The ART & PRACTICE of
TYPOGRAPHY
THE FIRST PRINTED DECLARATION
Fac-simile in reduced size (original type form about twelve by seventeen inches) of the Declaration of Independence officially printed about July 5, 1776. It was this setting of the Declaration that was read before Washington’s army. Reproduced direct from the original in the Congressional minute book of July 4, 1776
By
EDMUND G. GRESS
EDITOR THE AMERICAN PRINTER
AUTHOR THE AMERICAN HANDBOOK OF PRINTING
NEW YORK·OSWALD PUBLISHING COMPANY·1917
Copyright, 1917, by the
Oswald Publishing Company
TO THE TYPOGRAPHERS OF THE PAST WHO MADE THE ART HONORED AMONG MEN AND TO THE TYPOGRAPHERS OF THE PRESENT WHO ARE RESTORING TO PRINTING ITS ANCIENT DIGNITY THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
In the preface to the first edition of “The Art and Practice of Typography,” the author stated that he did not “anticipate again having the pleasure of producing a book as elaborate as this one,” but the favor with which the volume was received made another edition advisable, and in consequence he has had the additional pleasure of enlarging and revising it and of producing a volume even more elaborate and with a better selection of examples.
The task of rewriting and replanning the second edition was near completion when America entered the war against Germany, and now, a few months later, the book is presented to the public. The first edition was published in February, 1910. Work on the new edition was begun by the author in the latter part of 1913, and so great has been the task, in addition to his customary editorial labors, that almost four years have passed.
The extent of the work will be comprehended when it is mentioned that there are twenty-eight chapters, in which the illustrations or typographic arrangements, numbering six hundred and fifteen, include forty full-page specially-printed inserts. Most of these illustrations or typographic arrangements are in color. The text matter, which makes direct reference to the examples, totals nearly one hundred thousand words.
That these examples are mostly high-class and by many of the best typographers in America (Europe also being represented), is due to the fact that the author during his connection with The American Printer has received several thousand pieces of printing, from which selections were made for this work.
Great care was exercised in the choice of examples in order that the book would not become obsolete, and it is believed that most of the type arrangements shown will be considered good for a hundred years to come. That this is possible is proved by the Whittingham titles on page 32, one of which is sixty-eight and the other seventy-three years old at this writing. These titles were set up when most typography was poor, yet few other type arrangements of that time would meet approval today; which indicates that it is not when printing is done, but how it is done that makes it good or bad.
Attention should be called to the plan of this volume. There are two parts, the first having to do with typography of the past and the second with typography of the present. Good printing of the present has a basic connection with that of the past, and for this reason one part is incomplete without the other.
The entire first part should be studied before any of the ideas in the second part are applied to present-day problems, and especially should the chapter on Type-Faces be patiently read and studied. The printer should first know type-faces and then learn how to use them.
In the chapters on Harmony, Tone, Proportion, Ornamentation and other art principles the author does not intend to advocate that his readers shall make pictures with type or build pages that are merely beautiful. The first requirement of typography is that it shall be easy to read; the second is that it shall be good to look at. The efficient typographer studies the copy and arranges it so that the reader’s task is an easy and pleasant one.
In planning the second edition the general style of the first edition was retained. However, an effort was made to change the style, especially of the binding, but so satisfactory was the original that it was again adopted.
The historical chapters in the first part have been revised and slightly altered, but they are practically as before. Extensive changes have been made in the second part. The text has been thoroly revised, and better typographic examples substituted in many cases. These chapters especially have been greatly altered: Booklets, Catalogs, Announcements, Letterheads, Billheads, Business Cards, Posters, Advertisements, Imprints.
The chapter on Type-Faces is all new and has been enlarged from ten to twenty-four pages. New chapters on the following subjects have been added: Package Labels, Blotters, Newspapers, Periodicals, House-Organs. In place of the medley of contest specimens in the appendix of the first edition, there are halftone reproductions of more than one hundred attractive holiday greetings.
No one realizes more than does the author the minor defects in typography, presswork and other details that are present in this volume, yet the effort of a Hercules and the patience of a Job have been expended in making everything as correct as possible. As the book now stands, it is a reaching after the ideal, with human inability to attain perfection. It is needless to point out imperfections; the reader will discover them.
In his selection of examples and recommendation of type-faces the author has been entirely free from pressure from any source. If certain type-faces are favored, it is because the author believes he is doing something for the cause of good printing by favoring them. What has been written has been written with sincerity.
