11, 1816.
“It having been stated that doubts had arisen in the minds of several
Masters as to what should be considered ‘Reprinted Works,’--Resolved,
That they be informed that, under the above Resolutions, all
‘Reprinted Works’ were meant to be comprehended, whether printed
sheet for sheet or otherwise; it being understood, that, in cases
where the copy is rendered peculiarly troublesome by intricate
manuscript insertions, a reasonable allowance may be made for the
same to the Compositor.”
Reprints, according to the Resolution of January 2, 1816.
Key to Column Headers--
A. = Common.
B. = Foreign.
C. = English.
D. = 2 Languages, or Foreign.
E. = Without Accents.
F. = With Accents.
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| | | | Diction- | Grammars, | |
| | | | aries. | &c. | Greek. |
| | | |-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | A. | B. | C. | D. | C. | D. | E. | F. |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| |_d._ |_d._ |_d._ |_d._ |_d._ |_d._ |_d._ |_d._ |
|English} {_leaded_ | 5 | 5½ | 5½ | 5¾ | 5¼ | 5½ | 7¾ | 9¼ |
| to } | | | | | | | | |
|Brevier} {_solid_ | 5¼ | 5¾ | 5¾ | 6 | 5½ | 5¾ | 8 | 9½ |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Minion {_leaded_ | 5¼ | 6 | 6 * | 6¼* | | | | |
| {_solid_ | 5½ | 6¼ | 6¼* | 6½* | | | | |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Nonpareil {_leaded_ | 6 | 6¾ | 6¾* | 7 * | | | | |
| {_solid_ | 6¼ | 7 | 7 * | 7¼* | | | | |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Pearl {_leaded_} | | | | | | | | |
| {_or solid_}| 7¼ | 8 | 8 | 8¼ | | | | |
+--------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
* In the Abstract under the head “Dictionaries,” the prices for
Minion and Nonpareil are erroneous, being one farthing too much;
this error passed unnoticed, till the publication of the “Third
Report of the Committee of the Association of Master Printers” in
1839, where it is corrected. I have given the Scale as originally
published.
“Scale of Prices for Presswork,
“_Agreed upon at a General Meeting of Master Printers, at
Stationers’ Hall, Feb._ 8, 1810; _commencing on all Volumes or
Periodical Numbers begun after the_ 28_th Instant._
+-------+-------+------+
| 1000 | 750 | |
|and up-| and | |
“FOLIOS. |wards. | 500. | 250. |
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY. +-------+-------+------+
| _d._ | _d._ | _d._ |
Not exceeding 52 Pica Ems, upon Small Pica and | | | |
upwards | 5 | 5½ | 6 |
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier | 5½ | 6 | 7 |
All above 52 Pica Ems, upon Small Pica and | | | |
upwards | 5½ | 6 | 7 |
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier | 6 | 6½ | 7 |
Long Primer and upwards, on Copy or Crown | 5 | 5½ | 6 |
| | | |
“QUARTOS. | | | |
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY. | | | |
Not exceeding 40 Pica Ems, upon Long Primer and | | | |
upwards | 5 | 5½ | 6 |
If on Bourgeois or Brevier | 5½ | 5½ | 6 |
All above 40 Pica Ems, and not less than Long | | | |
Primer | 5½ | 5½ | 7 |
If on Bourgeois or Brevier | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Brevier and upwards, on Copy or Crown | 5 | 5½ | 6 |
| | | |
“OCTAVOS. | | | |
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY. | | | |
Not exceeding 24 Pica Ems, upon Small Pica and | | | |
upwards | 5 | 5½ | 6 |
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier | 5 | 5½ | 7 |
All above 24 Pica Ems, on Brevier or upwards | 5½ | 6 | 7 |
If less than Brevier | 6 | 6½ | 8 |
