Sunday, March 11, 2012

Podcast #7 The Linotype Machine | 1886 AD

Who is credited with the invention of the typewriter?
Christopher Sholes
What is a "stenographer"?
A person employed chiefly to take and transcribe dictation.
Post an example of Shole's typewriter.

Why did Sholes send a prototype of his typewriter to Clephane?
He realized that stenographers would be among the first and most important users of his new machine.
After the typewriter began production, why did Clephane pursue another machine?
He thought that the typewriter still took long to typeset and copy the words, so he pursued the invention of a machine for typesetting, one that would bridge the gap between the typewriter and the printed page.
Who spent a year redesigning Clephane's typesetting machine?
Ottmar Mergenthaler
What is meant by "typesetting"?
The process of setting material in type or into a form to be used in printing.
Post an example of Linotype Machine.

How does the Linotype Machine differ from the typewriter?
It allowed type to be set mechanically rather than by hand. It produced a solid line of type by casting hot lead into a series of molds that correspond to individual letters. The name comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once.
How did this machine change the newspaper industry?
It made it possible for a small number of operators to set type for more pages on a daily basis.
Post an example of a Linotype keyboard.

How did the keyboard of the Linotype Machine differ from keyboards that we use today?
The operator entered text on a 90-character keyboard. There was no shift key. Therefor, uppercase letters had separate keys from lowercase letters. The arrangement of keys was based on letter frequency. The keyboard had the same alphabet arrangement twice. On the left, the black keys were the lowercase letters. On the right, the white keys were the uppercase letters. The blue keys in the middle were for punctuation, digits, small capital letters and fixed width spaces.
Post an example of a Linotype slug.

What is a slug?
The machine assembled matrices, or molds for the letter forms. The assembled line of type is then cast as a single piece, called a slug. This process allowed for faster typesetting and composition than by hand.
Post an example of a person operating a Linotype Machine.

Why is the Linotype Machine the greatest advanced in printing since movable type?
It spread around the world quickly and was a very convenient and helpful machine.

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