I saw a classic LinoType machine
Old LinoType typesetter, in the lobby of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, 5th Street, San Francisco, California, December 6, 2010
When I was a student in 6th grade at Laboratory Schools in Chicago, we went on a field trip to a printing company. One of the machine operators there made each student a lead impression of their full name using a machine similar to the one pictured above. I don’t think these are used anymore because of the lead fumes, and because a computer can do a much better job, generally. I am particularly fond of this LinoType typesetter since I have devoted a fair part of my life to electronic typesetting, through my work with TeX, LaTeX and ConTeXT at my startup gOffice.com. I saw this machine December 6, 2010 in the lobby of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper on 5th Street in San Francisco.
Next time you are in Southern California, stop by the International Printing Museum and have your name set on a Linotype again – most every Saturday, between 10a and 4p.
Dan
12 Dec 10 at 9:33 pm
Thanks for the recommendation. Where is the museum located? How many of these old machines are known to still be operating? Are the results on a printed page identifiable as being from a lead type typesetter? I don’t know much about these machines, but I am fascinated by them. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Kevin Warnock
12 Dec 10 at 11:37 pm