Letterpress Type Set
Individual sorts of metal, wood or resin, set by hand, one character at a time.
| Sizes | 6 pt to 72 pt in metal; to 15 pica in wood |
| Body height | 23.3 mm (0.918 in), all materials |
| Materials | Lead alloy, hardwood, photopolymer resin |
| Set width | Measured in ems, based on the body size |
| Nick | Groove on the front face, identifies orientation |
| Lead alloy | Roughly 70 per cent lead, 20 antimony, 10 tin |
| Case layout | California job case for lowercase and caps |
| Storage | Type case, drawer, or galley, always flat |
| Body height | 23.3 mm |
| Size range | 6–72 pt metal, 6–150 pt wood |
| Materials | Lead alloy, wood, photopolymer |
| Suitable stock | Any paper the press will take |
| Processes | Hand composition, locking up, proofing |
| Compatible materials | Works with every press in this catalogue |
| Characters per case | Roughly 180 sorts in a standard California case |
| Durability | Thousands of impressions in lead; hundreds in resin |
There is a simulator for this. Type Composition runs the same relationships in 3D, so you can change a number and watch what it does to the result.
Hand-set type is the original process and still the only one that produces the crisp, slightly irregular edge that identifies letterpress. Each character is a separate piece — a sort — with a raised printing face on a rectangular body. The body height is fixed at 23.3 mm, the type height, so that any combination of sorts locks up to exactly the same printing plane.
Three materials are in common use. Foundry and Monotype lead alloys give the sharpest impression and last for decades. Wood type is cut for display sizes where metal would be too heavy. Photopolymer and resin plates are made from digital artwork and are how most contemporary studios print anything with a lot of detail.
Safety
Using it well
- Set upside down and right to left, the way it prints. Every compositor works this way and it stops you setting a line backwards.
- Sort your case by frequency, not alphabetically: e, t, a, o, i, n in the easiest reach. A California job case is laid out this way for a reason.
- Wipe each sort as you take it out. A single piece of grit under a sort lifts the character next to it and shows in the print.
What it works with
Papers and substrates
- Any stock the press accepts
Type and fonts
- Any typeface available in the chosen material
- Mixing faces from different foundries is normal
Processes
- Hand composition
- Lockup in a chase
- Proofing
- Long runs in lead
Tools that go with the letterpress type set
Composing Stick
The L-shaped hand tool that holds a line of type while you set it, and sets the measure.
Quoins & Furniture
The wedges and spacing blocks that lock a forme tight in the chase so nothing moves.
Tabletop Platen Press
A small clamshell press that prints one sheet at a time, by hand, under a platen.