Improved Printing. Type and Type-supports.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 28th May, 1894-
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Printing. Type and Type-supports.
We, VINCENZO CALENDOLI, and ANIELLO SAVARESE, both of 21 Boulevard
Poissonniere, Paris, in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The improved printing type forming the subject of this invention has for its
distinguishing features that the pieces are much shorter than ordinary type, as
hitherto employed, and that the body of each piece is either male or female i.e.
provided with either a projection or a groove enabling it to be attached to a
correspondingly, but inversely, shaped support, being female for male characters,
and male for female characters.
In addition to this support, another form of support may be used in connection
with the improved type, which support, like the first, is either female or male
according to the description of the type for which it is intended, but which differs
in this from the first-mentioned support, that it is unprovided with any type-
retaining device, so that the characters may be readily removed from, and
replaced upon it, by being slid.off, or on, (as the case may be), in the direction of
their length or depth.
The first-mentioned support forms what may be called the skeleton of the
page to be set up, and it serves permanently to retain in place the type that
is set up.
This form of type offers the following main advantages:
1. A saving of material in the manufacture of type, amounting to as much as
eighty per cent., or thereabouts.
2. The possibility of manufacturing type, not only by a casting process, but also,
if desired, by stamping, and this owing to the short length of the types, which gives
them an appearance of great neatness, while materially reducing the cost of their
production; and, what is more important still,
3. The possibility of readily fixing the type on any given surface, whether level
or cylindrical, so that the necessity of using stereotype blocks in rotary printing
machines, is obviated.
As before stated the characters manufactured according to our invention may,
for the purposes of their attachment to the support, be male or female. When
female they are recessed in such a manner that the recess or groove of each is
wider at its innermost part than at its entrance.

page_text: Type constructed in this manner may be passed sideways upon a supporting
rod or rail which has a solid body corresponding in shape or outline to the groove
or recess of the type, so that the enlarged portion or shoulder forms the means of
retaining the type in place. The other support or rod, however, comprises no
enlarged or projecting portions and from this support therefore the type may
readily be removed, each piece independently of the others, in the direction of its
height or depth; and it may similarly be put back upon the support without any
difficulty; both of which operations are absolutely necessary to enable misprints to
be corrected.
When the type are of the male kind they are provided each with a tail-piece,
enlarged towards its lower end, and narrower at the part where it joins the main
body of the type-being preferably of dove-tail shape; in which case the type-
retaining support is provided with a groove, exactly like, in section, to the solid
projections on the tail-pieces of the type. The correction-support in this case, is
also recessed or grooved, but with this difference that it has no reduced or narrow
portion for retaining the characters in place.
Obviously the particular form of type may be varied at will so long as it is
provided with either a male or a female means of attachment, or with both at the
same time, enabling it to be secured upon a suitable support, while leaving it free
however, to be shifted thereon longitudinally.
The setting-up supports whatever may be their shape or construction, must also
be formed with either a male or a female type-retaining portion, such as notches
of dovetail shape, for example, or lugs of equivalent shape enabling them to be
secured to the surface, either level or curved fitted with corresponding means of
attachment, whereby the distance between these supports, upon the said surface,
may be varied at will.
This distance between the supports is adjusted by means of space-rules, provided.
with means of attachment similar to those of the corresponding type supports.
These space-rules may vary in thickness according to the spacing required; or
they may be dispensed with altogether if it should be desired to place the supports
simply side by side.
We will now proceed to give a few examples illustrating the manner of applying
our improved arrangement of type and supports to practical purposes.
According to our method of setting up type, the compositor's task comprises
three main operations:
1. Fixing the type supports to the plane or curved surface intended to retain
them or in other words, forming the skeleton of the page.
