VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS AND ALTERATIONS IN THE FORM OF PRINTING TYPES, AND THE MANNER IN WHICH PRINTING IS TO BE PERFORMED THERE WITH,. SO AS TO DIMINISH THE TROUBLE AND EXPENCE OF PRINTING, AND TO RENDER IT MUCH MORE UNIFORM AND BEAUTIFUL
Year: 1802

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PHILIP
RUSHER, of Banbury, in the County of Oxford, Banker's Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of May, in the
forty-second year of His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said Philip
Rusher, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His special licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Philip Rusher, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, during the term of years therein.
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, .and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my new-invented.
"VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS AND ALTERATIONS IN THE FORM OF PRINTING TYPES, AND
THE MANNER IN WHICH PRINTING IS TO BE PERFORMED THERE WITH,. SO AS TO
DIMINISH THE TROUBLE AND EXPENCE OF PRINTING, AND TO RENDER IT MUCH MORE
UNIFORM AND BEAUTIFUL;" in which Letters Patent there is contained a pro-
viso obliging me, the said Philip Rusher, under my hand and seal, to cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date of

page_text: the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation
being thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.
- NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Philip Rusher, do hereby declare that my said-Invention is described in
manner following, that is to say:-
The types must be made with characters to form the letters, exhibited as
follows:-
[See annexed Drawing.]
Each capital letter, with few exceptions, should be comprized in the compass
of an oval, or made to occupy the space that might in printing be filled by an
oval, in which form they will occupy less room than usual, and be much more
uniform. Each small letter is to be without any tail piece or descender, and
the metal of the type (usually forming the shoulder) in its whole length, both
in the small letters and capitals, is to extend no lower than the body of the
letter, consequently the letters will occupy less room in printing, without being
less legible. Those of the small letters, whose heads or ascending points rise
above the body of the character, should have their heads shortened or lowered
about one third, which will make them appear more uniform with the other
letters, and will likewise allow room for a greater space between the lines in
printing; or the type may be placed closer. In printing, each line may be
placed immediately under the body of the preceding line, and thus a great
part of the paper heretofore occupied by the type will be saved; or spaces
may be placed between the lines to extend them to the usual distance asunder.
In either case the printing will appear more uniform and beautiful than if
printed by the types now generally used. When close printing is required,
particular care must be used by the compositor to place the stops, namely, the
comma and semicolon, so as not to interfere with the heads of the letters in
the next line, which may be done by shifting the spaces between the words,
either in the higher or lower line; or stops may be used, whose lower points
will range with the body of the letters. When the whole is arranged and
fixed, the printing may be performed in the usual manner. The alterations
proposed in the shape of some of the capitals being intended chiefly for title
pages, or very large types, where a greater degree of uniformity is required,
the characters already in use may in general be employed. The same obser-
vation may be applied to the small letters on types already in use, which, with
the exception of the descending letters, may be employed in this new system
in those cases where close printing is not required; but the savings in the
paper, and some other advantages, particularly the diminution of labour in
pressing, cannot be obtained when the metal of the type descends much below

page_text: the body of the character. These improved types and characters may be
adapted to stereotype printing, in the accustomed way, with greater advantage
than any other.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth
day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and two.