Brevier and upwards, on Copy or Crown | 5 | 5½ | 6 |
| | | |
“TWELVES. | | | |
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY. | | | |
Not exceeding 21 Pica Ems, upon Long Primer and | | | |
upwards | 5 | 5½ | 7 |
If on Bourgeois or Brevier | 5½ | 6 | 7 |
All above 21 Pica Ems, upon Long Primer and | | | |
upwards | 5½ | 7 | 8 |
If on Bourgeois or Brevier | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier, on Copy or | | | |
Crown | 5 | 5½ | 7 |
| | | |
“EIGHTEENS. | | | |
If not less than Small Pica | 5 | 5½ | 7 |
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier | 5½ | 6 | 7 |
If less than Brevier | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| | | |
“TWENTY-FOURS AND THIRTY-TWOS. | | | |
If not less than Small Pica | 5½ | 6 | 7 |
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier | 6 | 7 | 8 |
If less than Brevier | 6½ | 8 | 9 |
| | | |
“POCKET BOOKS, | | | |
OCTAVO. | | | |
Post or Crown, 21 Pica Ems wide, 35 long | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | | |
TWELVES. | | | |
Pot, such as Lady’s and Christian Lady’s. Table | | | |
Part, 6mo. 35 Pica Ems wide, 26 long | 5 | 6 | 7 |
------------------------------ Miscellany Part, | | | |
16 ditto wide, 26 long | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Copy, Christian Gentleman’s, 26 wide, 35 long | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | | |
“SCHOOL BOOKS. | | | |
TWELVES. | | | |
Copy or Crown, not exceeding 17 Pica Ems wide, | | | |
31 long, nor less than Brevier | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| | | |
OCTAVO. | | | |
Copy or Crown, not exceeding 21 Pica Ems wide, | | | |
nor less than Long Primer | 4¾ | 5½ | 6 |
N. B. School Books on Copy or Crown are defined to be, Palairet’s
French Grammar, Chambaud, Salisbury Spelling Book, Fox’s Lessons,
Ward’s Latin Grammar, and all of a similar description.
“ALMANACKS. _d._
Royal Broadsides 7
Demy Ditto, Size Wing or Cambridge 5½
Goldsmith, Calendar Form 5½
Ditto, Prog. 5
Twelves Demy, 19 Ems wide, 34 long, Calendar 5½
Ditto, Prog. 5
Ditto, Crown, Size Rider 5
Octavo Foolscap, 20 Ems wide, 34 long, Cal. and Prog. 5
“BILLS IN PARLIAMENT.
From No. 4 inclusive to any No. under 100 4½
If 100, and under 200 5
If 200 or 250 5½
Above 250, and under 400 4½
If 400 or 500 5
If above 500, and under 700 4½
If 700 or 750 5
All above 750 4½
“N. B. Side Notes to be reckoned in the Width; Bottom Notes not
to be regarded.
Works on Royal Paper to be paid One Halfpenny per Hour more
than the above Prices.
Ditto on Foolscap or Pot, not less than 1000 Number, and
wrought at one Pull, 4½d.
Ditto in Square Pages (like Entick’s Dictionary) and Works for
the Public Offices, to be advanced One Halfpenny per Hour on
the Scale of 1800.
Fine Paper of the same Size, if included within the Token, not
to be charged extra; but, if of a larger Size, then to be paid
according to the Scale.
Three or more Proofs pulled at one Time to be charged 4d. per
Form; and, if made ready, to be charged as a Token.
Cards, large or small, to be paid 6½d. per 100.
Jobs without points to be paid 4½d. an hour.
Double Crown or Royal Broadsides, not exceeding 100 Number, to
be paid 1s. 6d.; if more than 100, to be paid 1s. per 100.
Demy Broadsides, not more than 100, to be paid 1s.; above 100,
and not exceeding 500, to be paid 10d. per 100; if above 500,
to be paid at the rate of 1s. 9d. per Token.
Broadsides requiring three Pulls to be paid one-third more.
No Form to be deemed a Broadside that comes in at one Pull at
the Common Press.
