is not always profitable, for a printshop to have under its roof a
complete equipment for producing every detail of a booklet. One of the
successful producers of booklets—an artist with associates able to
interpret his ideas—had in his artistic suite of offices a palm which he
enjoyed showing to visitors who asked to see the “plant.” On the other
hand, there is the head of a large printing concern producing high-class
booklets who has artistic ideas but who depends upon the open field of
artists and engravers to develop and perfect his plans. He manages to
meet a prospective customer and from conversation with him learns
something of his tastes and preferences. This printer then selects an
artist whose style of work will most likely appeal to the customer and
be best for the purposes of the booklet. He assumes that the most
successful artists are those who have specialized on some one kind of
work—classic Roman lettering and decoration; seventeenth-century French
decoration; Old English or American colonial effects; modern German
coloring and decoration; art-nouveau creations, the serious and the
humorous; illustrations of child life, or of the Civil War period. While
there are versatile artists like Will Bradley who can do good work in
many styles, they are not numerous.
Some printers retain typographic artists who serve clients by the hour.
These artists sometimes are advertising writers who have studied the art
side of printing and know that much depends upon the type-face used.
To plan a booklet properly the commercial printer must know something of
the principles of art and advertising and of good book typography.
Booklet printing is really the connecting link between job printing and
book printing. The unconventionality of job typography and the dignity
and conservatism of book typography can successfully be blended in the
booklet.
* * * * *
EXAMPLE 149 (Insert).—This style of title-page is appropriate for a
booklet or brochure in which the typography plays an important part in
the production. The printer having plates of this kind delivered to him
should for the remaining pages endeavor to use a type-face which has
some relation in style to the lettering found in this example. The page
having been drawn by Frederick W. Goudy, one of his type-faces would, of
course, be most harmonious, but other old-style letters such as Cloister
Oldstyle, Caslon Oldstyle and Old-Style Antique would also be suitable.
Some of the pages would possibly include initial letters drawn in the
same style as the decoration, and thruout the work the motif established
by the title-page should be maintained. An antique-finished paper blends
best with the general decorative plan, but if coated stock must be used
it should be of a dull finish. Art work of the quality of this example
cannot be procured from every artist. This example is expressive of the
personal taste and talent of Goudy.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 160
A label pasted on a brilliant cover stock is striking. Designed by
Thomas Maitland Cleland for the Oswald Press, New York
]
EXAMPLES 150 AND 151.—The printer in the main must be his own artist,
and he can best serve himself and his customers on such occasions by
providing pure typographical effects. This is difficult. The printer
must have studied good typography—he must know typography not only as a
worker at the trade but as a student of the art. He must be thoroly
acquainted with type-faces. His type equipment usually shows his
knowledge in this regard; if it consists of odds and ends of type-faces
aimlessly selected, he is not in a position to give his customer the
proper service, but if his equipment mainly consists of those type-faces
that have been approved by the leading typographers and type designers
of the country, he will not only render good service to his customer but
will confer a benefit on every one who receives a copy of the printed
matter. The public learns to like whatever is served to it most
frequently, and if it is provided with good printing and especially good
typography, the tone of printing generally will be elevated and further
dignity given to the business. The examples under consideration are from
a nationally known printing office which confines its type equipment to
three series and at one time practically used but one series on all its
work. The leaflet was made to fit a business envelop. The stock was
Japan vellum and there was no decoration—only a standard approved
type-face of a readable size (fourteen-point). Such a leaflet attracts
attention above most advertising matter because of its simplicity. It is
good more because of what is left off than for what is put on.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 161
Admirable treatment for a small amount of reading matter. Both pages
by Edward Everett Winchell, New York
]
EXAMPLES 152, 153 AND 154.—These are the cover-page and first and second
text pages of a booklet which is purely a typographical product. There
was also a title-page similarly treated. The first two words of the
title, “Getting into Print,” were on each of the four pages set in
italic lower-case, and the word “Print” was in roman capitals. Scotch
Roman was used, and Mr. Sherbow has produced other effective booklets
with this type-face. He has a preference for the eleven- and
twelve-point sizes and frequently separates his lines with a two-point
lead. The result, especially in the narrow measure made necessary by the
smallness of the booklet, is a page that one likes to read. There is a
freshness, an individuality, about his type arrangement, which quality
is probably due to the fact that he never was a practical printer. He
began as an advertising writer and studied typography and its use for
advertising purposes unrestrained by the traditions of the craft as
handed down from compositor to apprentice. His work, however, is
influenced by the study he has made of the work of typographers and
calligraphers of the past five or six centuries. By this study he has
obtained a knowledge that most printers lack because of their reluctance
to explore the past. The borders surrounding these pages are made from
typefounders’ brass rule, and otherwise the only ornamentation is a
floret on the cover and a smaller one on the first text page. Perhaps no
new note is struck in the arrangement of the cover-page, but the
treatment of the upper part of the first text page is different from
that which would be given by the average good compositor.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 162
A good way to arrange a page when the photograph is of proportions
different from those of the booklet page. Note treatment of caption
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 163
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 164
Two booklet pages in which typography was the chief dependence in
securing artistic results. The borders were made with brass rule and
the illustration was tipped on. By Taylor & Taylor, San Francisco,
Cal.