2. Setting up the type, i.e. passing cach piece on to the supports in the required
order of succession; and
3. Correcting possible misprints from the proofs.
The dovetail projections provided on one of the surfaces terminate at one end
in a stop while the other end is free to admit of the successive sliding of
the supporting rails or rods, as well as of the space-rules, if necessary, upon
the retaining surface, and of their retention in the position which they should
properly occupy:
The stop retains the first rail or rod of the skeleton of the page. To lock the
said rails together and to stop the last of them, any suitable means may be
employed, such as a series of perforations, for example, provided in each of the
dovetail projections, in which case pins or pegs may be inserted into the perforations
next to the last rail. The space between this rail and the nearest peg may then
be filled up either by space-lines of sufficient thickness to enable a number of
them jointly to fill up the gap; or by means of a rule pressed against the pegs
by screws passing through it and which are tightened against a space rule placed
behind the last rail.
The skeleton of the page being thus formed the type is set up thereon, either
by hand or by machinery, each piece being passed on to one end of each rail or rod
in the required order of succession to form the words of the matter to be printed.

page_text: The type thus set up is arrested at the opposite end of the rail by any suitable
means, say, by means of a rib or flange projecting from the plane or the curved
support retaining surface or in the case of a cylindrical surface, by means of a
disc secured to one end of the cylinder.
In order to proceed with the correction of misprints in matter set up as described,
the correction-support is applied to the extension of the rail on which happens to
Le the wrong piece of type or the line, or part of line, to be transposed. The
corresponding line is moved up to the last word, inclusive, which it is desired to
correct, on to the correction-support, from which the several characters may then
be removed independently of each other. as before stated, and replaced by others.
After completing the correction, the line of type is moved back to its place upon
the type-retaining support.
Upon completing the correction of the set-up matter, the type is arrested at the
free end of the rails or rods, either by a flange or by a disc, when the type-
carrying surface is cylindrical. In the latter case the disc may even be fitted in
place beforehand, a notch being provided, so as to enable the correction support to
be inserted through that notch. By turning the disc (the retaining nut of the same.
being slightly loosened), so as to bring the notch to coincide with each successive
line of type to be corrected, the support may be placed against each of these lines,
and the necessary corrections may thus be proceeded with. When the corrections
are completed, the nut is tightened again, so as permanently to fit the disc in such a
position that the notch faces one of the space-rules or astride on two rails so that
no character can slip off.
Upon the whole then, our improved type and type-support offer the following
facilities to printers:
a. They enable the matter to be printed to be set-up upon plane surfaces to be
utilised in ordinary flat typographical presses, in the usual manner.
b. They also enable the matter to be printed to be set-up upon curved surfaces
having correspondingly curved type-supports or rails fitted to them. This result is
attainable owing to the short length of the characters, the sides of which may
converge at the desired angle, without there being an appreciable difference in
their width at the top and bottom respectively. The curved surfaces, or the matter
set-up on curved lines, may then be fitted to the cylinder of a rotary printing press,
and printing may therefore be proceeded with from the type direct, without
necessitating the employment of any stereotyped block.
Curved rails may also be attached to the surface of the cylinder or roller of a
printing machine direct, similarly to what has been herein before set forth relating
to straight rails or rods. These assume in that case the shape of a set of circles,
with a break at a certain point, permitting the characters to be passed on to them
and to be strung together thereon; such circles being in their turn passed upon the
printing roller or cylinder of the machine, and
c. They also enable the matter to be printed to be set-up on curved surfaces but
with straight rails or rods. The rails or rods in that case are arranged along the
roller surface.
It will be understood that in each of these cases referred to in the three
paragraphs (a) (b) and (c) just concluded, the rails or rods may be integral with or
be rigidly secured to the plane or curved surfaces.
The cylinders which are provided with either circular or rectilinear type-
supporting rods or rails may be portable and have a surface of a size corresponding,
say, to the size of a page of an ordinary prospectus or circular. Such cylinder or
roller may be fitted with a handle, enabling the user to print off the matter set-up
thereon without pressure, by simply causing the cylinder to roll upon the piece of
paper which is to receive the printing.