It is well to mention that the “Pilgrim’s Progress” title on page 21 is not genuine. Having seen the book on exhibition at the New York Public Library, the author arranged to have it photographed and included in this work. The sequel to this is interesting and rather humorous. When the chapter on Type-Faces was being written and Caslon types were being studied, the author was startled to find that the types used on the “Pilgrim’s Progress” page were the same as those William Caslon was supposed to have designed forty-four years later. Greatly puzzled, the author made a trip to the library and examined the original. He immediately saw that the type-face used on the body of the book differed from that on the title. Discovering a note on the fly-leaf signed by William Pickering, the explanation dawned on him. The book was probably owned by Pickering in the middle of the last century and the title-page being missing a new one was set up, printed and inserted when the book was rebound. It was Whittingham, Pickering’s printer, who revived the Caslon types about that time, and he naturally used these types as the nearest approach to the English types of the period, 1678, when “Pilgrim’s Progress” was first published.
It is impossible to mention by name all of those who have in one way or another assisted and encouraged the author in the production of this volume. A list of acknowledgments would include typographers of international note and typographers-to-be whose prentice hands need guidance. It would include office associates and those of the workrooms whose interest and attention to technical details helped much in the effort to make the work worthy.
There is one, however, were such a list printed, whose name would lead all the rest, the man who, back in 1903, conceived the idea of this book; without whose business support this elaborate and costly work would have been impossible; whose ideals have been an inspiration; whose confidence and encouragement generated the energy and enthusiasm that have attended the author during the fourteen years in which this work has been building. It is a privilege to pay this tribute to John Clyde Oswald.
Edmund G. Gress.
New York, July, 1917.
PART ONE
WHEN BOOKS WERE WRITTEN
Page 1
The printer and typography—Definitions and derivations of trade words—Printing with separate types practiced between 1450–1455—Books previously written by hand or printed from wood—The Middle and Dark Ages—Latin in written books kept knowledge alive—Meaning of “manuscript”—Writing materials—Arrow-shaped writing of the Chaldeans—Papyrus rolls of the Egyptians—Ink, paper and block-printing supposedly invented by the Chinese—Dressed skins and palm leaves used by Hindoos—The Hebrews wrote upon stones and animal skins—We owe the present Roman alphabet to the Phœnicians—The word “alphabet” derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Beta—The bards of Greece—Manuscripts written by slaves—Papyrus imported from Egypt—Development of parchment, and what it is—The great Alexandrian library—Length of rolls—Story of “Septuagint”—Destruction of the Alexandrian library—Rome supersedes Alexandria as an intellectual center—Cæsar credited as the founder of the first newspaper—“Short-hand” writing—The period of Emperor Augustus a memorable one in literature—Producing large editions of manuscript rolls—Books were plentiful and cheap—Elaborate parchment rolls—Origin of flat-sheet books—Hinged waxed tablets—Destruction of the library at Constantinople—Drift of literature toward the East—Transcribing and decorating holy writings in the monasteries of Europe—Monopoly of learning gave power to Church of Rome—Since the seventh century monastery manuscripts in Latin, the official language of that church—Translation of Bible into “Vulgar tongue” forbidden—William Tyndale’s English translation—Martin Luther’s German translation—Making of manuscript books in the Middle Ages—St. Benedict sets the monks to work copying manuscripts—Popularity of cloisters—The scriptorium and the rules governing scribe or copyist—Tools and materials—Rubrics—Illuminating—The copyist at work—A beautiful Irish book—Illuminators’ colors and binding of manuscript books—Missal, Psalter, Book of Hours—Donatus, books associated with the Middle Ages—First types were imitations of current Gothic lettering—Types cut in style of Roman lettering—Ancient Roman writing all capitals—Evolution of Roman capitals into small or lower-case letters—The uncial and half-uncial—Minuscule and majuscule—Development of writing toward both heavy pointed Gothic and the Roman style used by Nicholas Jenson—Cursive, a “script” letter.
