The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-24

Tive contemporary, the Montny ouiieuh
OF the Providence Public Library, In ITS
current issue, furnishes information on
the matter Of type sizes as commonly
used in hooks, magazines. pewsparers
Snd general literature, supplying the
same 10 response to somewhat large de-
mand especially from teachers Of the
younger children. that knowledgv may be
had of the names OF the kind of types they
read from.
Everything that has to do with the
production OF printed matter 10 Of quite
general interest outside the several
branches of trade, profession and the arts
enlisted writer the editor. the com
positor, the proofreader. the printer,
the binder. the designer and mrx xer OF
type and printing machinery. And
Sufficient familiarity with the kind OF
type most commonly uset. SO that such
may be recognized In specific case. is
not hard to acquire.
Typo faces and type sizes are distinct
classiflcations. In addition to an in
numerable variety of type faces, as dis
tinsuished from type sizes, that have
done long servics and the namer of many
Of which are familiar in printing Offices.
novelties are CONSTANTLY being developed,
especially in the class known as "dis-
play, Of which the most generally known
perhaps is the famous DE Winnie series,
while the Century Magazine has recently
adopted = reading type of its own esrec-
ial design. Even superficial acouaint-
anS with these type faces is hardly to be
gained outside the trade, profession and
art of the Fourth Estate. Bnt the Pub
lilo Library Bulletin is justified in bsliev-
ing that little instruction In tyre sizes
should be a feature of liberal O. iucatiou.
For nll the variety of tyre faces, the end
OF which will never Re. they are every
one made to conform to type sizes, that
is, to the fixed measurement Of the body
Of the type, upon the accuracy of which
derends tEe composition and the make
up" OF the type to be printed. Upon a
certain type size, that is a body measure
ment, no end OF designs In tyre fa-es
may be set. and it 10 not unusual, either,
for an ''agats" faced type, for Instance,
to b cast on ''nonpareil" body. that
Is, face that goes ordinarily on small
ler body cast on q bedy built for larger
face. But the tyre sizes themselves are
matter OF fixed standards like weights
and measures. As q pound OF lead and
pound of feathers srs equally pound, a
quart OF beans OF quart Of water equally
q qunrta yard Of string and yard of silk
equally yard. SO ths limitIess variety of
faces are mounted on bodios of specified
standard sizes limited NJ to variety. And
IL Is convenient and interesting to read
ers to be able to recognize these
So the Bulletin of our Public Library
seeks to furnish this instruction. 1t is q
proper public ssrvicc. and because it Is
inadequately performed by our ootempo-
rary We venture to make correction.
Briefly. the Library Bulletins classiflca-
tion is not up to date, and 80 is csloul it-
ed to mislead. 1t gives list of eight
standard tyre sizes as follows: "Great
primer" English" "pica." "small
plea, long primer, "brsvier. (" "min-
ion, " "nonpareil, I" illustrating tho titles
by lines of type of the respective sizes
named. Now, while there names are not
wholly obsolste, thsy are already out of
common use in progressive printing
Offices and some day will rass into his.
tory along with ancient geography and
old-styls terms In other arts. professions
and trades abandoned for better and
more accurate and significant nomsncla-
ture.
In the trade, profession and arts to
which type is related, the Library Bulle-
tins illustrative lines should properly
and correctly be classified as follows:
"ls-point" instead Of great primer; GA
point" for English; "i2.point." plea;
"ii.point," small plea; "10-point,"
long primer; "S-point," BREWER; co.
point" minion; "6-point," nonpareil.
The "roint' system has wholly sup
planted the old titled classification, for
the reason that 1t is absolute and exact
In its description, whereas the names
"great primer" English" etc.. had
meaning in the various foundriss which,
while theoretically the same was
sufficiently different in result to cause
confusion ia tie printing Office that