Nompariglia Nonpareil.
Minione Minion.
Testino Brevier.
Gagliarda Bourgeois.
Garamone Long Primer.
Filosofia Small Pica.
Lettura Pica.
Silvio English.
Testo Great Primer.
Parangone Paragon.
Due Linee Filosofia Double Pica.
Canone French Canon.
The Italian types are of a rather less body than the corresponding
English types, but I have not been able to ascertain the precise
degree of variation. I was favoured with this list by Mr. And. Pons,
a printer at Parma, who originally belonged to the establishment of
the celebrated printer Bodoni.
The Foreign Monthly Review for June, 1839, states that a type founder
of Clermont, named Colson, has obtained a patent for a new material
for printing types, which is harder, capable of more resistance,
and yet less expensive than the ordinary composition of lead and
antimony. It is well known, that types cast from the latter soon
become worn, especially since the introduction of machine-printing.
Colson asserts that the material is so hard that the types themselves
will serve for punches in striking matrices, and that it will last
ten years, without being more worn than the usual composition is in
one year.
TYPE FOUNDERS. _See_ LETTER FOUNDERS.
U.
ULTIMATE.
The last syllable of a word.
UNDERHAND.
A phrase used by pressmen for the light and easy, or heavy and hard,
running in of the carriage. Thus they say, The press goes light and
easy _under hand_, or it goes heavy or hard under hand.--_M._
UNDERLAYS.
Pieces of paper pasted on the bottom of an engraving on wood,
to raise it to the proper height to print with types, &c. If an
engraving be hollow on the face of it, then a small underlay under
the hollow part will raise that part by means of the pressure in
printing it at press, and prevent the necessity of using too many
overlays.
UNEVEN PAGE.
The same as ODD PAGE, which _see_. Smith uses the term.
UNLOCK THE FORM.
To loosen the quoins for the purpose of correcting; and also for
laying-up; or for any other purpose.
UPPER HAND.
When the spindle goes soft and easy, the pressmen say, it goes well
_over hand_ or _above hand_. But the contrary if it goes hard and
heavy.--_M._
V.
VANTAGE.
When a white page or more happens in a sheet, the compositor calls
that VANTAGE: so does the pressman, when a form of one pull comes to
the press.--_M._ At the present day it is termed Fat, which _see_.
VARNISH.
With which ink is made.--_M._
VESPER, or PLAIN CHANT MUSIC.
The Gregorian Plain Chant is governed by two clefs, the _Ut_ clef,
and the _Fa_ clef; which correspond to the tenor and base clefs in
modern music.
[Illustration: Ut Clef. Fa Clef.]
The use of these clefs is to point out the progression of tones and
semi-tones, and to determine the key or tone of the chant, which is
commonly contained in a staff of four lines; but as it frequently
happens that the music exceeds that compass, the clefs necessarily
change their places on the staff to give a greater scope to the
chant; therefore on whatsoever line of the staff the _Ut_ clef is
placed, that line is called _Ut_, the rest of the notes following in
the same progression. The same rule applies to the _Fa_ clef,
[Illustration: ut re mi fa sol la si ut.]
The bars which nearly cross the staff, are used to separate the notes
sung to each word; the bars which entirely cross the staff are used
over some period in the reading; the double bar is placed at the end
of a strain or verse.
The diamond shaped note is half the length of the square note; the
notes with the tails are double the length, or equal in time to two
square notes, (but these must not be mistaken for notes which, having
tails, are only meant to tie them to other notes higher or lower on
the staff.) A dot placed after a note increases its value one half.
Sharps are not used in plain chant. Flats and naturals have the same
power as in modern music.
In the following example, the bars are used to divide the melody into
equal portions.
Stabat mater--in G major.
[Illustration: Stabat mater do-lo-ro-sa juxta crucem la-cry-mo-sa,
dum pendebat fi-li-us.]
The same in modern notation.
[Illustration: Stabat mater do-lo-ro-sa juxta crucem la-cry-mo-sa,
dum pendebat fi-li-us.]
Since the decease of Mr. Hughes, the punches, matrixes, &c. of the
above founts of music types (and that mentioned at page 490) have
been purchased by Mr. C. Hancock, of Middle Row, Holborn, by whom
they have been considerably improved, and by whom the profession are
supplied.
VISORUM.