THE ORIGIN OF TYPOGRAPHY
Page 7
The invention of typography marked the beginning of a new civilization—The beginning and end of the Middle Ages—Printing with separate metal types an evolution—Demand for playing cards and sacred pictures—Engraved wood blocks—Block books, and method of printing them—Coloring cards and pictures by means of stencils—The oldest dated specimen of printing—The first block books probably Latin grammars—The “Art of Dying,” the “Bible of the Poor,” and the “Mirror of Human Salvation”—When, where and by whom was typography invented?—The inventor failed to print his name on his product—Almost every European country claimed the honor—All claims disproved excepting those of Germany and Holland—Weight of evidence is with Germany—Typography was practiced by Gutenberg at Mainz some time during 1450–1455—Claims of priority for Coster of Haarlem—Story of the invention by Ulrich Zell the earliest testimony on the subject—Dierick Coornhert’s version—The unfaithful servant—Dignified gray heads point out the house of “the first printer”—Hadrian Junius and his “Coster Legend”—Fashioning the bark of a beech tree in the form of letters—Changing the letters to lead and then to tin—Old wine flagons melted into type—A workman, John Faust, steals the type-making instruments—Cornelis, an old book binder—The story dissected—Peter Scriverius has another version—A clap of thunder—Confusion of dates—A statue erected to Coster in Haarlem—“True and rational account” by one Leiz—Gerard Meerman’s story—The sheriff who printed with wooden types—Robbed by a brother of Johann Gutenberg—Jacob Koning awarded a prize for his essay on the invention—Makes researches in Haarlem archives—Corroborates some details in preceding stories—For many years Coster given equal honor with Gutenberg—Investigations by Dr. Anton Van der Linde—Forgeries and misrepresentations revealed—Haarlem practically surrenders its claim and alters its school books—Records of Louwerijs Janszoon and Laurens Janszoon Coster—Van der Linde goes to Germany, alters his name and writes a book—Hessels translates the book into English, and afterward becomes a Haarlem advocate—Coster proofs are weak—Haarlem claimants unable to agree as to Coster’s identity—Gutenberg a tangible human being, and probable inventor of the art—Parentage of Gutenberg—The family removes from Mainz presumably to Strassburg—Was the new art practiced at Strassburg?—Records of a lawsuit—Gutenberg agreed to teach Andrew Dritzehen certain trade secrets—Fust lends money to Gutenberg and takes a mortgage on his printing office—Fust seizes all types, presses and books—Records of this suit evidence of Gutenberg’s invention—The famous Forty-two Line Bible—Gutenberg again establishes himself as a printer—An appointment from the Bishop of Mainz—Dies about 1468—H. Noel Humphrey’s tribute—Peter Schœffer—Copies books at the University of Paris—Becomes Gutenberg’s assistant—Assumes charge after his master’s death—Marries Fust’s daughter—The new firm publishes a Psalter—First book with a printed date—Features of the book.
THE SPREAD OF TYPOGRAPHY
Page 13
The city of Mainz—A conflict between two archbishops—The city is set afire—Fust and Schœffer’s printing office burned—The workmen flee to various parts of Europe—A table of the spread of typography from Mainz—In Germany—John Mentel at Strassburg—Albrecht Pfister at Bamberg—Ulrich Zell at Cologne never printed a book in the German language—Arnold Ter Hoorne first to use Arabic numerals—Gunther Zainer at Augsburg first in Germany to print with Roman characters—Heinrich Keffer at Nuremberg—John Sensenschmidt at Nuremberg and Bamberg—The Bamberg Missal—Anthony Koburger at Nuremberg had twenty-four presses in operation—In Italy—First type printing done in the monastery at Subiaco—Conrad Schweinheim and Arnold Pannartz brought from Germany—Ulrich Hahn first printer in city of Rome proper—John de Spira first typographer at Venice and had exclusive right—Nicholas Jenson comes to Venice and uses a new Roman type-face—Story of his introduction to the art—The first page of displayed type composition—J, U and W not in books printed by Jenson—His office passes to Aldus Manutius—Italic introduced—Aldus reduces the size of books and suggests the printing of a polyglot Bible—Works of Peter Paul Porrus and Augustin Justinian—Aldus assisted by scholar-refugees from Constantinople—His complete name—Venetian printing offices and their product—Bernardo Cennini at Florence—Johann Numeister at Foligno—In Switzerland—Bertold Ruppel at Basel—This city gave France its first typographers—John Froben at Basel—Erasmus has him print his books—In France—Ulrich Gering, Martin Crantz and Michel Friburger at Paris—Gering becomes rich—Sectional wood border on book printed by Philip Pigouchet for Simon Vostre—Henry Estienne at Paris—First of illustrious family of typographers—Robert Estienne best known and most scholarly—Flees to Geneva, Switzerland, for safety—Dies there after a labor of love—In the Netherlands—A press erected at Utrecht—Colard Mansion and William Caxton at Bruges produce the first book printed in English—Van der Goes at Antwerp—Christopher Plantin at Antwerp gave renown to that city—His printing office now a museum—A polyglot Bible his greatest work—Louis Elzevir, founder of a family of learned printers, at Leyden—The second Louis Elzevir at Amsterdam—Johannes Andriesson at Haarlem—In England—William Caxton the first to set type in that country—Apprenticed to a merchant and goes to Bruges—Becomes Governor—Enters the service of the Duchess of Burgundy—Translates a “Historie of Troye” and learns how to print it—Returns to England and sets up a press at Westminster Abbey—Peculiarities of Caxton’s work—Wynken de Worde succeeds to Caxton’s business—Introduced the Roman letter into England—Richard Pynson at London—Richard Grafton as a printer of English Bibles translated by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale—Tyndale suffers death—Grafton imprisoned for printing the “Great Bible”—Edward Whitechurch his partner—John Daye also imprisoned—Fox’s “Acts and Monuments”—In Scotland—Androw Myllar and Walter Chepman at Edinburgh—In Ireland—Humphrey Powell at Dublin—In North America—John Cromberger at Mexico City—In the United States—Stephen Daye at Cambridge, Mass.