The latter mode of typographical composition (riz.: upon cylinders with straight
supporting rails or rods), also offers the advantage that it permits newspapers and
books having more than one column to be printed, each operative being able to
set-up 'his own column independently of the others, upon a separate cylinder or

page_text: roller.
When all the type is set up, the rollers representing the several columns,
need only be placed side by side, and the peripheries of the respective stop-discs
may serve for printing the lines separating the columns from each other.
Dated this 28th day of May 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.
Improved Printing Type and Type-supports.
We, VINCENZO CALENDOLI, and ANIELLO SAVARESE, both of 21, Boulevard
Poissonniere, Paris in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The improved printing type forming the subject of this invention has for its
distinguishing features that the pieces are much shorter than ordinary type,
as hitherto employed, and that the body of each piece is either male or female i.e.
provided with either a groove or a projection enabling it to be attached to a
correspondingly, but inversely shaped support, being female for male characters,
and male for female characters.
In addition to this support, another form of support may be used in connection
with the improved type, which support, like the first, is either female or male
according to the description of the type for which it is intended, but which differs
in this from the first mentioned support, that it is unprovided with any type
retaining or locking device, so that the characters may be readily removed from,
and replaced upon it, by being slid off, or on, (as the case may be), in the direction
of their length or depth.
The first mentioned support forms what may be called the skeleton of the page
to be set up, being a pre-arranged framework of the lines it should contain, and it
serves permanently to retain in place the type that is set up.
This form of type offers the following main advantages:
1. A saving of material in the manufacture of type, amounting to as much as
eighty per cent., or thereabouts.
2. The possibility of manufacturing type, not only by a casting process, but also,
if desired, by stamping, and this owing to the short length of the types, which
gives them an appearance of great neatness, while materially reducing the cost of
their production; and, what is more important still,
3. The possibility of readily fixing the type on any given surface, whether level
or cylindrical, so that the necessity of using stereotype blocks in rotary printing
machines, for example, is obviated.
And in order that our said invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a female piece of type placed upon a corresponding
type-retaining support, which is shown in cross section.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation corresponding to Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a female piece of type placed upon a corresponding
correction support, seen in cross-section.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal elevation corresponding to Figure 3.
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are views similar to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, but
showing a male letter in combination with corresponding female type-retaining and
correction supports.

page_text: Figure is a pian or a skeleton or Iramework of a page permitting The
employment of type made in accordance with this invention.
Figure 10 is a section on line 1-2 Figure 9.
Figures 11 and 12 are two sections taken at right angles to the line 1-2
Figure 9, Figure 11 illustrating, however, the case of a page formed upon a plane
surface with straight supporting rails or rods, while Figure 12, illustrates the
method of formation of a page upon a curved surface, with correspondingly curved
rods or rails.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of a cylinder whereon the page is formed
with straight rails.
Figure 14 is a cross section of the cylinder, represented in Figure 13; and
Figure 15 is an end view of the said cylinde";
The first eight of these figures are drawn on a considerably enlarged scale, so as
more fully to show the details of the type and supports. Figures 9 to 15, are real
size views, though, of course, the dimensions of the parts they represent may vary
according to circumstances.
Figure 16 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of a printing roller arranged
for hand operation.
for the
Referring to Figure 1, the type X made according to our invention may,
purposes of their attachment to the support, be male or female, as already stated.
When female, as here shown, they are recessed in such a manner that the recess or
groove of each is wider at its innermost part y than at its entrance x.
Type constructed in this manner may be passed sideways upon a supporting rod
or rail R which has a solid body corresponding in shape or outline to the groove or
recess of the type, so that the enlarged portion or shoulder y forms the means of
retaining the type in place. The correcting support rule or rod S, however, shewn
in Figure 3, comprises no enlarged or projecting portions such as y, and from this
support therefore the type may readily be removed, each piece independently of
the others, in the direction of its height or depth, and it may similarly be put back
upon the support without any difficulty, both of which operations are necessary to
enable misprints to be corrected.