Some compositors use visorums. Therefore pricking the point of the
visorum, most commonly upon the border or frame of the case on the
left hand about the & box, they fold the leaf of copy they compose
by, so as the bottom of it may rest upon the square shoulder near
the bottom of the visorum; then with two pieces of scaleboard tied
together at one end, they clasp both the copy and visorum between
these two scaleboards, which two scaleboards pinch the copy and
visorum fast enough to keep the copy in its place, and at the same
time also serves for an index to direct the eye to every line, as the
compositor moves it downward.--_M._
This article is not used now; though it appears to me, from Moxon’s
account, to be both useful and convenient.
[Illustration: A visorum]
W.
WASH.
If a workman is in the habit of telling improbable tales, or of
asserting falsehoods, as the chapel does not allow the lie direct to
be given, neither do any choose to get into a personal quarrel by
doing it, it is usual, in order to express the general disbelief,
to wash him, as it is termed; that is, each person with a piece
of furniture, or some other substance, will strike repeatedly and
quickly upon the front of his frame, upon the ledge of his lower
case, or upon his bulk; and this being done by every person in the
room, where there are a great number employed, it raises such a loud
drumming as is deafening, more particularly when they give what they
call a “good” wash: this is customary both in the composing room
and the press room. For the old manner of doing this, _see_ ANCIENT
CUSTOMS.
WASH THE FORM.
If a form gets foul in working, the pressmen will take it off the
press and brush it over with lye, and after that rinse it with clean
water, to remove the foulness. He also washes the form when the given
number is all printed.--_M._
WASTE.
The surplus sheets of a work.
After a work has been finished at press and dried, it is gathered,
collated, the gatherings folded and pressed, and then booked, if
it contain more gatherings than one; and when the regular number
of copies has been made up, the surplus sheets, which vary in
number, are tied up in a bundle, and termed Waste: out of this waste
deficient sheets are supplied, and damaged sheets exchanged. It is
always delivered to the publisher with the last copies of the work.
WAYZ GOOSE.
A stubble goose.--_Bailey._ Called Way Goose, and so spelt by Moxon.
_See_ ANCIENT CUSTOMS.
July is the month in which the different offices in the metropolis
generally have each their Way Goose, or annual dinner, and Saturday
is the day commonly chosen.
WEAK INK. _See_ SOFT INK.--_M._
In common work, where despatch is requisite, weak ink is used; it
distributes with more facility than strong ink, and enables the
pressmen to make a greater riddance. It receives its name from the
varnish not being made so tenacious as that for better ink.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
5 & 6 W. 4. c. 63. § 31.--“And be it enacted, That from and
after the First Day of January One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six, if any Person or Persons shall print, or if the Clerk
of any Market or other Person shall make any Return, Price List,
Price Current, or any Journal or other Paper containing Price
List or Price Current, in which the Denomination of Weights and
Measures quoted or referred to shall denote or imply a greater
or less Weight or Measure than is denoted or implied by the
same Denomination of the Imperial Weights and Measures under
and according to the Provisions of this Act, such Person or
Persons or Clerk of the Market shall forfeit and pay any Sum not
exceeding Ten Shillings for every Copy of such Return, Price
List, Price Current, Journal or other Paper which he or they
shall publish.”
WELSH.
The Welsh alphabet, as now popularly used, contains twenty-eight
letters: _a_, _b_, _c_, _ch_, _d_, _dd_, _e_, _f_, _ff_, _g_, _ng_,
_h_, _i_, _l_, _ll_, _m_, _n_, _o_, _p_, _ph_, _rh_, _r_, _s_, _t_,
_th_, _u_, _w_, _y_.
_J_, _q_, _x_, and _z_, are not properly Welsh letters, nor are they
wanted in words purely Welsh.
_K_ and _v_ occur frequently in old Welsh, but are now generally
disused; the place of the former is supplied by _c_, which always has
the hard sound, and that of the latter by _f_.
In addition to the common accented letters, the Welsh requires _ŵ_
and _ŷ_ to be accented likewise; as, gŵr, _a man_; tŷ, _a house_.
Of the twenty-one Welsh consonants twelve are immutable, namely,
_ch_, _dd_, _f_, _ff_, _ng_, _k_, _l_, _n_, _ph_, _r_, _s_, _th_;
the remaining nine, _b_, _c_, _d_, _g_, _ll_, _m_, _p_, _rh_, _t_,
are mutable. These are divisible into three classes of three letters
each. The first, containing _c_, _t_, _p_, is susceptible of three
kinds of modification, viz. the obtuse, the liquid, and the aspirate;
the second class, comprising _g_, _d_, _b_, is affected by two kinds,
the obtuse and the liquid; and the third, comprising _ll_, _m_, _rh_,
is susceptible of the obtuse form only.