TYPOGRAPHY IN COLONIAL DAYS
Page 19
Martyrs in typographic history—Ecclesiastical and political conditions in Europe from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries—A book of treaties on the intended marriage of Queen Elizabeth—Oliver Cromwell encourages printing and literature—First edition of Milton’s “Paradise Lost”—Thomas Roycroft prints Brian Walton’s Polyglot Bible—The first book published in England by subscription—Paper for the work allowed to come in duty free—Cardinal Mazarin discovers a copy of Gutenberg’s Forty-two Line Bible—Chap-books and something about them—Poor representatives of the art of typography—Woodcuts and type battered and worn—Peddled by chapmen—Dicey books—Broadsides—Puritans land at Charlestown and begin to settle Cambridge and Boston—Rev. Jesse Glover solicits money for press and types—Contracts with Stephen Daye to come to new country—Rev. Glover dies—Daye reaches Cambridge with outfit—Begins printing in 1639—The first work—The first book—Poorly printed—President Dunster of Harvard College appoints Samuel Green to succeed Daye—Another press and types added—An inventory—The printing office discontinued—Printing in the colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia—Pennsylvania second English colony to have typography—William Bradford prints an almanac—Bradford arrested in Philadelphia for printing an address—Type pages as evidence—“Pied” by a juryman—Bradford goes to New York—First printshop there—Official printer—Publishes the first New York newspaper—Benjamin Franklin—Indentured to his brother James—The New England “Courant”—James is imprisoned—Benjamin becomes the publisher—The brothers disagree—Benjamin ships to New York—Meets William Bradford and goes to Philadelphia—Secures employment with Samuel Keimer—Leaves for England to buy printing equipment—Goes to work in London—Returns to Philadelphia and starts a printing office—One of the first jobs—Publishes “Poor Richard’s Almanack”—Proverbs widely quoted—Sells his shop to David Hall—Quaintness of Colonial typography—Comments on reproductions—Page from a Caslon specimen book of 1764—The work of Bodoni.
TYPOGRAPHY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Page 27
William Morris’s declaration—The first printed book a testimony to genius—The first cylinder press and first linotype were crudely constructed—Typography at its highest point—Italian and German styles contrasted—These styles blended into the Colonial—Franklin as a typographer compared to Aldus and Plantin—Beginning of the nineteenth century—Utility and art—William Nicholson plans a cylinder press—Dr. Kinsley constructs a model—A new roman type-face designed—Ornaments and borders discarded—Style of typography becoming uninteresting—Transition illustrated by four title-pages—Charles Whittingham and William Pickering—Artistic qualities introduced—Punches of Caslon Oldstyle recovered—A page in Colonial style—Punctuation marks omitted—Fifty years ahead of their time—Job printing of modern development—Newspaper, book and job work—Typography should be based upon art foundations—A Book of Common Prayer—Title-pages without ornamentation—Job printers take to fancy typography—Imitations of copperplate engravers’ work—A business card and a bill of fare—Changing styles applied to commercial headings—MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan—A card with apologies—A longing for pictures, color and decoration—Brass rule and tint blocks—Remarkable skill exhibited—The “Modern Renaissance”—Machinery led typography away from art—Printers thought they were doing artistic work—Inspiration wrongly interpreted—Forming of a curious chain of events—The Kelmscott Press—William Morris, artist, poet, designer and craftsman—Franklin and the Franklin stove—Morris and the Morris chair—The influence of Morris on house furnishing and typography—His home—Learned to print and to make paper—Designs type-faces—“Golden”—“Troy”—Draws decorative initials and borders—Additional designs by Burne-Jones—Morris criticised—Revolutionizes typography—Aubrey Beardsley—Will Bradley—A country printer—Studies art in Chicago—The “Wayside Press”—“Bradley: His Book”—Inspired by both past and present—A new typography—Combines with the University Press—Becomes an interesting subject for discussion—An opinion by George French—Attempts another new style of typography—Profuse ornamentation—Works rapidly—Bradley and his clients—His personality—Influence upon the American style of typography—Other influences-Theodore L. De Vinne—Has a college degree—Apprentice in a country printshop—Job compositor with Francis Hart—Takes charge of the business—A writer on printing subjects—Exponent of the conservative and dignified in typography—Should be no conflict between the styles of Morris, De Vinne and Bradley—For different purposes—The compositor must decide—De Vinne a leader in perfecting modern methods—Designs a type-face—Persuades printers to group wording—Charles T. Jacobi—Has done much for typography in England—Responsibilities of the modern typographer—Underrating the value of history—All knowledge is valuable.
[The chapters following are devoted to the consideration of typography as practiced in the twentieth century.]
