In this section we will talk about important terms about printing world and typography.

Continuing Typography Terms

Body type The type used in setting the main text of a book.

Calligraphy The art of writing, based on handwriting from Roman times and embracing such scripts as half-uncial, Carolingian, Chancery script, humanistic, and their derivatives.The word derives from the Greek for "beautiful writing."

Casting The traditional method of generating type characters by using machines that, fitted with a mold or "matrice" (mat), would cast the type characters from hot molten metal. Type would either be cast as individual characters using a "Monotype" machine, or as complete lines ("slugs") using a "Linotype" machine.

Character count The total number of characters in a piece of copy to be set.

Cold composition A form of low-quality typesetting for camera-ready copy done on special (or even ordinary) mechanical "golf ball" or "daisy wheel" typewriters. Also called strike-on composition or impact printing. Cold type Traditionally type that was supplied to the typesetting house as individual pieces, as distinct from type cast by a "hot metal" machine such as Monotype and Linotype machines.

Comp abb.: compose, composing, composition The process of setting type. Composing room The area in a printing plant specifically set aside for typesetting and makeup.

Composition The setting of type. Compositor The person who sets type — originally individual pieces of metal set by hand, but now by any method. An increasingly rare breed since the computer has all but eliminated this trade. Traditionally called a "typographer" in the U.S., which, now that the designer has total control over typography is probably a more appropriate description. In the days of metal type, the compositor would also make up and impose pages. Also called a typographer or typesetter, although the latter can also mean the machine upon which type is set. The printing head on some impact printing devices (called "cold composition"), such as typewriters, on which each character sits on individual "petals" arranged around the wheel.

Dis. diss abb.: distribute The returning of all matter used in a print job to its original owner or source.The term originally related specifically to traditional metal type composition, when individual letters and spaces were returned to their correct places in the case so that they could be reused.

End-of-line decisions The capability of an application to make decisions about word hyphenation when justifying lines of text.

Founder's/foundry type Metal characters used in hand-setting, as distinct from machine-set metal type.

Golf ball A circular, interchangeable font matrix used on mechanical typewriters.

Hand composition The manual setting of metal type. Hot metal (type) The general term given to type set on a compositing machine, now largely obsolete, which casts type from molten metal either as single characters (as per Monotype) or as complete lines (as per Linotype).
Hot-press lettering A technique in which foil letters are impressed upon board, using heat and pressure.

Image master A flm-based font used in filmsetting.

Kill A largely obsolete term used to instruct a typesetter to dismantle a job, emanating from the tradition of dissing (distributing) metal type into their respective cases upon completion of a job.

Linotype A type foundry and manufacturer of typesetting equipment and digital fonts. The original Linotype machine was the first keyboard operated composing machine to employ the principle of a matrix, which cast hot metal type in solid lines, or slugs. It was invented in the U.S. by the German-born engineer Ottmar Mergenthaler and patented in I 884,The Monotype machine was invented almost simultaneously in I 885.

Mat(rix) In traditional typesetting, the copper mold used for casting hot metal type, the term later being adapted to mean the negative on phototypesetting machines from which characters are generated.

Monotype The name of a type foundry, Monotype Corporation, which designs and supplies digital fonts. Originally Monotype was the manufacturer of a typesetting process invented in I 885 byTolbert Lanston of Ohio (one year after the invention of the Linotype machine), which employed a keyboard-operated composing machine to cast type as individual letters.

Movable type The principle of the original method of typesetting, in which type was cast as single letters and assembled by hand in a composing stick rather than by a hot metal machine.

Mump A typesetting term, meaning to move or copy fonts from one establishment to another (usually unauthorized). The term originally referred to moving hot metal matrices, and is still used today with reference to digitized fonts. Mump probably derives from the old Dutch word mompen, meaning to cheat.

PE abb.: printer's error A mark on a set of proofs indicating an error that has been caused by the typesetter and not the author or editor.

Set A contraction of typesetting, meaning to set type. Soft copy In traditional typesetting, copy that is used for checking text prior to final layout, camera-ready art, etc. Curiously the same thing produced nowadays by a computer is referred to as the opposite, i.e., a hard copy.

Specimen sheet A large printed sheet showing the full character set of type fonts, sizes, etc.
Stamping Traditionally, a general term for composing type.