]
EXAMPLES 155 AND 156.—These are from an eight-page leaflet, and, like
the previous examples, they give evidence of an understanding of
typography that comes from study of the subject. Mr. Baker in these
pages provides practically no margins outside or inside the rule border.
This border is merely a one-point rule which serves a good purpose
without forcing itself upon the attention. The type-face is Old-Style
Antique, which as the years go by does not seem to lose its “flavor.” It
is a readable type-face and one that is at its best when used on
antique-finished paper, as in this case. The leaflet was printed in
black ink on a greenish cream-tinted paper. Mr. Baker’s personal device
adds decorative value to the title-page. It will be noticed that the
headings are set in a larger size of the body type and lined at the
left. There is no indention excepting for the reprinted letters, which
are set in a small size of the same type. These letters treated in this
manner are only incidentally made a part of the advertising argument.
EXAMPLES 157, 158 AND 159.—Caslon Oldstyle and Caslon Text are factors
in the effectiveness of the booklet of which these three pages are
representative. These three examples are additional evidence that type
alone when properly used is almost as effective from an advertising
point of view as if supported by the best decoration and illustration.
It might be said that good typography is to be preferred at all times to
poor art work, altho really good art work properly subordinated will
undoubtedly add attractiveness and interest to a booklet otherwise well
treated typographically. The border of contrasted heavy and light rule
adds typographic value to the booklet under consideration, and the use
of the light rule in other ways on the title-page and under the headings
in Examples 158 and 159 also has an influence for good. A two-line
initial in color at the beginning of each paragraph and the setting off
of one paragraph from another by blank space are distinctive features in
the make-up of the pages. Ornaments are used in the running headings,
and they are the same design as that used on the title-page. The size of
this booklet was 3½ × 5½ inches. It should be noticed that Mr. Lewis in
these pages places no more space between sentences than between the
various words of the line, altho Mr. Sherbow and Mr. Baker on the
preceding examples use more. There is difference of opinion among good
printers as to the amount of space between sentences. Some of them
prefer the em-quad, which has been used by the average printer for a
great many years. Others believe with the ancient printers that the
period and the capital are sufficient indication of the beginning of a
new sentence without the insertion of a square of white space that
affects the tone of the page. It should be noted in Mr. Lewis’s pages
that while he has allowed fair margins around the outside of the rule
border, he has arranged for very little margin inside, and to this is
due a certain compactness that is agreeable.
EXAMPLE 160.—This is the cover of a small book of information. The cover
stock was deep red in color and the title was printed on Japan vellum
stock and pasted as a label on the cover. The label design is by Thomas
Maitland Cleland, whose carefully formed lettering offers suggestions to
good printers who know the value of dignity in lettering and decoration.
A title label, especially when dark cover stock is used, makes it
possible to include a typographic effect on the cover, thus insuring
harmony consistent with the type-face that may be used on the inside of
a booklet. The title-page that was a part of this small book was shown
as Example 138 of the chapter on books.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 165
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 166
Attractive rear and front cover designs of an unconventional booklet.
The arrowheads in the original were in emerald-green ink. By E. G.
Jacobson, New York
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 167
One of the eight pages of a prospectus for “The American Printer.” The
initial “A” was in color. By Will Bradley
]
EXAMPLES 161 AND 162.—Two facing pages from a booklet designed by Edward
Everett Winchell and presenting the attractive features of a large New
York hotel. There is but a small amount of descriptive matter, confined
mostly to two pages in the front of the book, yet the treatment is such
that more words would have spoiled it. The plain rule border gives
uniform shape to the pages and pleasingly contrasts with the liberal
white space inside. In Example 161 the descriptive matter is grouped at
the head of the page in Avil, an interesting old-style roman type-face.
The fading of the vignetted edges of the halftone into the surrounding
white space is effective. Example 162 demonstrates how an illustration
which is out of proportion to the page may be placed to get good
results. The caption, set in capital letters slightly spaced, is in
keeping with the squared style of the page. Compositors should study the
position of this caption. Many would be inclined to center it directly
under the illustration; this would cause the lower part of the page to
seem empty and unfinished. By moving the caption down, so as to break
into the white space and divide it, the sense of vacancy is not
experienced.