PART TWO
THE “LAYOUT” MAN
Page 35
Typography in the twentieth century—Compared with the past—Perfection not attainable—The spirit of the master craftsman—Inspired work—The necessity of careful preparation—Every printshop should have a layout man—When a building is erected—Quality printing is not accidental—Shop style—Layout men in large and small shops—Please the customer—Typography essentially a business vocation—Orders obtained thru “dummies” submitted—Selecting a layout man—Type equipment should be appropriate and sufficient—A working outfit for the layout man—Portfolio of sample sheets—Laying out a small booklet—Paper, margins, type page and size of type—Words to a square inch—Arrangement of title-page—Specimen pages in available body type—Use of crayon and pencil—Dummy submitted to customer—Duplicating it in the workrooms—Dummy sheets for periodicals and large catalogs—Incorporating illustrations in the text matter—Marking copy for machine composition—The average stationery job—A patchwork of typographic styles—Different results if handled by a layout man—Studying color harmony—Determining color combinations—The colder color should predominate—Indicating the finished result—Proofs in the colors and on the stock to be used—Blending paper stock—Laying out advertisements.
HARMONY AND APPROPRIATENESS
Page 41
“Leit-motif”—The central idea in composition—Harmony and appropriateness—Undervaluing their importance—What is appropriate?—Discriminating judgment required—Discreet selection of type, ink and paper—It makes a difference—As to type-faces—As to inks—As to papers—Simplicity synonymous with good typography—The ideal printshop—Harmonious type-faces, ink colors and paper stock—Certain amount of contrast desirable—All capitals or all lower-case—Harmony of type-faces and borders illustrated—Typographic sins—In typography there should be a motive—“Is it appropriate?”—An architectural motive—In which strength is the motive—Design suggested by an old lock-plate—Typographic motive found in woodcut borders and initials of early printers—A millinery booklet cover—A page severely plain and non-sentimental—A program for a church service appropriate to the environment—A page in keeping with a festive spirit—Typographers should give support to artists—The Colonial arch and a title-page—The better the typographer, the more restraint will he exercise.
TONE AND CONTRAST
Page 47
A story of white and black—A combination popular with writers, printers and readers—Uniformity of tone or depth of color—A mixture of irregular gray and black tones inexcusable—Art principles too often ignored—Contrast necessary, but uniformity should not be sacrificed—Art makes concession to utility—A right way and a wrong way—Unjust blaming of the customer—A German example of uniform tone—Practical demonstration of uniform tone—Four ornaments, upon which four pages are constructed—Contrast, from the viewpoints of art and utility—Lessening the contrast between print and paper—A compromise—Impressing the print firmly on antique paper—Setting the print daintily upon glossy paper—Lack of artistic feeling responsible for unpleasant contrasts—Great contrast is eccentricity—Mark Twain and contrasts—Cover-page should be darker than title-page—The tone of a massed page—Controlled by spacing—Duplicating the tone of a pen-and-ink illustration—A spotted black tone—Equalizing the tone by using lighter ink—Spaced capitals and open-line illustration—A classic interpretation of uniform tone—Characteristics and tone superbly blended—Initial and headpiece should approach the tone of the type page—Uniform tone between display line and border—Catalog illustrations should stand out in relief—Outline type-faces to obtain gray tone on newspaper page—Letterspacing—All lines should be similarly spaced—An unusual heading.
PORTION, BALANCE AND SPACING
Page 53
Symmetry is necessary to beauty—What has art to do with printing?—Two views—The book printer and the job printer—Pleasing the few or being all things to all men—Printing as a business and as an art—Art is essential to printing—Study of art arouses ambition—Unfolds a new world—Proportion—Book pages—The width and length of a page—Position of the page—Margins—The job printer and proportion—Relation of shape of type-face to page—Condensed types for narrow pages—Extended types for wide pages—Architecture as an example—Vertical and horizontal lines—The relation of lines to proportion—A page with ornament, type-face and page design in proportion—Irregularity and when it may be introduced—A type line large or small by contrast—The happy medium—Balance, an important subject—Type lines horizontally centered—Safety from blunders—Out-of-the-center balance—The point of vertical balance above center—Testing balance to the limit—Diagonal arrangements show lack of imagination—Spacing—Its proper apportionment—An important feature when letters are designed—The capital L—Emphasis by means of spacing—The effect of separate lines—Should be an even page tone—Distributing display lines over the entire page—Grouping them at the point of balance—Spaced words in narrow measures—A good sign when one recognizes imperfections.