The following table will show at one view the various changes of the
mutable initial consonants:--
+------------------+----------------+----------+----------+
|Primitive Letters.| Obtuse. | Liquid. | Aspirate.|
+------------------+----------------+----------+----------+
| {c | g | ngh | ch |
|CLASS I. {t | d | nh | th |
| {p | b | mh | ph |
| | | | |
| {g |initial omitted.| ng | |
|CLASS II. {d | dd _or_ dh | n | |
| {b | f | m | |
| | | | |
| {ll | l | | |
|CLASS III. {m | f | | |
| {rh | r | | |
+------------------+----------------+----------+----------+
The following examples may be given to show more clearly the nature
of these mutations:--1. Câr, _a kinsman_; 2. Gwâs, _a servant_.
Primitive. Câr agos, _a near kinsman_.
Obtuse. Ei gâr, _his kinsman_.
Liquid. Fy nghâr, _my kinsman_.
Aspirate. Ei châr, _her kinsman_.
Gwâs ffyddlon, _a faithful servant_.
Ei wâs, _his servant_.
Fy ngwâs, _my servant_.
The obtuse sound is assumed after--
1. All verbs, except of the infinitive mood, and interjections.
2. All personal pronouns; the possessives DY, _thy_; MAU, _mine_;
TAU, _thine_; and EI (masc.) _his_; but not when fem.; the
relatives PA, _which_; PWY, _who_; and À, _that_.
3. Adjectives and formative adverbs, and interjections.
4. The duals DAU and DWY, _two_.
5. All prepositions, except YN, _in_, and TUA, _towards_.
6. Pronominal prepositions.
7. The article Y, _the_, if the object be feminine.
8. The participial sign YN.
9. The disjunctive sign NEU, _or_.
The liquid sound is assumed after--
1. The possessive pronoun MY or FY, _my_.
2. The word YN when used as the English preposition _in_.
The aspirate sound is assumed after--
1. The possessive pronoun EI (fem.) _her_.
2. The adverbs TRA, _over_; and NI, and NA, _not_.
3. The conjunctions A, _and_; NO, _than_; NEU, _or_; and ONI,
_unless_.
4. The preposition Â, _with_.
5. The numerals TRI, _three_; and CHWE, _six_.
All vowel initials take _h_ before them, after EI (fem.) _her_; EIN,
_our_; and EU, _their_.
Welsh substantives do not vary in their terminations, but the cases
are distinguished by prepositions changing their initial letters, if
mutable, according to their dependance on the preceding word; as,
N. tŷ, _a house_; G. dodrefn fy nhŷ, _the furniture of my house_;
A. prynodd dŷ, _he bought a house_; Ab. allan o’i thŷ, _out of her
house_.
DEG, ten, and PYMTHEG, _fifteen_, before BLYNEDD, _years_, not only
change the initial of the following word into its corresponding
liquid, but likewise suffer a variation themselves; thus, for DEG
BLYNEDD and PYMTHEG BLYNEDD we find DENG MLYNEDD and PYMTHENG
MLYNEDD; and for PUMP BLYNEDD we read PUM MLYNEDD, _five years_.
_Authorities._--Dr. Pughe’s Welsh Grammar, 2d edit. Denbigh,
1832.--Rev. W. Gambold’s Welsh Grammar, 3d edit. Bala, 1833.--Dr.
Prichard on the Celtic Languages, London, 1831.
WELL.
On the bottom side of the two cross bearers in the middle of a frame,
on which the inner ends of the lower cases rest, there is frequently
a bottom nailed of thin deal; this, when the ends of the cases are
close together, forms a receptacle in which the compositor puts copy
and other articles, and it is named a _Well_. To obtain access to it
he slides one of the cases a little away from the other.
WETTING PAPER.
In quoting my old pressman’s observations again, it will be perceived
that he is speaking of the practice when pelt balls were in use.
