Part 13
Where several words have been left out, they are transcribed at the bottom of the page, and a line drawn from the place of omission to the written words, (see No. 15;) but if the omitted matter is too extensive to be copied at the foot of the page, _Out, see copy_, is written in the margin, and the missing lines are enclosed between brackets, and the word _Out_ is inserted in the margin of the copy.
Where letters stand crooked, they are noted by a line, (see No. 16;) but, where a page hangs, lines are drawn across the entire part affected.
When a smaller or larger letter, of a different fount, is improperly introduced into the page, it is noted by the mark No. 17, which signifies wrong fount.
If a paragraph is improperly made, a line is drawn from the broken-off matter to the next paragraph, and _No ¶_ written in the margin. (See No. 18.)
Where a word has been left out or is to be added, a caret must be made in the place where it should come in, and the word written in the margin. (See No. 19.)
Where a faulty letter appears, it is denoted by making a cross under it, and placing a similar mark in the margin, (see No. 20;) though some prefer to draw a perpendicular line through it, as in the case of a wrong letter.
Where a word has been accidentally separated by a space, it is marked as in No. 21.
TABLE OF SIGNATURES.
On the two following pages will be found a complete list of signatures for books in octavo, twelves and eighteens, sixteens, and twenty-fours.
The 24mo signatures in this table are arranged to bring the second signature on either the 9th or 17th page of the form. If the sheet is to be folded as an 8vo and 16mo, the figure signatures may be used; but if as two 12mos, the letter signatures will be used.
+---------------------------------++------------------------------------ | 8vo. || 12mo and +----+---------+-----+------------++----+------------+----+------------+ | 1| 1 A | 481| 61 3 L || 1| 1 A | 313| 27 2 B | | 9| 2 B | 489| 62 3 M || 5| 1* A 2 | 317| 27* 2 B 2| | 17| 3 C | 497| 63 3 N || 13| 2 B | 325| 28 2 C | | 25| 4 D | 505| 64 3 O || 17| 2* B 2 | 329| 28* 2 C 2| | 33| 5 E | 513| 65 3 P || | | | | | 41| 6 F | 521| 66 3 Q || 25| 3 C | 337| 29 2 D | | 49| 7 G | 529| 67 3 R || 29| 3* C 2 | 341| 29* 2 D 2| | 57| 8 H | 537| 68 3 S || 37| 4 D | 349| 30 2 E | | 65| 9 I | 545| 69 3 T || 41| 4* D 2 | 353| 30* 2 E 2| | 73| 10 K | 553| 70 3 U || | | | | | 81| 11 L | 561| 71 3 V || 49| 5 E | 361| 31 2 F | | 89| 12 M | 569| 72 3 W || 53| 5* E 2 | 365| 31* 2 F 2| | 97| 13 N | 577| 73 3 X || 61| 6 F | 373| 32 2 G | | 105| 14 O | 585| 74 3 Y || 65| 6* F 2 | 377| 32* 2 G 2| | 113| 15 P | 593| 75 3 Z || 73| 7 G | 385| 33 2 H | | 121| 16 Q | 601| 76 4 A || 77| 7* G 2 | 389| 33* 2 H 2| | 129| 17 R | 609| 77 4 B || | | | | | 137| 18 S | 617| 78 4 C || 85| 8 H | 397| 34 2 I | | 145| 19 T | 625| 79 4 D || 89| 8* H 2 | 401| 34* 2 I 2| | 153| 20 U | 633| 80 4 E || 97| 9 I | 409| 35 2 K | | 161| 