ORNAMENTATION
Page 59
The human race has a liking for ornamentation—Natural and artificial beauty—Nature furnishes motives for man’s work—The average man giving thought to art—Beautiful things all about—Privileges of museums and art galleries available to printers—Take less thought of food and raiment and these things shall be added—Is ornamentation necessary to art typography?—Paper as embellishment—Covering poor stock with decoration—Ornaments under lock and key—Revising ideas of art—Abstinence—Using ornaments with discrimination—Study of significance and appropriateness—Motive or reason in ornamentation—Italian and German influences—Harmony because of sympathy between arts and crafts—Inharmonious ideas of several persons—Relation of typography to architecture shown in alphabets—Roman and Gothic—Ornamentation both inventive and imitative—Conventionalized ornament—With or without perspective—Things which have inspired the decorator—Artists’ work full of meaning—Leaves, mythical beings, sacred animals—Architectural designs on title-pages—Egg-and-dart and bead ornaments—Results of observation—Designs thousands of years old—Typographic borders—Triple division of taste—The severely plain, Doric—The slightly ornamental, Ionic—The elaborately ornamental, Corinthian—Sturdiness and grace—Difference in ideals and preferences—Some delight in magnificence, others in plainness—The three divisions of taste applied to typography—The style of architecture and home furnishings influence typography—The “mission” style and straight lines—The frivolous rococo style and curved lines—Rococo type ornamentation not successful—A style to please those who like neither the severely plain nor the elaborately ornamental—Ornament secondary—Should not distract attention—Excess of embellishment—Chippendale first made furniture serviceable, then added ornament—Regularity and variety in repetition—Four classes of ornament—Based upon geometrical lines, upon foliage, upon the inanimate, and upon the animate—Initials as means of ornamentation—Corner ornaments—Decoration with a motive—Reversing half of a design—A page with but a single ornament—Present-day preferences are for Gothic rather than for Italian type ornaments—The reason—Ornamentation.
THE TYPOGRAPHY OF BOOKS
Page 67
Good taste important in production of books—Judgment perfect in one respect and erratic in others—Good taste and conservatism—Catering to fashion leaves unsalable stock—Conservatives are few—Printed things that please for the moment—Art reasons in book typography applicable to job typography—The job compositor drawing closer to his book brother—The book typographer governed by precedent—The conservative man constructive—The radical destructive—Masterpieces discarded for frivolous things—Morris set out to change book typography—He offered the good things of the old masters—Age not proof of merit—Good typography always good—Book industry in America tremendous—Carnegie at first ridiculed, now acknowledged a benefactor—The need of good books well printed—Majority of books poorly printed—Rarely do reading pages, title-page and cover harmonize—Cover only part given artistic attention—Should be honestly what it seems—A book model in its way—Not a line in capitals—Only two sizes of type on title-page—Chapter headings cling to type page—Margins—Surface covered—Proportion—Bruce Rogers—Designs books for the Riverside Press—Regard for the appropriate—The literary motive the cue—Suggesting a product of the middle nineteenth century—Two pages with faults—Inharmonious typography—The cost of an appropriate title-page ridiculously small—Provide display faces to match machine letters—Artist and typographer and the literary motive—Composite Colonial and modern—Unfinished effect—Books that lend themselves to decoration—Serious books—Typographic results exceptionally good—General use of border—Title page an excellent example—Reading matter close to border—One margin—Style of the modern novel—Modern book composition set on the linotype—An unconventional page—Page from a book written and illustrated by Will Bradley—Harmony between type-face and decoration—Effectiveness of a plain initial—Title-page of classic design—Dignified beauty—Classic feeling in a modern title-page—A serious effort by the Roycrofters—Page from a book by De Vinne—An ecclesiastical book by Updike—Improving typography in America—A book with a French motive—Avoiding commonplace types—Fonts from old matrices—Specially designed faces—Arrangement of a book—Fly leaf, sub-title, title-page, copyright notice, imprint, table of contents and illustrations, preface, frontispiece, dedication, index—Numbering the pages—The space under running titles—Lowering of the chapter headings—The space around initials—Position of a book page—Em-quad or en-quad between sentences?
BOOKLETS, PAMPHLETS, BROCHURES, LEAFLETS
Page 75
Misuse of the word “booklet”—Definitions of booklet, pamphlet, brochure, leaflet—Chap-books—The booklet’s mission educational—Users—Ideas of writer and artist should be blended—Harmonious and complete—Printers have many artists to select from—The connecting link between job typography and book typography—Blending the typography with a lettered title-page—Pure typographical effects—Approved faces—Three series only—A page one likes to read—Reluctance to explore the past—Understanding of typography—Type alone can be effective—Good typography to be preferred to poor art work—Distinctive features—Space between sentences—Dignity in lettering and decoration—Title labels—A small amount of reading matter—Placing an illustration that is out of proportion—Care in the details of typesetting—Results of careless typography—Buyers slaves to conventionality—Newness and bright coloring that gets attention—Lower-case letters for capitals—Interesting decorative headings—The initial furnishes a spot of black—No decoration of any kind—Depending on type-faces and paper for results—Swash italic capitals and letterspaced capitals—Chapter heading not sunk—Suggestions from lettered designs—A standard type for old-style effects—Lettering in Caslon style on blue-prints—A memorial volume—Strict typographic harmony—Suggesting such volumes-Japanese paper printed on one side—Simple typography—Living in an artistic atmosphere—Printing journals—Specimen booklets for study purposes—Printers depend too much on artists—Possibilities of type arrangement never exhausted—Working together.