Take The portion of a manuscript that a compositor sets at one time. Text Information rendered as readable characters.
Text marker In word-processing applications, a symbol or string of characters positioned in the text to provide a reference marker so you can return there instantly (by using the Find command), "XXX" is common, since no words contain three Xs — unless you design for the brewing industry Also called a wildcard.

Text retrieval terminal In typesetter's parlance, a device, such as a disk or tape, used to transfer data from one computer to another. Referred to colloquially as a milking machine or fart box.

Type markup The specification to a typesetter of every single detail that is required to carry out a job satisfactorily Also called a type spec or type specification. Typesetting The process of converting a manuscript into text set in a specified font and producing it in a form suitable for printing. A person whose job it is to set type is known as a compositor or comp.

Typo A contraction of typographic error, an error occurring during typesetting, such as the wrong font, as distinct from a literal, such as a spelling mistake. Typographer A person whose art, craft, or occupation is typography. Typography The art of type design and its arrangement on a page.

Absolute leading A fixed amount of space between lines of text, generally measured in points.

Bad break In typesetting, a place where a line of text breaks In an undesirable place, such as beginning a page with the last word, or short line, of a paragraph. The term is also applied to an incorrectly hyphenated word. Abbreviated bb.

Base alignment The alignment of type characters of differing sizes or fonts along their baselines.
Base line The imaginary line on a page grid that indicates the base of a block of text. Baseline grid Some page-layout applications have an underlying grid, usually invisible, to which the baselines of text can be "locked" so they line up across all columns of a page. Baseline shift The attribute applied to a character that moves it up or down from Its baseline.

Bearoff In conventional metal typesetting, the adjustment of the spacing of the type to correct the justification. Begin even Instruction to the typesetter to set the first line of copy full out — that is, without indenting it.

Break-line The last line of a paragraph. Bumped out A line of characters to which extra space has been added to fill it out so it aligns with a specific, longer line. As distinct from justified alignment, which applies to all lines in a block of text. Bumped out Widely leaded text matter.

Cap line A line of text set entirely in capital letters. Caps and smalls Text in which the first character of each word is set in capitals, and the subsequent characters are set in small capitals.

Centered Ragged (unjustified) type that is centered in its measure, as distinct from ranged (aligned) left or right.

Close up An instruction to delete a space to bring characters closer together. Cockroach A colloquial term for display text set entirely in lowercase type.

Color In typography the name used to describe the generally light or bold appearance of a particular typeface, regardless of its actual weight. Column A vertical division in tabulated matter.

Decimal tab A tab alignment option in some word-processing and page-layout applications that allows you to align decimal values by their decimal points, one above the other.

Density The general amount and compactness of text set within a given area. Driving out In conventional metal typesetting, arranging the spaces in a line of type to fill the measure.

Drop cap(ital) A large initial character at the beginning of a piece of text or paragraph that is inset into the lines of type around it. Dropped-out type Type that is reversed out of its background to read, for example, as white on a color. Also called reversed-out or knocked out type.

End a break In traditional typesetting, the instruction to a compositor to fill out the last line of a paragraph with quad spaces. End even An instruction to end a paragraph or section of copy with a full line of text. Even s. caps, even smalls Text set as small capitals without an initial full capital at the beginning of the word or sentence.

Fat matter A traditional term for typeset copy that is easy to set because it includes a large degree of spacing. Dense thus difficult — copy is known as lean matter.
Fixed word spacing A constant space between words when text is set ragged, as distinct from the variable spacing that is necessary to set justified text.

Flush paragraphs Paragraphs in which the first word is not indented, but aligns with the left edge of the text. Full out An instruction to set text to the full measure, without indents. Full space In letterpress printing, a spacer between two lines of type. Full word wrap An instruction to avoid word breaks by taking the whole word at the end of each line to the next line.

Get in (1)An instruction to fit copy into less space than was initially estimated, or to gain extra space for copy by setting it close. Get in (2) In conventional typesetting, adding footnotes, headings, etc., to a galley of type matter performed before actual page makeup.

Half-measure Sometimes used to describe a double column of text on a page.

Hanging cap(ital) A large initial character of a piece of text that extends into the margin to the left of the paragraph. Hanging indent Typeset text in which the first line of each paragraph is set to the full width of the column and the remaining lines are indented to the right of the first line. Also called reverse indent or hanging paragraph. Hanging punctuation Punctuation marks that fall outside the column measure of a piece of text.

Hook in Traditional term for setting words in brackets on the line below the main text when there is not enough room in the specified measure.