21 V | 641| 81 4 F || 101| 9* I 2 | 413| 35* 2 K 2| | 169| 22 W | 649| 82 4 G || 109| 10 K | 421| 36 2 L | | 177| 23 X | 657| 83 4 H || 113| 10* K 2 | 425| 36* 2 L 2| | 185| 24 Y | 665| 84 4 I || 121| 11 L | 433| 37 2 M | | 193| 25 Z | 673| 85 4 K || 125| 11* L 2 | 437| 37* 2 M 2| | 201| 26 2 A| 681| 86 4 L || | | | | | 209| 27 2 B| 689| 87 4 M || 133| 12 M | 445| 38 2 N | | 217| 28 2 C| 697| 88 4 N || 137| 12* M 2 | 449| 38* 2 N 2| | 225| 29 2 D| 705| 89 4 O || 145| 13 N | 457| 39 2 O | | 233| 30 2 E| 713| 90 4 P || 149| 13* N 2 | 461| 39* 2 O 2| | 241| 31 2 F| 721| 91 4 Q || 157| 14 O | 469| 40 2 P | | 249| 32 2 G| 729| 92 4 R || 161| 14* O 2 | 473| 40* 2 P 2| | 257| 33 2 H| 737| 93 4 S || | | | | | 265| 34 2 I| 745| 94 4 T || 169| 15 P | 481| 41 2 Q | | 273| 35 2 K| 753| 95 4 U || 173| 15* P 2 | 485| 41* 2 Q 2| | 281| 36 2 L| 761| 96 4 V || 181| 16 Q | 493| 42 2 R | | 289| 37 2 M| 769| 97 4 W || 185| 16* Q 2 | 497| 42* 2 R 2| | 297| 38 2 N| 777| 98 4 X || 193| 17 R | 505| 43 2 S | | 305| 39 2 O| 785| 99 4 Y || 197| 17* R 2 | 509| 43* 2 S 2| | 313| 40 2 P| 793| 100 4 Z || | | | | | 321| 41 2 Q| 801| 101 5 A || 205| 18 S | 517| 44 2 T | | 329| 42 2 R| 809| 102 5 B || 209| 18* S 2 | 521| 44* 2 T 2| | 337| 43 2 S| 817| 103 5 C || 217| 19 T | 529| 45 2 U | | 345| 44 2 T| 825| 104 5 D || 221| 19* T 2 | 533| 45* 2 U 2| | 353| 45 2 U| 833| 105 5 E || 229| 20 U | 541| 46 2 V | | 361| 46 2 V| 841| 106 5 F || | | | | | 369| 47 2 W| 849| 107 5 G || 233| 20* U 2 | 545| 46* 2 V 2| | 377| 48 2 X| 857| 108 5 H || 241| 21 V | 553| 47 2 W | | 385| 49 2 Y| 865| 109 5 I || 245| 21* V 2 | 557| 47* 2 W 2| | 393| 50 2 Z| 873| 110 5 K || 253| 22 W | 565| 48 2 X | | 401| 51 3 A| 881| 111 5 L || 257| 22* W 2 | 569| 48* 2 X 2| | 409| 52 3 B| 889| 112 5 M || 265| 23 X | 577| 49 2 Y | | 417| 53 3 C| 897| 113 5 N || 269| 23* X 2 | 581| 49* 2 Y 2| | 425| 54 3 D| 905| 114 5 O || 277| 24 Y | 589| 50 2 Z | | 433| 55 3 E| 913| 115 5 P || | | | | | 441| 56 3 F| 921| 116 5 Q || 281| 24* Y 2 | 593| 50* 2 Z 2| | 449| 57 3 G| 929| 117 5 R || 289| 25 Z | 601| 51 3 A | | 457| 58 3 H| 937| 118 5 S || 293| 25* Z 2 | 605| 51* 3 A 2| | 465| 59 3 I| 945| 119 5 T || 301| 26 2 A | 613| 52 3 B | | 473| 60 3 K| 953| 120 5 U || 305| 26* 2 A 2| 617| 52* 3 B 2| +----+---------+-----+------------++----+------------+----+------------+
++--------------++-------------------------------++ 18mo. || 16mo. || 24mo. || +----+-----------++----+---------++----+---------+----+-----------++ | 625| 53 3 C || 1| 1 A || 1| 1 A | 433| 19 T || | 629| 53* 3 C 2 || 17| 2 B || 9| 1* | 441| 19* || | 637| 54 3 D || 33| 3 C || 17| . . A 2| 449| . . T 2 || | 641| 54* 3 D 2 || 49| 4 D || 25| 2 B | 457| 20 U || | 649| 55 3 E || 65| 5 E || 33| 2* | 465| 20* || | 653| 55* 3 E 2 || 81| 6 F || 41| . . B 2| 473| . . U 2 || | | || 97| 7 G || | | | || | 661| 56 3 F || 113| 8 H || 49| 3 C | 481| 21 V || | 665| 56* 3 F 2 || 129| 9 I || 57| 3* | 489| 21* || | 673| 57 3 G || 145| 10 K || 65| . . C 2| 497| . . V 2 || | 677| 57* 3 G 2 || 161| 11 L || 73| 4 D | 505| 22 W || | | || 177| 12 M || 81| 4* | 513| 22* || | 685| 58 3 H || 193| 13 N || 89| . . D 2| 521| . . W 2 || | 689| 58* 3 H 2 || 209| 14 O || 97| 5 E | 529| 23 X || | 697| 59 3 I || 225| 15 P || 105| 5* | 537| 23* || | 701| 59* 3 I 2 || 241| 16 Q || 113| . . E 2| 545| . . X 2 || | 709| 60 3 K || 257| 17 R || 121| 6 F | 553| 24 Y || | 713| 60* 3 K 2 || 273| 18 S || 129| 6* | 561| 24* || | | || 289| 19 T || | | | || | 721| 61 3 L || 305| 20 U || 137| . . F 2| 569| . . Y 2 || | 725| 61* 3 L 2 || 321| 21 V || 145| 7 G | 577| 25 Z || | 733| 62 3 M || 337| 22 W || 153| 7* | 585| 25* || | 737| 62* 3 M 2 || 353| 23 X || 161| . . G 2| 593| . . Z 2 || | 745| 63 3 N || 369| 24 Y || 169| 8 H | 601| 26 2 A || | 749| 63* 3 N 2 || 385| 25 Z || 177| 8* | 609| 26* || | 757| 64 3 O || 401| 26 2 A || 185| . . H 2| 617| . . 2 A 2 || | 761| 64* 3 O 2 || 417| 27 2 B || 193| 9 I | 625| 27 2 B || | | || 433| 28 2 C || | | | || | 769| 65 3 P || 449| 29 2 D || 201| 9* | 633| 27* || | 773| 65* 3 P 2 || 465| 30 2 E || 209| . . I 2| 641| . . 2 B 2 || | 781| 66 3 Q || 481| 31 2 F || 217| 10 K | 649| 28 2 C || | 785| 66* 3 Q 2 || 497| 32 2 G || 225| 10* | 657| 28* || | 793| 67 3 R || 513| 33 2 H || 233| . . K 2| 665| . . 2 C 2 || | 797| 67* 3 R 2 || 529| 34 2 I || 241| 11 L | 673| 29 2 D || | | || 545| 35 2 K || | | | || | 805| 68 3 S || 561| 36 2 L || 249| 11* | 681| 29* || | 809| 68* 3 S 2 || 577| 37 2 M || 257| . . L 2| 689| . . 2 D 2 || | 817| 69 3 T || 593| 38 2 N || 265| 12 M | 697| 30 2 E || | 821| 69* 3 T 2 || 609| 39 2 O || 273| 12* | 705| 30* || | 829| 70 3 U || 625| 40 2 P || 281| . . M 2| 713| . . 2 E 2 || | 833| 70* 3 U 2 || 641| 41 2 Q || 289| 13 N | 721| 31 2 F || | | || 657| 42 2 R || 297| 13* | 729| 31* || | 841| 71 3 V || 673| 43 2 S || 305| . . N 2| 737| . . 2 F 2 || | 845| 71* 3 V 2 || 689| 44 2 T || 313| 14 O | 745| 32 2 G || | 853| 72 3 W || 705| 45 2 U || 321| 14* | 753| 32* || | 857| 72* 3 W 2 || 721| 46 2 V || 329| . . O 2| 761| . . 2 G 2 || | 865| 73 3 X || 737| 47 2 W || 337| 15 P | 769| 33 2 H || | | || 753| 48 2 X || | | | || | 869| 73* 3 X 2 || 769| 49 2 Y || 345| 15* | 777| 33* || | 877| 74 3 Y || 785| 50 2 Z || 353| . . P 2| 785| . . 2 H 2 || | 881| 74* 3 Y 2 || 801| 51 3 A || 361| 16 Q | 793| 34 2 I || | 889| 75 3 Z || 817| 52 3 B || 369| 16* | 801| 34* || | 893| 75* 3 Z 2 || 833| 53 3 C || 377| . . Q 2| 809| . . 2 I 2 || | | || 849| 54 3 D || | | | || | 901| 76 4 A || 865| 55 3 E || 385| 17 R | 817| 35 2 K || | 905| 76* 4 A 2 || 881| 56 3 F || 393| 17* | 825| 35* || | 913| 77 4 B || 897| 57 3 G || 401| . . R 2| 833| . . 2 K 2 || | 917| 77* 4 B 2 || 913| 58 3 H || 409| 18 S | 841| 36 2 L || | 925| 78 4 C || 929| 59 3 I || 417| 18* | 849| 36* || | 929| 78* 4 C 2 || 945| 60 3 K || 425| . . S 2| 857| . . 2 L 2 || +----+-----------++----+---------++----+---------+----+-----------++
THE FOREMAN OR OVERSEER.
GENERAL DUTIES.