CATALOGS
Page 83
Three branches of architectural virtue applied to the catalog—Act well, speak well, look well—The days when the catalog was a heterogeneous collection of woodcuts and type-faces—Now care and taste shown—The catalog a portable show case—Proper display of goods makes selling easier—Playing up the ordinary—A block of marble, rough and carved—Standardizing the dimensions of catalogs—Engineers recommend standard sizes—Other suggestions—Overlapping covers—Titles on exposed backs—Date—Index card inclosed—Copy should be legible—A dummy should be passed on—Decoration supplemental—Expressing personality—The penalty of being an average typographer—The envy of master printers of old—Horizontal position of illustration—Brass rule well used—A design full of character—Description facing illustration—Small amount of reading matter—Red borders—Variety and interest by simple means—Cover-page built on an illustration—Modern German typographic ideas—Bold type desirable when color is to be shown—An art museum catalog—Securing value from background—Technical details kept orderly—A book-catalog page—Rule border adds decorative quality—Typography seldom receives the attention it deserves—An uncommon catalog page—Tabular treatment for a high-class wine list—The stone rejected by the builder—A dainty German page—A legible ornamental letter—Absence of roman lower-case—Appropriate woodcut—Marginal distribution—Realistic pictures—Gloves well shown—Usual method of selling—Tabular matter.
PROGRAMS
Page 91
“Let all things be done decently and in order”—Four classes of programs—Programs of sacred services—Offer opportunity for artistic treatment—Significance an important element—The key to ecclesiastical printing—Rubrics—A modern interpretation of the historic—Pointed Gothic type-face—Uncial rubricated initials—Red lines—A significant device—Prejudices among clergymen—A churchly aspect by rubrication—Arranging numerous small titles—Economizing space—An almost perfect specimen of church program printing—A specialist on church typography—Program of lenten services—A small program, with a page for each event—Arranging a program with little matter—The dance program—Should be dainty—Stock folders—Must “look like a dance program”—A typographic dance card—Centered dots in place of periods—Uniform border treatment on an outing program—An unconventional dance program—Banquet programs and varied treatments possible—Value of the decorative border—Arrangement of type matter—A background in olive—The menu program in small booklet form—Menu dishes in the form of checks—“Hash” and “Rehash”—A bit of fun—A classic menu-page—A style appropriately humorous—Eating in a foreign language—Side hits—Artistic treatment simulating woodcut decoration—A simply constructed menu page—Unique arrangement—Titles at the left—Symmetrical arrangement—Programs for entertainments and exercises—The commonplace program a disappointment—Artistic programs—A refined page by Updike—Features of interest in a page by Rogers—Admirable treatment of a brief program—Appropriate decoration overprinted by type—A page dominated by the Gothic style—List of characters unusually displayed—A neat page in Caslon type—The program containing small advertisements—Theater programs exert influence on public taste.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Publicity essential to success—Announcements the modern representative of the public crier—Not confined to any size or shape—Often consists of only one page—The most personal of printed mediums of publicity—The printer depended on for suggestions and advice—Confidence of the customer an asset—Imitation engraved announcement the most common—Allows of no original or decorative treatment—The cobbler and tinker—Satisfaction from work well done—The uncommon typographer not governed by usual warnings—An announcement folder of a quality seldom attained—Points of interest in a Caslon page—Black text letter and a generous size of sheet—Sturdy masculine lettering—The human quality of imperfection—A cartoonist’s task—Broad strokes make a liberal showing of color possible—Classic dignity—Ornaments as eye-attractors—A postal-card announcement—One-tenth manual labor and nine-tenths brain exercise—Mistake to make type-face very large or very small—Obtaining variety and emphasis by use of italic and small capitals—Spacing of lower-case—One size of type only—Division into two type groups—A study in tone values—Harmony of type-face and decoration—A brief announcement—Colonial effects—Appropriate typography based on an early newspaper—Lack of margins and absence of print—Heavy- and light-faced rule—Greater legibility when lines are separated—A misplaced initial—A blotter announcement—Printers’ own announcements.
TICKETS
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Good results by accident—A good job of printing should be an everyday occurrence—Lack of interest reason for non-development—Any man not interested in his vocation to be pitied—Thought concentrated on typography—Efficiency a guarantee—Accept responsibilities—The first observations of a student—“None perfect, no not one”—Tickets afford practice of art printing—Many themes and styles in typography—Resourcefulness a valuable characteristic—Ticket forms especially designed—One based upon a classic motive—An idea from ancient Rome—Capitals slightly spaced—The historic Gothic or church style—Contrast by the use of color—A modern conception with a masculine motive—The margins of two styles—An odd and striking effect—Modern treatment based upon the Colonial—A bookish effect—An idea for a lecture course—White or colored stock?—A ticket of peculiar interest to women—The geometric or secession style—Enthusiasm over new styles—Building a house in the sands—Square-faced type and square ornaments—An adaptation of the missal style—Inspiration from William Morris and Italian printers—For educational and art functions—A motive from the art workers of the Middle Ages—A modern application of classic type effects—A purely Colonial effect—Dainty, refined treatment and symbolic decoration—Typography that is distinctly masculine—Orange is lighter than black in tone—An arrangement dictated by an ornament—A ticket not easily duplicated—Color background—Corner decoration in keeping with the subject—A motive from early French books—Typographers should go thru the world with eyes open.