Horizontal scaling A feature of some applications to condense or expand type. Horizontal scaling retains the exact attributes of the source font but distorts its appearance, While the feature can sometimes be used advantageously, it can also produce ugly typography, in which cases the specially designed condensed or expanded versions of the font, If available, may look more esthetic.

Hyphenate To break a word at the end of a line of text, usually between syllables, or to create a compound form from two or more words using a hyphen. Hyphenless justification A justification method in which lines of text are aligned by means of word and letter spacing, without breaking words with hyphens at the end of lines.

In pendentive A style of typesetting in which successive lines are indented slightly further at both ends, causing each line to be shorter than the last until only one word occupies the last line, the whole piece forming a triangle. Also called a half-diamond indentation.

Incremental leading The value given to line spacing equaling the largest character on the line plus or minus a user-defined value.
Indent(ed) A tine of type set to a narrower measure than the column measure, usually the distance of the start or end of the line from the left or right edges of the column. Indention A little-used alternative term for Indented — setting a line or lines of type to a narrower measure than the main body of text, i.e., at a greater distance from the left-hand margin.

Initial cap(ital) The first letter of a piece of text. It may be enlarged and set as a drop, hanging, or raised cap, often at the beginning of a chapter. Interlock To reduce the space between type characters so that they overlap.

Justification/justified The distribution of space between words and letters in lines of text so all lines in the column have uniform ("flush") left and right edges. Text set like this may, in some applications, be called horizontal justification, especially when that application offers an option for vertical justification-, in which spaces are inserted between lines of text so it fills the column from top to bottom.

Keep down/up An instruction to set all text in lowercase (keep down) or uppercase (keep up) type, As distinct from put up and put down — changing characters already set. Keep in/out An instruction to make word spaces narrow (keep in) or wide (keep out).

Lacuna A traditional term for a blank space in a piece of text, caused by damaged or missing copy From the Latin lacus, meaning lake.

Leaded Type set with space, or leads, between the lines. Leading Space between tines of type.The term originates from the days of metal typesetting when strips of lead (leads) were placed between lines of type to increase the space, In digital applications, leading can be specified as: absolute, where a specific value is given to spaces between lines of text; auto, where a value is given to automatic line spacing by means of a user-definable preference; or incremental, where a value is given to line spacing that totals the largest character on the line plus or minus a user defined value. Leads In conventional metal typesetting, the thin strips of lead that were used to separate lines of text, giving rise to the term leading.

Line increment The smallest allowable increase in the basic measure between typeset lines (leading). Line interval/line feed The phototypesetting equivalent of leading, measured from baseline to baseline in millimeters, inches, or points.

Loose line/setting Lines of justified type that have been set with excessive word spacing, causing "rivers" of white space to flow down the column of text.

Make even An instruction to extend a line of type to the full measure by adding spaces. Mixed composition The traditional description of a paragraph of text matter set in a variety of fonts.

Neck line The amount of white space or leading underneath a running head. Negative leading/line spacing In text, vertical line spacing that is less than the type size. Also called minus leading or minus line spacing.

Open matter Type that has been set with extra leading to give an "open" appearance.
Optical(ly) even spacing The adjustment of the spaces between characters to create an even appearance In a line of type.

Out Text that has been unintentionally omitted from composition. Overmatter Typeset matter that will not fit within the space designed for it (if set by a typesetter, a charge is incurred for overmatter). Also called overset or overflow. Overrun Words that move from one line to the next, possibly for several successive lines, as a result of newly inserted text or a correction,The opposite of run back. Overset Typeset characters that accidentally extend beyond the specified measure.

Pie (type) Traditionally, composed type that has been inadvertently mixed up.
Proportional (letter) spacing Type characters designed so letters and numbers occupy an appropriate amount of space for their shape — to accommodate the difference in width between m and i, for example. Put down/up An instruction to the typesetter to change characters to lowercase (put down) or capitals (put up). As distinct from keep down and keep up, which are instructions to set in lowercase or caps in the first place.

Quad center In traditional typesetting, a line that is centered. Quad left In traditional typesetting, a line that is ranged left. Quad right In traditional typesetting, a line that is ranged right.

Raised cap(ital) A capital letter that projects above the cap height of the first line of type, but remains on the same baseline.Also called a cock-up initial or raised initial. Raised initial A boldface capital that projects above the line of type, Also called a raised cap, stickup initial, or cock-up initial.