“When a pressman is engaged to work in a strange office, if there be
no balls for him, he puts an old and a new pelt into the pelt pot,
and, while his pelts are soaking, he inquires whether he has to wet
paper or not; if he has to wet it, he does it in a large trough lined
with lead, containing clean water. He holds the middle of the back
of each quire in one hand, and the fore edge with the other hand,
and draws it quickly through the water, the back first; lays it on a
clean wrapper (which is laid on a clean paper board); opens part of
the quire, leaves that part on the board, and draws the remainder of
the quire, and all the other quires in the same proportion, through
the water as often as necessary, till he has wet all the heap; then
he places another paper board on the top of the heap, and puts
sufficient weight on it; in this state it continues till the paper is
all properly damped, by the moisture becoming diffused through the
whole heap, except it be for fine work, when he turns the paper as
often as he thinks necessary, pressing it at each turning; and common
work would look better if the paper were turned.
“Paper for different works being of various qualities, it is
impossible to form a regular judgment of how many dips in each quire
all sorts of paper require; therefore the wetter must be cautious in
examining, while wetting, whether each sort is of a soft, or spongy,
middling, hard, or harsh nature; also to consider whether it be for a
light or a heavy form, and dip each sort accordingly.”
In large establishments the pressmen do not wet the paper, but there
is one or more persons appointed to that duty solely, who also turn
it and press it, so that it is delivered to the pressmen to print,
more uniformly in good condition, than where they wet it. _See_
TOKEN. TOKEN SHEET.
WHEEL.
Also called girt wheel, and drum; a cylinder of elm wood, with two
flat broad grooves turned in it, on which the two girts wind and
unwind alternately, as the carriage is run in and out. It is fixed on
the spit, and one end of each girt is nailed to it; the other ends
are fastened, the one that runs the carriage in to the end of the
coffin, and the other to the fore end of the plank. The diameter of
the wheel varies according to the size of the press.
WHITE LINE.
A line of quadrats.--_M._ So it is usually understood at present; yet
it frequently happens that quadrats are not in sufficient quantity
to use for white lines, even for the bottoms of the pages; reglet of
a proper thickness is then substituted for quadrats, and sometimes
leads, but these should never be used for this purpose--for a volume
or a pamphlet may be wanted in a great hurry in the same measure, and
then an inconvenience may arise from the leads being blocked up in an
unnecessary manner.
WHITE PAGE.
A page that no matter comes in.--_M._
WHITE PAPER.
Although the first form be printed off, yet pressmen erroneously call
that heap white paper, till the reiteration be printed.--_M._ This
application of the term is now wearing away; and generally speaking,
it is only used for paper not printed upon; when the pressmen are
printing the first form of a sheet or the first side of a half sheet,
they say they are working the white paper.
WHITE PAPER REGISTER.
Pulling an impression without ink, or with a sheet of waste paper
between the form and the paper for the work, for the purpose of
ascertaining that the furniture is right. This is a good old custom,
and it is a pity that it is now so seldom practised, as it would
prevent those mistakes of wrong furniture which occasionally occur in
the white paper form, and when this happens, which I have known at
different times, the only remedy is, either to cancel what has been
printed, or to alter the reiteration form to make it register with
that which is printed, to the disfigurement of the book when it is
bound.
WHOLE PRESS. _See_ FULL PRESS.--_M._
WIDE SPACING,
is when en quadrats, or two thick spaces, are used between the words.
WILKINS, BEATA. _See_ DONATIONS.
WINTER.
A solid piece of wood, generally elm, similar to the head of a press,
mortised into the cheeks below the carriage and the long ribs, and on
which they rest.
I would recommend, contrary to the general practice, that in wooden
presses the winter should lie solid in the mortises of the cheeks,
and have no spring; and that all the spring should be in the head,
which would not affect the perpendicular descent of the platen.
This method of constructing a press would be found advantageous in
all cases; but more particularly in one-pull presses, in which the
platens are large:--
For it must be obvious, where an uniform impression is meant to be
obtained from types, by means of the perpendicular descent of a body
with a plane surface, that this surface and the surface of the types
should be parallel to each other, and that every variation from these
parallels must affect the equality of the pressure.
It being a necessary consequence, that the surface of the types
should be horizontal; it will be equally clear, that every departure
from this horizontal line will destroy the parallelism of the two
surfaces, and prevent an equal pressure on all their parts.