LETTERHEADS AND ENVELOPS
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Standard sizes—Single leaves and the folded note sheet—Official envelops—Folding the sheets—Printing on fourth page—Society stationery—Ruled sheets seldom called for—Paper and typographical treatment of letterhead and envelops should have relation—Style of professional stationery seldom changes—Simple, neat, refined typography—Color seldom well used—Styles furnished by lithographers and steel-die printers—Work along standardized lines—A letterhead one form of advertising—Two tones of type-face for much copy—Elaborate treatment seldom advisable—All matter in one group—Blank space a factor—Brief copy—Use of a decorative device—A harmonizing border—A meeting announcement—Suggesting an architectural panel—Appropriate to the business—All lines of same length—For a general store—Resetting of a “brick” letterhead—Too literal—Injection of individuality—Something different—Attractive club stationery—Typographic neatness—A copperplate letterhead—Two distinct groups—Italic on a heading—Inclosing type matter in a panel—A line border finishing off the edges of a letter sheet—A spot of decorative color—The cross-line panel—German treatment—Notehead by a book typographer—Humor—Envelops a convenience—Its purpose and use—Advertising possibilities—“After five days return to”—Medieval character—Bringing out the business—An envelop corner that is artistic—Elaborate treatment.
BILLHEADS AND STATEMENTS
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Suitable and dignified type composition—Should correspond in style to that of letterhead—Standard sizes—Allowance for head portion—Window envelops—Change in arrangement—Billheads of a quarter of a century ago—Features of the average billhead or invoice—Composition of a billhead—Transforming a letterhead into a billhead—Classic typography—Typographic art and good taste on a billhead—Stationery of a book dealer—Printing on colored stock—Lower part divided into columns—A decorator’s stationery—Business stated in firm name—Credit bills—Use of the statement—Other forms used in business.
PACKAGE LABELS
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Effectiveness of an attractive package label—Good clothes and the package—Selection of wrapping stock—Appreciation of neat wrapping—Druggists excel—The art of making a good impression—Twine, gummed-paper tape, corrugated board—The printed label as a spot of attraction—The wrapping paper as a background—Two labels of contrasting treatment—Stronger label striking—Labels not usually seen at close range—No standard size—Stock that pastes easily—Hand lettered labels as studies—Italic with a decorative quality—A label design with no border—Suggestion of Italian art—Closely-spaced black-toned lettering—Artistic quality and interest by means of typography—A study in black and white—The Aldine combination—Border, decorative device and lettering in the same key—A label design that could be improved—A Goudy type arrangement—Label with address printed in—Stock labels should be studied.
BUSINESS CARDS
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Courtesies of business—The business card as an introduction—Sizes of cards—White cards predominate—An attempt at standardization in arrangement—A model of dignity—Featuring the individual’s name—Contrast in tone—A specimen of hand lettering—A design of strength and interest—An attractive black monogram—Decorative device in color—An interesting contrast—High-hat and frock-coat treatment in French style—Arrangement in blocked Caslon capitals—Decorative device in tint—Roman capitals with italic—A representative German card—The word “decorators” furnishes the cue—Italic for dainty effects—A strong, simple arrangement—Classic arrangement in one size of type—Much information on a card—Decorative treatment that could be merged with the stock—Horizontal rule lines—A card in Bodoni—More than one right way—Styles available for all likes and dislikes—Character and personality expressed typographically—More individuality now permissible—Copperplate engravers set the style for much business-card printing—How to obtain results.
THE BLOTTER
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Business cards and blotters—Less restraint and dignity—Coarseness should be avoided—No longer an experiment—Advertising values—The size—Enameled surfaces—A model typographic blotter with calendar—Treatment should be simple—One design of type-face—Blank space liberally distributed—Natural freedom—Most blotters contain too much type matter—Relief from sledge-hammer advertising—Blotter for personal checkbook—Good taste—For a convention—Pleasing factors—Strong contrasts—Reading the message as the signature is blotted—Masculine treatment—The character of an architectural panel—Pleasure in using—Material that is used and material that is not used—A model of good taste in blotter typography—The test of time—A neat, refined arrangement—The use of large type—The narrow way—Gray features—A touch of appropriateness—Other features.
POSTERS, CAR CARDS, WINDOW CARDS
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