Night-work to commence and be paid for, from Ten o’clock till
Twelve, 1s.; all after to be paid 3d. an Hour extra till
Six.--Morning work, commencing at Four o’Clock, to be paid 1s.
extra.--Sunday work, if not exceeding 6 hours, to be paid for
1s.; if for a longer time 2d. an hour.
“_It is to be distinctly understood that no Advance shall take place
on any Works but those which are paid by the Scale._”
An alteration in the prices of the first column took place in 1816,
and the following notification of it was made:--
“At a Meeting of Master Printers held this day, pursuant to
notice, for the purpose of taking into consideration the state
of the Trade in general, in consequence of the alteration in the
times;
“It was the opinion of this Meeting, that it would be highly
expedient that, after the 19th of February, the following
modification of the Pressmen’s Scale of Prices of 1810, as far as
regards all Numbers exceeding the first 1000, should take place.
“Every Token above the first Four Tokens to be paid One Halfpenny per
hour less than the Scale of 1810.
“January 2. 1816.”
ASSOCIATION OF MASTER PRINTERS.
4. PEMBERTON ROW, GOUGH SQUARE.
_December_ 10. 1838.
SIR,
I herewith transmit to you an Extract from the Proceedings which
have taken place at a SPECIAL MEETING of the Committee convened this
day for the purpose of “considering the case of the Refusal of the
Compositors in Mr. BENTLEY’S Office to work upon his Magazine; and
with a view to Conformity of Practice in our several Offices.”
“The Committee of Master Printers being informed that claims
have been made by Compositors in some Offices for all Wrappers
and Advertising Sheets to be set up by such Compositors only as
were employed on the Periodicals to which they are attached, it
was
“UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED,
“That such claim on the part of the Compositors is an
innovation on the antient and accustomed usages of the Trade,
and wholly incompatible with that control which a Master
has a right to exercise over the mode of conducting his own
business; and that such claim will in future be resisted by
every Member of this Committee.”
“It having been stated by Mr. BENTLEY, that the Compositors
in his Office had refused to proceed with his Magazine in
consequence of his having acted on the general understanding of
the Committee, that the Compositors were not entitled to the
Standing Advertisements in Periodicals,
“IT WAS RESOLVED,
“That Compositors are not entitled to such _Standing
Advertisements_, or to any _Standing Matter_, such claim
being also contrary to the antient and established practice
of the Trade.
“That the above Resolutions be circulated among the Members
of the ASSOCIATION, and that they be strongly recommended to
act with the Committee in carrying them into effect.”
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
W. M‘DOWALL,
_Hon. Sec._
EXTRACT FROM
“THIRD REPORT _of the_ COMMITTEE OF THE MASTER PRINTERS’
ASSOCIATION _to the Annual General Meeting, held at Anderton’s
Coffee House, July_ 5. 1839.”
“In adverting to the dispute respecting Wrappers, which originated
in a case submitted at the Monthly Meeting in December, the Committee
feel it to be due to the Members of the Association to acknowledge
the ready support which they have on all occasions afforded them.
To that firm co-operation on their part, no less than to the
reasonableness of the Deputation appointed by the Compositors to
confer with the Committee, may be attributed the very satisfactory
adjustment of a question which had been a source of serious
disagreement in several Offices.
“The following are the Regulations ultimately agreed upon, a copy of
which has been sent to each Member of the Association:--
“That the Companionship on a Magazine or Review be entitled
to the first or title-page of the Wrapper of such Magazine or
Review; but not to the remaining pages of such Wrapper, nor
to the Advertising Sheets which may accompany the Magazine or
Review.
“That Standing Advertisements or stereo-blocks, if forming a
complete page, or, when collected together, making one or more
complete pages, in a Wrapper or Advertising Sheet of a Magazine
or Review, shall not be chargeable: the Compositor to charge
only for his time in making them up. The remainder of the
matter in such Wrapper or Advertising Sheet, including Standing
Advertisements or stereo-blocks not forming a complete page,
to be charged by the Compositor, and cast up according to the
8th or 20th Rules of the Scale, as they may respectively apply.
