Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-08-30
INTERESTING FACTS.
PRINTING.


carried OH by large number Of
tools or types, every one of which
cost money, labor and ingenuity, to
fit for use. There are but two or
three men in the United States who
can make The matrices in which the
types are cast, sopeculiar, complete,
proportoned, uniform and exact must
the work be done-the letters are
made principally of lead, mixed with
other metals, in order to harden it
sufficiently when cool.
For every sized and differently
shaped type, new matrices have to
be made, and each with the same ex-
actness; or the font is defective. In
Roman, each letter must be made
three times-large and small capitals,
low er case, points, figures and other
indispensable characters. To give
some idea of the number of charac-
ters and letters which go to form a
font of types, we will state that there
are two cases, as the printers call
them, the lower case containing all
the common or small letters, with
the figures and points for punctua-
ton, double letters, spaces and quad
rats; this case has Sd boxes, and ev-
cry one is occupied.
The upper case, containing the
large and small capitals, and numer-
ous marks and characters which are
in common use, has % boxes. Thus
it seems the type founder in order to
supply commonf font of Roman let
ters, has to have constructed $50
matriccs-and the italics are not III
cluded here, which will make over
100 more-just to manufacture letter,
&c. OF size and corresponding faces.
Here, then, there must be about ESQ
characters, and some of them a good
many times over, to print a news
paper. To give the rninitiated the
number and proportions Of types
used-it may answer just to state
that we use, say for common aver
age font.
u $500; b 1000; 5000; d 400; e
10000; $4,000; g l,600;h 6,O00; s.
600, 400; k 800; 1000; m 5000; n
5000; 5000; p 5000; q $50; r S, 900;
s 5000; 1900; u 1000; " 1000; w
1000; X 500; y 1000; 2 900.
Nothing IS here said of points, fig
ures, double letters, and other char
acters, which would swell the list
amazingly. And all this makes one
item III common newspaper Office.
Nor is anything said Of the numerous
pictures, flowers, ornamental shades,
condensed, extended, &C., types us
ed in job and newspaper printing, all
OF which is necessary to make the
stock OF an ordinary newspaper es-
tabllshment. These type cost from
80 cents to $3 a pound.
a common newspaper Office ought
to be supplied with from 1000 to 1900
lbs. oftype. These, with some 5000
worth OF wood work, $3.50 for press,
good many more dollars for brass
rules, and still more for iron materials,
paper, ink, &c, will make very
large abstraction from 81, 500. When
all these items are paid for by the
printer, he Is just about ready to 90
to work, if he has roller made
and sets his type. The usual width
OF newspaper columns is about IL
ms wide. An EN- is the thickness of
line.
On an average nearly three type
will go into an em, counting Spaces.
For every 1000 m's>q printer sets, he
handles 5000 type, aud if he sets
5000 ms, which is days,work, with
correcting the same, and distributing
enough for the next day, he handles
not far from $4,000 type.
The remark is often made, that
there are so many errors in the pa,
per, and it is true; but let 90 out of
100 who make the observation try
the experiment and make fewer-if
they can.
memphis Express.
UwemiHing Kindness,-A come
dian went to America, and remained
there two years, leaving his wife de-
pendent on her relatives. Mrs. F.,
expatiating in the green room ON
such conduct, the comedian found a
warm advocate in a well known dra-
matist j have heard,' says the lat
ter, that he is the kindest ofmen, and
know that he writes to his wife ey-
cry packet Yes, he writes re-
piled Mrs. f., "a parcel of fiummery
about the agony of absence, but he
has never remitted her a shilling. Do
you call that lindness!' Decided
ly,' replied the author, 'unrematihg
Kindness ?