When the types are of the "male" kind, such as X¹ (Figure 5) they are
provided each with a tail-piece, enlarged towards its lower end, as at ¹, and
narrower at the part where it joins the main body of the type as at y¹, being
preferably of dove-tail shape; in which case the type-retaining support R² is
provided with a groove, exactly like, in section, to the solid projections on the tail
pieces of the type. The correction-support S₁ (Figure 7) is also recessed or
grooved, but with this difference that it has no reduced or narrow portion v¹ for
retaining the characters in place.
The particular form of type shewn in the drawings is by way of example, and
may be varied at will so long as it is provided with either a male or a female
means of attachment, or with both at the same time, enabling it to be secured
upon a suitable support, while leaving it free however, to be shifted thereon
longitudinally.
The setting-up supports R R¹ whatever may be their shape or construction,
must also be formed with either a male or a female type-retaining portion, such as
notches of dovetail shape, for example, or lugs of equivalent shape enabling them
to be secured to a surface, either level as M, Figure 11, or curved such as M',
Figure 12, or cylindrical such as M³, Figure 13, and fitted with corresponding
means of attachment such as m, whereby the distance between these supports, upon
the said surface, may be varied at will.
This distance between the supports is adjusted by means of space-rules I
provided with means of attachment similar to those of the corresponding type
supports. These space-rules may vary in thickness according to the spacing
required, or they may be dispensed with altogether if it should be desired to place
the supports simply side by side.

page_text: We will now proceed to give a few examples illustrating the manner of applying
our improved means of typographical composition to practical purposes.
According to our method of setting up type, the compositor's task comprises
three main operations :
1. Fixing the type supports to the plane or curved surface intended to retain
them; or in other words, forming the skeleton of the page.
2. Setting up the type, i.e. passing each piece on to the supports in the required
order of succession; and
3. Correcting possible misprints from the proofs.
The dovetail projections m provided on one of the surfaces M Mor M2 terminate
at one end in a stop m² while the other end m² is free to admit of the successive
sliding of the supporting rails or rods R, as well as of the space-rules I, if necessary,
upon the retaining surface M, M or M², as the case may be, and of their retention
in the position which they should properly occupy.
The stop m¹ retains the first rail or rod R of the skeleton of the page. To lock
the said rails together, and to stop the last of them, any suitable means may be
employed, such as a series of perforations o, for example, provided in each of the
dovetail projections m, in which case pins or pegs n may be inserted into the per-
forations next to the last rail. The space between this rail and the nearest peg
may then be filled up either by space-lines of sufficient thickness to enable a
number of them jointly to fill up the gap as in Figure 14, or by means of a rule p
pressed against the pegs by screws e passing through and which are tightened
against a space rule I placed behind the last rail (Figures 9 and 10).
The skeleton of the page being thus formed the type is set up thereon, either by
hand or by machinery, each piece being passed on to one end of each rail or rod
in the required order of succession to form the words of the matter to be printed.
The type thus set up is arrested at the opposite end of the rail by any suitable
means, say, by means of a rib or flange g projecting from the plane support
retaining surface (Figures 9 and 11) or the curved retaining surface (Figures 9
and 12) or in the case of a cylindrical surface, by means of a disc Q secured to
one end of the cylinder M2 (Figure 13).
In order to proceed with the correction of misprints in matter set up as described,
the correction-support S (Figure 3) is applied to the extension of the rail on which
happens to be the wrong piece of type or the line, or part of line, to be transposed.
The corresponding line is moved up to the last word, inclusive, which it is desired
to correct, on to the correction-support, from which the several characters may
then be removed independently of each other, as before stated, and replaced by
others. After completing the correction, the line of type is moved back to its
place upon the type-retaining support.