But the charge of 2_s._ 6_d._ as given by Rule 7. is not to be
superadded.
“With regard to Standing Matter, the Committee adhere to their
Resolution of December 10th, 1838.”
Having thus given an accurate copy of the official scale of 1810,
with the alterations and explanations of the master printers, to the
present time, I shall now add the explanation published by the London
Union of Compositors, of the different articles of the scale.
Article I.] “In casting up a work, although it be printed in
half sheets, it is cast up in sheets; in jobs less than a
sheet, however, the casting-up is confined to the job, and the
compositor loses or gains the five hundred letters, or the
threepence (as stated in Art. 1.) as the case may chance to be.
“By the term _common matter_ is understood the usual description
of Bookwork, and not such matter as Appeal Cases, Bills in
Parliament, &c. for which peculiar and distinct charges are
made.--_See Appendix._
_Space Lines._--The reason of pearl being always paid the same
price (whether leaded with a lead equal to its own body in
thickness, or without a lead) has often excited surprise; but
this surprise will cease when we learn that in the year 1810,
when an advance of one halfpenny on leaded, and three farthings
on solid took place, _no advance whatever_ was made on the price
of pearl, which consequently when solid, which it most frequently
is, does not have that advance which was granted in 1810; and the
compositor in casting it up at 8d. receives only the price which
was paid thirty years back. In 1805, the difference between the
price of nonpareil and pearl was seven farthings; in 1810, the
difference was one penny.
_Head and White Lines._--The head or folio line and the white
or direction line are invariably reckoned in the square of the
page. Head lines, when set up in a smaller type than the body
of the work, are charged one shilling per sheet; and if any
justification of figures, &c. occur, an allowance is made for
extra trouble; but if the head be in larger type than the text,
no extra charge can be made.
“_Reprints._--Annual Reports of societies, with lists of
subscribers, &c. are not reprints. If the copy for a book be
print-copy, but derived from various sources, such book is
an original work, and paid for as manuscript. Works with MS.
insertions are paid extra per sheet--not less than 1s.,--but if
materially altered or much interlined, or consisting of half
manuscript and half reprint, are considered as original works,
and paid for as if they were all manuscript. Reprinted pamphlets
(when more than one sheet) are subject to the reduction above
specified. No reduction is made for printed copy introduced into
magazines, reviews, &c.
“_Diamond._--It is the custom of the trade to pay tenpence per
thousand for diamond, whether leaded or unleaded.
“_Ruby._--This description of letter is not common, but it is
paid an intermediate price allowed for those bodies between which
it is cast; thus, a ruby (which is less than nonpareil and larger
than a pearl) is cast up at 7½d. leaded or unleaded.”
Art. II.] “This mode of casting up works, which was agreed to
in 1796, applies also to jobs, but not to large-letter display
broadsides, the charge for which will be found in the Appendix.”
Art. III.] “In the scale of 1805, foreign works in bourgeois
and brevier were paid one farthing per thousand extra; but in
1810 one price was established for type from english to brevier
inclusive.
“Works in the German language and common type are paid the same
as other foreign works; but if the German character be employed,
it is paid as Greek without accents. The same price is also paid
for the Irish character.”
Art. IV.] “The words ‘of every size,’ allude to the dimensions
of the page; because formerly (that is, by the scale of 1801)
duodecimo and eighteenmo dictionaries were paid one halfpenny per
thousand more than those set up in octavo or quarto.
“In framing the above article, it was intended that such
gazetteers or dictionaries of the arts and sciences as were
attended with _any extra trouble_ beyond usual descriptive matter
should be paid the above dictionary price; and therefore, such
gazetteers or dictionaries as contain many references, italics,
contractions, &c. take the advanced price as dictionary matter.
“If the above works are in two columns an extra charge of not
less than one shilling per sheet is made for column matter.”