Vigilant and conscientious oversight is the price of profit and success. An overseer or foreman of a printing-office should be of more than ordinary capacity, and able to keep his temper in firm control. His conduct should be guided by justice and equity in regard to the interests of the employer and the employed. A strict impartiality should be observed in his treatment of the workmen, and no favouritism should be displayed. He should make himself acquainted with the capacity of the men, and apportion work among them accordingly. Some men are valueless except for plain, straightforward composition; others, distinguished for taste and skill, delight in intricate work or matter requiring ingenuity and delicacy, such as tables, music, and algebra. Put one of the first kind on this sort of composition, and he will botch it, and earn small wages; while a workman of the latter class will become restive and dissatisfied with plain, solid matter. While dealing justly with the men under his charge, the foreman should see to it that the employer suffers no detriment from negligent or dishonest practices of unconscientious workmen, whether from careless correcting, allowing dropped types to lie upon the floor, or overcharging, or other methods well known in a printing-office. He should be the first and the last in attendance, in order to satisfy himself that every person does his duty in coming and leaving at the proper time.
The office having been thoroughly swept at an early hour, and the type found in any alley having been placed in the stick of the compositor occupying it, the foreman should pass around the room and see that it is immediately distributed, instead of being thrown on the window-frame or table. The type found in the body of the rooms should be sorted out and distributed at once, and not be allowed to accumulate. No pi should be permitted to remain over till the next day. This is an essential point to secure a tidy and well-regulated office.
He should see to it that the proof-roller and press are in good condition, and that a sufficient supply of wetted proof-paper is on hand. A badly-printed proof should never be allowed to go to the proof-reader or to the author, as neither can properly read a blurred or imperfect proof. An author will feel kindly toward an office that furnishes him with handsome impressions of his matter.
The foreman should keep himself fully informed as to the amount and the condition of the materials in the office, not only in gross, but in detail, including every style of type, every variety of accents and peculiar sorts, leads, chases, furniture, rules, borders, corner-pieces, &c. In this he will be greatly aided by insisting on the observance of the good old rule, _A place for every thing, and every thing in its place when not in use_, as well as by keeping a memorandum-book in which every thing should be entered under its proper head for facility of reference.
If the office be well provided, it will contain one or more of the cabinets for sorts, such as are shown in these pages. Strict attention should be given to keeping them in perfect order, and in preventing them from becoming receptacles for pi.
As a matter of course, he should watch the progress of every job and book, and make sure that they shall be completed within the time contracted for. He should never allow a compositor to have a large take of copy: small takes facilitate expedition, and really tend to the profit of the workmen by bringing an earlier return of letter. He should see to it that every man has his copy closed in proper time, so as not to detain the make-up, and that he passes the make-up without unnecessary delay. As soon as a form or sheet is made up, he should order it to be imposed and a proof pulled, which, with the copy properly arranged, is to be at once handed to the proof-reader. Nor should he allow of any unnecessary delay on the part of the reader, nor on the part of the compositors in correcting the proof when read. When proofs are required by an author, the foreman must forward them promptly to him, and request him to return them at the earliest possible moment. If the proof is not to be sent out, he should have the second reading quickly performed, and the forms prepared for the foundry or the press.
Systematic attention to the above points will tend to the comfort of the overseer, to the advantage of the workmen, and to the profit and satisfaction of the proprietor of the establishment.
The foreman will find a memorandum Press-Book very useful, in which to make entries of the amount of the paper given out by the warehouseman for the various works, the number printed, &c., as well as the names of the pressmen when the work is done on hand-presses.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |WHEN GIVEN OUT TO WET. | | +-------------------------------------------------------------+ | |NAMES OF WORKS. | | | +-------------------------------+ | | | NO. | | | | +------------------------+ | | | |SIGNATURES. | | | | | +-------------------+ | | | | |DATE WHEN LAID ON. | | | | | | +----------+ | | | | | |NAMES OF | | | | | | |PRESSMEN. | +--------+-----------------------------+------+----+--------+----------+ | 1878. | | | | 1878. | | | May 8 |Specific Heat Tables | 1000 | 11 | May 10 |Graham. | | ” 10 |The Great Exhibition | 5000 | 18 | ” 12 |Landsdown.| | ” 12 |The American Printer | 1000 | 20 | ” 13 |Windisch. | | ” 15 |Masterpieces of European Art | 3000 | 2 | ” 17 |Smith. | +--------+-----------------------------+------+----+--------+----------+
If not done by the proof-reader, the foreman should examine the press revise; in doing which, he will be careful not only to ascertain whether all the corrections marked in the proof are made, but also to look carefully over the sides, head, and bottom of each page. It frequently happens that the folios drop out of the form in lifting it off the imposing-stone; and in leaded matter, letters at the beginning and ends of lines sometimes fall out of place. Before the revise is given to the compositor, the name of the pressman who is to work off the form should be entered in the Press-Book. With foul compositors, he should require a second revise, in order to ascertain if all the corrections have been made which were marked in the first. He should (where there is not a pressman engaged expressly for the purpose, as is the case in houses employing numerous machine-presses) go frequently to the different presses, and examine the work, point out defects, if any, and glance again over the heads, sides, and bottoms of the pages, to see if any thing has been drawn out by the rollers, which may occur from bad justification of the lines, and careless and improper locking up of the form.
An active and conscientious foreman will not be content with merely managing the concerns of the composing room: he will also see that the business of the warehouse is attended to with regularity and accuracy, and that the warehouseman, errand-boys, and apprentices do their duty.
CASTING OFF COPY.
To cast off manuscript with accuracy and precision is a task which requires great attention and mature deliberation. The trouble and difficulty are much increased when the copy is not only irregularly written, (which is generally the case,) but also abounds with interlineations, erasures, and variations in the size of paper. At times, so numerous are the alterations and additions as to baffle the skill and judgment of the most experienced calculators of copy. Such an imperfect and slovenly mode of sending works to the press cannot be too strongly censured.
The first step necessary is to take a comprehensive view of the copy, noticing whether it has been written even or has many interlineations, &c., and observing also the number of break-lines, and whether the work be divided into chapters and sub-heads, in order that allowance may be made for them in the calculation. These observations may be noted on a separate piece of paper, to assist the memory and save the trouble of re-examining the manuscript.
This preparation being made, we ascertain the number of words contained in the line by counting several separate lines in various parts of the copy, so that the one we adopt may be a fair average. We then take the number of lines in a page, and multiply by the number of words found in the average line: the result we then multiply by the quantity of folios the manuscript copy may contain, and thus we get the amount of words contained in the work with a tolerable degree of accuracy. The necessary allowances should be made for break-lines, chapters, insertions, &c., according to the observations previously made on the memorandum.
If information has been furnished as to the size of letter the work is to be done in and the width of the page, we make our measure accordingly, and, by composing a few lines of the manuscript copy, we ascertain what number of words will come into each printed line: we then take the length of our page in lines, and multiply the one by the other, thus getting the number of words in the printed page. We divide the whole number of words in the manuscript by the number contained in the printed page: the quotient gives the number of pages the manuscript will make. If too many, the page must be enlarged; if too few, the page must be diminished in width and length. For example:—We take the number of words in a line of manuscript at 20, the lines in a page at 50; we multiply 50 by 20, which will produce 1000 words in a page; we then multiply 1000 by 422, the number of folios in the manuscript, and we find that it contains 422,000 words. The work being printed in Pica octavo, 20 ems measure, and each line containing 10 words, each page 40 lines, the case will stand thus:—
MANUSCRIPT.
50 20 ---- 1000 422 ------ 2000 2000 4000 ------ 422000 words in MS.
PRINTED.
40 10 --- 400)422000 words in MS. ------ 1055 pages.
Divide 16)1055(65 sheets, 15 pages.
Another method for casting off copy is the following, as laid down by a predecessor:—
“After having made the measure for the work, we set a line of the letter that is designed for it, and take notice how much copy will come into the line in the stick,—whether less or more than a line of manuscript; and, as it is seldom that neither one nor the other happens, we make a mark in the copy where the line in the stick ends, and number the words that it contains. But, as this is not the safest way for casting off close, we count not only the syllables, but even the letters, that are in a line in the stick, of which we make a memorandum, and proceed to set off a second, third, or fourth line, till a line of copy falls even with a line in the stick; and, as we did to the first line in the stick, so we do to the other, marking on the manuscript the end of each line in the stick, and telling the letters in each, to see how they balance against each other. This being carefully done, we begin counting off, each time, as many lines of copy as we know will make even lines in the stick. For example, if 2 lines of copy make 3 lines in print, then 4 make 6, 6 make 9, 8 make 12, and so on, calling every two lines of copy three in print. In like manner we say, if 4 lines make 5, then 8 make 10, and so on, comparing every four lines of copy to five lines in print. And in this manner we carry our calculation on as far as we have occasion, either for pages, forms, or sheets.