EXAMPLES 163 AND 164.—These are two pages from a booklet in which
typography was the chief dependence of the printer in securing artistic
effects. The border is made of brass rules and four small ornaments; a
decorative initial is introduced at frequent intervals thruout the
booklet; otherwise, the effect is due to care in the details of
typesetting. The space between sentences is the same as that between the
words of a line, and widely spaced lines are not to be found. It should
be kept in mind that the best typography is that in which the spacing
between words is not excessive. Carelessness in typesetting and in the
operation of composing machines is responsible for unpleasant effects
produced by wide spacing and by “rivers” running thru the page. In
Example 164 the illustration was tipped on. The paper used in this book
was a buff antique, the tipped-on prints being on dull-coated stock. The
dark-brown ink used for the text pages was also used for the prints,
making a pleasing color harmony.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 168
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 169
Two pages from a booklet in which no decoration was used, the
decorative quality of the type-face impressed on hand-made paper
having been depended on to provide a dignified beauty. By the Oswald
Press, New York
]
EXAMPLES 165 AND 166.—These are rear and front booklet covers, the
design of which is striking because of the disregard for
conventionality. No capital letters are used, an idea that should be
adopted with reluctance by printers unless their customers approve of
the innovation. Most buyers of printing are slaves to conventionality
and hesitate to accept typography or especially drawn work which is
bizarre or in any way a departure from the usual methods of treating
printed work. The activity of German, Austrian and French artists in
this country, however, has caused some business and advertising men to
be more tolerant in these things, as the bright coloring, dashing
decoration and the newness of it all seem to get attention where
conventional effects fail. It might be said in reference to the
lettering on these examples that the designer has not produced anything
really new so far as the use of the so-called lower-case letters instead
of capitals is concerned. There was a period in the development of the
modern alphabet when its characters were neither “capitals” nor
“lower-case” as we know them—a period in which the minuscules were being
evolved from the ancient Roman capitals or majuscules. Altho modernized,
the lettering here used can be traced historically to the uncial
lettering of the days of manuscript books. The arrowheads were in
emerald green.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 170
A hand-lettered cover-page. By the Blanchard Press, New York
]
EXAMPLE 167.—This page, designed for the prospectus of the twenty-fifth
anniversary number of _The American Printer_, in my opinion is among the
best things that Will Bradley has done. There were eight pages and on
all the decorative headings were similar, altho each had sufficient
change in the treatment to give special interest to the page. The fine
line decorative borders were in pleasing contrast to the dark-toned
illustrations and the liberal apportionment of blank space.
Fourteen-point Caslon Oldstyle, the kind with the long descenders, was
used for the text matter. The large Caslon initial added another
interesting spot of black. The decoration and type matter were printed
in black ink on buff-tinted dull-coated paper, and the large drawn
initial on each page was in sepia brown. The original size of this
pamphlet was 6¾ × 9½ inches.
EXAMPLES 168 AND 169.—No decoration of any kind was used in this
booklet, unless the period groups may be counted as such. The purpose
was to produce artistic printing in good taste by depending upon the
type-face and the paper for results. Decorative interest (usually
welcome in a mild way) was supplied by the swash capitals of the italic
and by letterspacing capitals and small capitals wherever they appeared.
The chapter headings of all the pages in this book were aligned with one
another and not “sunk” as is sometimes done. The pages are made
interesting by the varied use of italic lower-case and roman capitals.
The size of this booklet in the original was five by eight inches, and
the margins were made to conform to those used on good book composition,
each margin increasing in this order: Head, inner side, outer side,
foot.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 171
Page from a typographically treated commemoration book
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 172
Unconventional arrangement of a booklet page. By Corday & Gross,
Cleveland, O.
]
EXAMPLE 170.—Lettering, as has been pointed out, has an important place
in booklet designing along with decoration, illustration and typography,
and from well-lettered designs the printer can obtain valuable
suggestions. This example was printed on hand-made paper, and the deckle
edges and rough surface of the paper blended with the freehand drawing
of letters and border. There was a further blend of the hand-lettering
and the Caslon type-face used on the inside pages. The lettering was
based upon the same model as the Caslon, which is standard for old-style
effects. Here is a hint for printers: Distinction will be added to
booklets otherwise printed from Caslon or similar type-faces if the
cover and the display headings are hand-lettered. This may be done with
fair results by setting them first in Caslon type. After the type has
been arranged satisfactorily, take a print in blue tint on paper
suitable for drawing with ink. The letters may then be traced freehand
with black india ink over the blue print and any desired ruggedness or
variation introduced. As light-blue ink will not reproduce when a zinc
etching is made, the blue proof need not be carefully adhered to. Italic
and small capitals should be introduced in such lettered designs.
EXAMPLE 171.—This is a page from a souvenir booklet containing an
account of the exercises held in commemoration of the fiftieth
anniversary of the New York Typothetæ. Almost the entire book was set in
fourteen-point Cloister Oldstyle and Italic and printed in black and
orange ink on a white antique-finished paper of good quality. The cover
was a domestic vellum-like paper which contained the words, “Golden
Anniversary of the Typothetæ,” set in Cloister Italic with swash
initials, the two lines being deeply stamped into the paper on gold
leaf. In this manner strict typographic harmony was maintained thruout
the booklet. Large decorative initials were introduced in several
instances and two-line initials of Cloister capitals were used in a
minor way. This page should offer suggestions to printers who are called
upon to print souvenir volumes; in fact, much work of this kind can be
created by the printer suggesting the publishing of such volumes after
historic or memorial meetings are held in his city.
EXAMPLE 172.—This is the first inside page of a booklet, the stock of
which consisted of a thin straw-colored Japanese paper, printed on one
side only. The cover, a heavy, rough dark-green paper, contained only
the wastebasket illustration printed on both front and rear in gold ink
set into the stock by a heavy impression. The simplicity of the
typography accords with the treatment as a whole.
* * * * *
Printers will accomplish the most in booklet printing, as in other
branches of the craft, if they live in an artistic atmosphere. Sir
Joshua Reynolds, the great English painter, said: “The more extensive
your acquaintance is with the works of those who have excelled, the more
extensive will be your powers of invention.” That is the reason painters
haunt Italy and other art centers where the works of the old masters are
accessible. The printer should take journals such as _The American
Printer_, devoted to the art of typography; for these journals bring to
the great army of craftsmen specimens of the work of famous printers and
of those who are contributing their mite to the cause of good
typography.
The helpful atmosphere of the trade papers can be supplemented by
specimen booklets for study purposes. These booklets can be obtained by
writing to the printers producing them, or to the advertiser; and many
can be had from retail houses selling the articles advertised in the
booklets.
The printer must learn more than he now knows about art or he will
become only a caddie in the game of booklet printing, with the artist
and ad.-writer making all the puts. The printer is depending too much
upon the artist and too little upon himself. The possibilities of type
arrangement have not been exhausted and never will be, yet many workers
at the printing trade act upon the assumption that good printing is
impossible without the artist’s initiative and co-operation. Many a good
job of printing has been spoiled by inferior lettering or decoration,
the work of a poor artist.
Withal, there is nothing more ideal than a good printer and a good
artist working together to produce perfect printing.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 175
Page from an automobile catalog designed by Thomas Maitland Cleland.
The caption is grouped in spaced capitals of Bodoni Book. The
illustration is from a pen-and-ink drawing
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 176
Unusual treatment of a specifications page. Words in capitals are
letterspaced. Rules are used to add character to the page. These
reproductions are one-half the size of the originals
]
[Illustration]
CATALOGS
Ruskin, enumerating three branches of architectural virtue, requires of
a building (1) that it act well, and do the things it was intended to
do, in the best way; (2) that it speak well, and say the things it was
intended to say, in the best words; (3) that it look well, and please us
by its presence, whatever it has to do or say.
These three requirements, like many others that are important in the
eyes of the architect, can be applied to the illustrated catalog, which
most printers at one time or another are called upon to produce:
(1) The catalog should act well; it should be constructed in a manner
fitting the purpose for which it is issued. If, say, it contains a list
of plumbers’ supplies, it should be bound in strong stock of a color
that will not easily soil. If it contains a list of jewelry and is for
retail purposes, it could be bound delicately in light stock.
(2) The catalog should speak well; the illustrations should be faithful
presentations of the articles to be sold, and the descriptive matter
should be well written, accurate and informative.
(3) The catalog should look well; the type-faces, paper, ink, binding
and other elements should be harmonious; the illustrations and
descriptive matter should be arranged with regard to balance and
proportion, and the treatment as a whole should be pleasing and
interesting.
There was a time when catalogs were printed without attention to these
things, or if the first two requirements were complied with the third
was ignored. It will necessitate no effort for the reader to recall the
days when merchants had no orderly plans for displaying their wares—when
the average storeroom and window looked like a curiosity shop. Those
were the days when the catalog was a heterogeneous collection of
woodcuts and type-faces, packed on the pages to the very edge of the
paper.
Now many show windows and salesrooms are delights to the eye, and
similar care and taste are shown in the printing of the catalog.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 177
Architectural title treatment by Will Dwiggins. The lettering contains
typographical suggestions
]
The catalog is a portable showcase and from it the customer makes
selection, often without seeing the article itself. These facts make it
essential that goods be displayed invitingly and in good taste. An
article well displayed requires few words to sell it.