Type case

Compartmentalized wooden box used to store movable type used in letterpress printing

For different sizes of letters, like uppercase and lowercase, see Letter case.

The examples and perspective in this US-centric article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this US-centric article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new US-centric article, as appropriate. (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Type case An 18th-century type case, with various tools for typesetting

A type case is a compartmentalized wooden box used to store movable type used in letterpress printing.[1]

Modern, factory-produced movable type was available in the late nineteenth century. It was held in the printing shop in a job case, a drawer about two inches (5 cm) high, three feet (90 cm) wide, and about two feet (60 cm) deep, with many small compartments for the "sorts" (various letters and ligatures). The most popular and commonly used job case design in America was the California Job Case, which took its name from the Pacific Coast location of the foundries that made the case popular.[2] These cases allowed type to be compactly transported.

Traditionally, the capital letters were stored in a separate drawer, or case, placed above the case holding the other letters (this is why the capital letters are called "uppercase" characters, and the minuscules are "lower case").[3]

There were a great variety of cases, and also variations in the "lay", or the assignment of the sorts into the compartments.[4] Different printers had different house layouts even for the same design of case.

## Notes

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Type cases.

1. ^ Williams, Fred (1992). "Origin of the California Job Case". Type & Press, fall 1992. http://www.apa-letterpress.com/T & P ARTICLES/Type/California Job Case.html Accessed online 2 May 2008.
2. ^ National Amateur Press Association Archived 2007-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, Monthly Bundle Sample, Campane 194, The California Typecase, Lewis A. Pryor, ed.
3. ^ Eckersley, Richard; Angstadt, Richard; Ellertson, Charles M.; Hendel, Richard (2008-04-15). Glossary of Typesetting Terms. University of Chicago Press. p. 18\. ISBN 9780226183732.
4. ^ "Type case lay selection". The Alembic Press. Retrieved 1 November 2017.

* v
* t
* e

Letterpress printing

* History of printing
* Printer

Ways to make
impressions|

| Movable type|

* Type casting
* Type metal
* Punchcutter
* Matrix
* Wood type

|

Blocks and plates|

* Stereotype
* Flong
* Logographic printing
* Wood engraving
* Electrotype
* Zinc etching

Typesetting|

| Manual typesetting|

* Type case
* Composing stick
* Sort
* Slug
* Strut
* Reglet
* Furniture
* Leading
* Quoin
* Chase
* Forme
* Hellbox

|

Hot metal typesetting|

* Linotype machine
* Monotype system
* Ludlow Typograph
* Intertype Machine
* Paige Compositor

Printing press|

| Parts of a press|

* Platen
* Frisket
* Tympan
* Bed

|

Inking|

* Offset ink
* Ink ball
* Composition roller

Types of presses|

* Hand press
* Stanhope
* Columbian
* Albion
* Jobbing press
* Golding & Company
* Chandler & Price
* Colt's Armory
* Cylinder press
* Rotary press

Other equipment|

* Folding machine
* Paper cutter
* Addressograph

Related arts
Typography
Bookbinding
Printmaking
Papermaking

Authority control databases: National |

* Germany

|

This publishing-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template