In taking up his pages for imposition, the compositor tightly grasps the
paper on both sides of the page, in order that it may be kept firm to the
bottom of the page; for if it be left slack, the letters will be liable
to slip out, unless it be particularly well tied up. Having conveyed it
to the stone, he next places the last two fingers of his right hand under
the head of the page, but not under the page-paper at the head of it,
still grasping the sides with his forefingers and thumb; he then slips
his left hand so that the palm of it may turn toward the bottom, and,
lifting the page upright on his right hand, with the left he removes the
paper; he next grasps again the foot-end of the page with his left hand,
in the same manner as the right holds the head of it, and, turning the
face of the type toward him, lays it squarely and quickly down, so that
the whole page may come in contact with the face of the stone at the same
time.
As this method, in inexperienced or careless hands, would frequently
endanger a page containing intricate matter, it will be safer to place
the pages at first on good, strong, but not coarse and rough papers, and,
when they are brought to the stone, instead of lifting them up as just
noticed, slide them off the papers in the same manner as before directed
respecting a folio page on the slice galley, being careful that no
particles of dirt remain under the page.