Art. V.] “There is a strange anomaly in this article. It was
intended to allow the compositor one farthing per thousand
extra for the trouble occasioned by the admixture of italic,
the frequent occurrence of single letters and monosyllables in
grammars, spelling books, &c.; but if a compositor be employed on
a _grammar_ wholly in a foreign language, it is paid no more for
than if it were a foreign _work_ (see Article III.) It should,
however, to be consistent, be allowed the halfpenny for foreign,
and the farthing for grammar, and be cast up at 6½d. with space
lines, and 6¾d. without space lines.
“The extra farthing per thousand for this kind of work is not
to pay for column matter; but two column matter, in grammars,
spelling-books, &c. is charged not less than one shilling per
sheet; three and not exceeding four columns are charged one and
one half; and above four columns are charged double.
“School Arithmetics, as well as the works above specified, are
cast up at the above prices.
“If the works specified above be in smaller type than brevier,
they take the advance granted for such type in Article I.”
Art. VI.] “By the words ‘cast up at the usual rate,’ is meant
works cast up without their extras; and though this article
specifies small sized works in the English language, the
principle is applied to foreign works also; and if foreign
works amount only to the sums specified, they are entitled to
an advance according to the number of thousands they contain as
regulated by Art. 3. of the scale. For example, if a foreign
folio or 8vo. work, in english type, without space lines, contain
13,000 letters, it would come to 7s. 0½d. Now, as the same
work in the English language would come to 6s. 6d. and would
consequently obtain by this Article an advance of 6d., so the
foreign work is entitled to the like advance, and is paid 7s.
6d.; if it were not so, the compositor would not receive anything
for the work being in a foreign language.”
Art. VII.] “The mere circumstance of a work being a periodical
publication does not entitle it to the charge of 2s. 6d. per
sheet. To justify this charge, the text must consist of two
bodies, and be cast up to their respective founts. Publications,
however, of more than one sized letter must not be cast up as all
one body, to avoid the payment of the 2s. 6d. per sheet, but must
be charged according to the proportion of type they contain, with
the 2s. 6d. allowed by this article for the bodies.
“Reprints of this description of work (if more than a sheet) are
cast up at three farthings per thousand less than the current
number, but the 2s. 6d. per sheet is charged. No deduction,
however, is made for printed copy introduced into the current
numbers of these works.
“In Reviews, Magazines, &c. where leads are only occasionally
used, or when used only in a small portion of the publication, no
deduction is made.
“Reviews, Magazines, &c. are entitled to the charge for notes,
although such notes are set up in one of the bodies used in the
text.
“All matter pulled in galleys or slips is made up at the expense
of the employer.”
Art. VIII.] “Parts of works done in different houses, when
unequal in their nature, are cast up according to the respective
merits of the different parts; and if a sheet, or less than a
sheet, it is considered a job, and cast up at the price specified
in Art. XX. of the scale.
“The expression ‘_nearly made up_,’ is indefinite; but in works
where two-thirds of the matter are made up, one shilling per
sheet is charged upon the whole.
“In works of two or more volumes, when the letter of the first
volume is all made up, and used for the second, no charge can be
made for making up letter.”
Art IX.] “This article does not apply to half sheets or sheets
of double foolscap, double demy, &c. imposed as sixteens, as
these are cast up and take the extras as octavo. Sixty-fours and
forty-eights, in whatever type, are paid 2s. 6d. the former, and
2s. the latter, per sheet, extra.”
Art X.] “This article allows the employer to give the alteration
either to the pressman or to the compositor; but it more properly
belongs to the compositor, and the general practice of the
trade is for the compositor on the work to make the alteration.
The article does not apply to cases where a re-imposition or
transposition of pages is required; in all such cases the
compositor is entitled to charge his time.”