One part of the carriage of a press lies on the winter, the other
end resting on, and confined to, the forestay, which is fixed to
the floor, and cannot give way; the coffin, in which is the press
stone, lies on the carriage; and on the press stone the types are
placed. Now, when great pressure is applied to the types, to produce
an impression, it causes the winter to give way, which immediately
disturbs the horizontal plane of the types, and destroys the parallel
between them and the face of the platen, and causes an unequal
pressure, besides straining the cords of the platen, the platen
itself, and all the parts connected with it, to the injury of the
workmanship, and of the whole machine; all which would be avoided by
the winter being laid solid in the mortises of the cheeks, and the
carriage and ribs justified by a level. It would also be attended
with another advantage,--not being so liable to slur in running in;
the inner tympan not being so close to the platen.
This principle is equally applicable to iron presses, as well as to
wooden ones; and will tend to preserve them a longer time in good
condition.
WOODEN RIBS.
That part of the frame in a wooden press on which the long ribs
are fastened; in the middle they lie on the winter where the under
resistance to the pressure is, and are kept in their place by the
summer; and at the fore end they are supported by the fore stay; it
is necessary that they should be perfectly level.
WOOL CARDS.
Made with strong wire; one of which is fastened to two pieces of wood
that go across the wool hole, and the other has two open handles
fixed to the back of it, for the purpose of carding the wool with
which the balls are stuffed.
WOOL HOLE.
A place boxed off sometimes under a stair case, or in any situation
where the dust will not affect the press room, or other departments
of the business--in which the wool is carded wherewith to make the
balls.
The wool is kept in the box, over which two pieces of wood are
stretched across and fastened down, lowest in the front; on these one
of the cards is fixed. In the act of carding the wool the dust and
refuse fall into the box, and are thus prevented from being trampled
about.
WOOL HOLE. The workhouse. When a compositor or pressman is reduced by
age or illness to take refuge in the workhouse, it is said he is in
the _Wool Hole_.
WORKED, or WORKED-OFF.
When a job, or the sheet of a work is printed, it is said to be
Worked, or Worked-off. _See_ OFF.
WORK WITH A FIGURE.
In printing offices where there are a number of presses employed, it
is usual to distinguish them by numbers; as 1st press, 2d press, &c.;
and the pressmen put a figure into each form they work, corresponding
to the number of their press, for the purpose of ascertaining readily
at which press a sheet was printed in case of bad workmanship, or any
accident; and in general pressmen are subject to a fine if they work
without a figure, or with a wrong one: but when the same press works
both the forms of a sheet, it is not necessary to have a figure in
more than one form.
The figure used to be placed regularly in a white line at the bottom
of an even page, about four ems from the fore edge: it was placed in
an even page that it might not mislead the bookbinder; and always in
a full page that did not finish a paragraph.
WORKING IN POCKET. _See_ COMPANIONSHIP.
WORKING ON LINES. _See_ COMPANIONSHIP.
WORKING ON TIME. _See_ COMPANIONSHIP.
WRIGHT, THOMAS. _See_ DONATIONS.
SCANDINAVIAN PRESS.
A new press has just been introduced to public notice (August 1841),
under the patronage of Count Rosen, a Swedish nobleman, but being
too late for insertion in the alphabetical order, I give a notice
of it at the end. There are two of these presses now at work in the
extensive establishment of Messrs. William Clowes and Sons, under
the name of “The Scandinavian Self-inking Press,” invented by Mr.
C. A. Holm, of Stockholm, who has taken out a patent for it. It is
a press with a platen which descends perpendicularly, and at its
regular rate of working produces 550 impressions in an hour, which
I have ascertained by personal inspection. It requires two boys
to each press to lay on and take off the paper, and to turn down
and raise the tympan, and one superintendent is fully competent to
attend to two presses. By dispensing with woollen blankets in the
tympans and substituting paper, it produces fine impressions, as
the specimens published of large and finely executed engravings on
wood testify. There is a contrivance which causes a rest or pause
when the pressure is at its maximum, and gives time for the ink to
be firmly attached to the paper. The motive power may be either hand
labour or steam, those in use at Messrs. Clowes’s establishment are
worked by steam; they do not occupy more room than any other press
that will print paper of the same dimensions, and are very simple
in their construction. The inking apparatus is so arranged that
the distributing rollers have three or four different motions, the
object and effect of which are to produce a perfectly equal and
uniform distribution of the ink. They are manufactured by Messrs.
Braithwaite, Milner, and Co., engineers, in the New Road.
THE END.
LONDON:
Printed by A. SPOTTISWOODE,
New-Street-Square.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
The word ‘Spaces’ in case diagrams has been abbreviated to ‘Sp.’
to save column space.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added,
when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.