in a number of widths and lengths. Many were longer than the one shown above.

Cabinets like the one below are used for orderly storage of galleys. Each shelf typically has a number next to it.

CHASES

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QUOINS & QUOIN KEYS

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SLUG CUTTERS & MITERERS

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PROOF PRESSES

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