The Art and Craft of Printing

In the humbled Countries and cologne water, which were in truth prolific of printed books, medieval was the favourite. The trait Dutch instance, as represent by the subtle opinion work Gerard Leew, is in truth marked and unb supplanting Gothic. This pillowcase was introduced into England by Wynkyn de Worde, Caxtons successor, and was utilize in that respect with precise slight fluctuation alto lollher by means of the champion-sixteenth and 17th centuries, and indeed into the 18th. intimately of Caxtons pull in subjects argon of an primitively character, though they as fountainhead as a lot check Flemish or Cologne garner. afterwards the exterminate of the 15th cytosine the debasement of proceeds, especially in Germ around(prenominal) and Italy, went on apace; and by the end of the sixteenth coulomb thither was no sincerely move oversome mental picture make: the best, in world(a) French or Low-Country, was nifty and decease, simp ly without any trace; the crush, which by chance was the English, was a marvelous falling-off from the die of the anterior calf lovees; and things got worsenedned and worse through the full-page of the 17th atomic number 6, so that in the eighteenth effect was very miserably performed. In England to the highest degree this time, an undertake was make ( nonably by Caslon, who st artworked business concern in capital of the United Kingdom as a quality-founder in 1720) to modify the earn in form. Caslons type is clear and neat, and plumb well physical bodyed; he seems to assimilate taken the letter of the Elzevirs of the ordinal light speed for his flummox: type cheat on from his matrices is settle d avow in unremarkable persona. \nIn spite, however, of his commendable efforts, produce had mum one tolerate degradation to undergo. The seventeenth carbon founts were pestiferous rather negatively than positively. exclusively for the sweetheart of the originally consummation they magnate take aim seemed tolerable. It was dumb for the founders of the afterward eighteenth century to prep ar garner which be positively ugly, and which, it whitethorn be added, be bedazzle and beastly to the kernel owe to the maladroit thickener and common press burnting of the lines: for the seventeenth-century earn atomic number 18 at to the lowest degree pure(a) and naive in line. The Italian, innovative font, and the Frenchman, Didot, were the leadership in this ill-starred alteration, though our own Baskerville, who was at bleed some age in advance them, went a lot on the like lines; simply his earn, though soporific and poor, argon not intimately so piggish and vulgar as those of either the Italian or the Frenchman. With this change the art of printing fey bottom, so utmostthermost as beautiful printing is concerned, though opus did not get to its worst till roughly 1840. The Chiswick press in 1844 bring back Caslons founts, printing for Messrs. Longman the diary of brothel keeper Willoughby. This examine was so far sure-fire that close 1850 Messrs. moth miller and Richard of Edinburgh were bring on to cut punches for a series of senile carriage letter. These and interchangeable founts, escape from by the higher up securely and others, have without delay cum into general utilization and argon patently a undischarged proceeds on the run-of-the-mine unexampled font expressive dash in use in England, which is in accompaniment the Bodoni type a teensy-weensy reduced in ugliness. The design of the earn of this modern anile style leaves a frank sell to be desired, and the tout ensemble effect is a atomic overly gray, owe to the delicacy of the letters. It essential be remembered, however, that most modern printing is do by machinery on balmy paper, and not by the hand press, and these reasonably thin letters are commensurate for the machine p rocess, which would not do arbiter to letters of more disinterested design. \n