Art XI.] “This article is by general acceptation understood to
mean that, in a quarto or octavo volume, there must be one note
of twenty lines, or two shorter ones, to constitute any charge,
and that there must be on an average more than four pages in
every ten sheets to carry a _higher_ charge than one shilling a
sheet; that is, in a work of forty 8vo. sheets, more than sixteen
pages; for a fresh calculation is not made for every ten sheets.
If, therefore, two notes, or one note of twenty lines, occur
in an octavo or quarto volume--and two pages or two notes in
eighteens and smaller-sized works, one shilling per sheet is paid
for such works throughout.
“Where the notes exceed the quantity stipulated in the above
article, an additional sixpence per sheet is charged, until the
quantity of note entitles the compositor to a further advance,
when, in order to ascertain what that advance should be, the
whole of the notes are measured off, and cast up as a distinct
body, and one shilling per sheet is charged for placing.
“_For example_--A work of twenty sheets containing eighty
pages of notes, or four pages in each sheet, is cast up as
three-fourths pica (the body) and one-fourth long primer (the
notes), as follows:
Per sheet.
Pica, 40 by 40, at 6d. comes to 16s. ¾ths = £ 0 12 0
Long primer, 50 by 50, at ditto is 20s. ¼th = 0 5 0
--------
By letters 0 17 0
Making up, or placing notes 0 1 0
--------
£ 0 18 0
--------
“The usual rule for the type for notes is two sixes less than
the text; i. e. English text has Small Pica notes; Small Pica
text, Bourgeois notes; Long Primer text, Brevier notes; but
when under this size a proportionally less quantity of note is
required to constitute the above charges. Thus--If in a work set
in Small Pica, the notes should be set in Brevier, which is three
sizes less than the text; the same number of thousands should be
composed for 1s. per sheet, as would be equivalent to the number
of thousands contained in the four pages of Bourgeois, i.e. if
the four pages of Bourgeois contain 10,000 letters, no more than
that number of brevier should be composed without an increased
charge.
“To compensate the compositor for time employed in making up,
altering references, &c., the notes, although in the same size as
any type used in the text, take the charge of 1s. per sheet.
“_Notes upon notes_, when set up in a smaller type than the note,
are charged according to the rule laid down for notes.”
Art XII.] “In casting up a work with side-notes, the side-notes
are not reckoned in the width of the page.
“Side-notes are cast up as double--that is, the length and
breadth of the side-notes are taken, multiplied, and the product
doubled. When the space between the notes do not exceed a
broad quotation it is reckoned in measuring off the notes. The
side-note width of the guard line and head lines are reckoned in
measuring the depth of the notes. The reglets or leads between
the text and side-note are reckoned in the width of the text,
when the side-notes are cast up. One shilling per sheet for
side-notes, in addition to their being cast up as double, is
allowed for placing.
“Under-runners from side-notes are reckoned in the side-note, and
paid 3d. each, in addition.
“When the bottom notes to law works, &c. are attended with extra
trouble, in consequence of numerous contractions, an extra is
paid.”
Art. XIII.] “The Saxon language is mentioned only in regard to
the charge of one shilling per sheet, while works wholly done in
that language seem to have been unintentionally omitted in the
Scale; they are, however, paid the same as Greek without accents,
according to Article XIV.
“The term ‘dead characters’ is extremely indefinite; and the
charge allowed by this article is not limited to the languages of
such nations as are extinct, but includes all languages for which
roman or italic type is not employed, such as Sanskrit and other
oriental characters; also German, Irish, &c. &c.
“This article defines only what charge is to be made for Greek,
Hebrew, Saxon, &c. when introduced in small quantities in various
parts of a sheet,--such as single words, half lines, or lines. If
there be one word, and not more than three lines, the charge is
one shilling for each character, in every sheet in which those
characters occur: all above three lines is paid according to
their value, preserving the 1s. per sheet for the first three
lines. When the quantity of Greek, Hebrew, Saxon, &c. amounts to
two-thirds, interspersed throughout the sheet, it is paid as all
Greek, or an equivalent price allowed for the admixture.