Upon completing the correction of the set-up matter, the type is arrested at the
free end of the rails or rods, either by a flange such as q (Figures 9, 11 and 12)
or by a disc Q (Figure 13) when the type carrying surface is cylindrical. In the
latter case the disc Q1 may even be fitted in place beforehand, a notch g
(Figures 13 and 15), being provided, so as to enable the correction-support to be
inserted through that notch. By turning the disc Q' (the retaining nut E of the
same being slightly loosened), so as to bring the notch to coincide with each
successive line of type to be corrected, the support S may be placed against each of
these lines, and the necessary corrections may thus be proceeded with. When the
corrections are completed, the nut E is tightened again, so as permanently to fit
the disc Q' in such a position that the notch faces one of the space-rules or is astride
on two rails S so that no character can slip off.
Our improved type and type-support offer the following facilities to printers:
19 a. They enable the matter to be printed to be set-up upon plane surfaces
(Figs. 9, 10 and 11) to be utilised in ordinary flat typographical presses, in the
usual manner.
b. They also enable the matter to be printed to be set-up upon curved surfaces

page_text: having correspondingly curved type-supports fitted to them (Figs. 3, 12
This result is attainable owing to the short length of the, characters, the sides of
which may converge at the desired angle. without there being an appreciable
difference in their width at the top and bottom respectively. The curved surfaces,.
or the matter set-up on curved lines, may then be fitted to the cylinder of a rotary
printing press, and printing may therefore be proceeded with from the type direct,
without necessitating the employment of any stereotyped block.
Curved rails may also be attached to the surface of the cylinder or roller of a
printing machine direct, similarly to what has been set forth in reference to
These take in that case the
Figures 14 and 15 relating to straight rails or rods.
shape of a set or series of circles, with a break at a certain point, permitting the
characters to be passed on to them and to be strung together thereou, such circles
being in their turn passed upon the printing roller; and
They also enable the matter to be printed to be
with straight rails or rods (Figures 13, 14 and 15).
are arranged along the roller surface.
C.
set-up on curved surfaces bat
The rails or rods in that case
It will be understood that in each of these cases referred to in the three
paragraphs (a) (b) and (c) just concluded, the rails or rods may be integral with or
be rigidly secured to the plane or curved surfaces. The cylinders which are provi.led
with either circular or rectilinear type-supporting rods or rails may be portable and
have a surface of a size corresponding, say, to the size of a page of an ordinary
prospectus or circular. Such cylinder or roller may be fitted with a han lle
(Figure 16) enabling the user to print off the matter set-up thereon without
pressure, by simply causing the cylinder to roll upon the piece of paper which is to
receive the printing.
The latter mode of typographical composition (viz.: upon cylinders with straight
supporting rails or rods), also offers the advantage that it permits newspapers and
books having more than one column to be printed, each operative being able to set
up his own column independently of the others, upon a separate cylinder or roller.
When all the type is set up, the rollers representing the several columus, need only
be placed side by side, and the peripheries of the respective stop-discs may serve for
printing the lines separating the columns from each other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. An improved form of type having male or female means of attachment or
both, such means of attachment being adapted to be fitted on to correspondingly,
but inversely shaped means of attachment provided on rectilinear or curvilinear
type supports in combination with a support or supports so constructed that not
only can the type slide thereon longitudinally, but it may be removed from the said
support in the direction of the length or depth of the characters, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
2. A typographical character having a recess or groove, the innermost portion y
of which is wider than is the part a nearest to its edges, thus constituting what has
been hereinbefore termed a female character in combination with a supporting rail
or rod R having a solid projection corresponding in shape to the groove of the
type, substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings and for the purpose specified.
3. In combination with the form of type referred to in the second claiming clause
a support consisting of a flat rule such as S, unprovided with any such enlarged
portion y as that with which the rail R is provided, substantially as described and
illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangement of straight or curved type-supporting rails or supports
provided with means of attachment enabling them to be secured to plane, curved,
or cylindrical surfaces provided with inversely shaped means of attachment and
allowing the said rails or rods to slide towards or away from each other, while

page_text: remaining parallel, thereby enabling the distance or spacing to be adjusted between
them as required, substantially as and for the purposes described with reference
to Figures 9 to 15 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of February 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants."