La linotype en action
YouTube video by Musée de l'imprimerie et de la communication graphique
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Ah good point! Seems both were designed by Matthew Carter: Shelley Script at Linotype in 1972 (www.identifont.com/show?36G) and English 111 at Bitstream in 1990 (www.identifont.com/show?260). Typical for Bitstream, English 111 looks like a copy of Shelley under a different name for copyright reasons
Differences - Shelley Script Andante & English 111 Adagio
www.identifont.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Ah good point! Seems both were designed by Matthew Carter: Shelley Script at Linotype in 1972 (www.identifont.com/show?36G) and English 111 at Bitstream in 1990 (www.identifont.com/show?260). Typical for Bitstream, English 111 looks like a copy of Shelley under a different name for copyright reasons
I believe I'm correct in thinking that Linotype was in use well into the 1980s.
November 10, 2025 at 7:20 PM
I believe I'm correct in thinking that Linotype was in use well into the 1980s.
November 8, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Republicans tear gas trick-or-treaters while denying food aid to millions as a political maneuver…. Yeesh! #linotype #letterpress #chicago #thecrueltyisthepoint #typecasting Cast in 8 and 11pt Electra with cursive, with Ludlow Halloween mat.
November 1, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Republicans tear gas trick-or-treaters while denying food aid to millions as a political maneuver…. Yeesh! #linotype #letterpress #chicago #thecrueltyisthepoint #typecasting Cast in 8 and 11pt Electra with cursive, with Ludlow Halloween mat.
The last living #TwilightZone director, Ralph Senensky, passed away on Nov 1st.
Mr. Senensky directed the 4th season episode "Printer's Devil" (along w/50 episodes of TV over 30 years), a script by Charles Beaumont based on his short story, "The Devil, You Say?"
Short Synopsis & Narrations in ALT.
Mr. Senensky directed the 4th season episode "Printer's Devil" (along w/50 episodes of TV over 30 years), a script by Charles Beaumont based on his short story, "The Devil, You Say?"
Short Synopsis & Narrations in ALT.
November 2, 2025 at 3:52 PM
The last living #TwilightZone director, Ralph Senensky, passed away on Nov 1st.
Mr. Senensky directed the 4th season episode "Printer's Devil" (along w/50 episodes of TV over 30 years), a script by Charles Beaumont based on his short story, "The Devil, You Say?"
Short Synopsis & Narrations in ALT.
Mr. Senensky directed the 4th season episode "Printer's Devil" (along w/50 episodes of TV over 30 years), a script by Charles Beaumont based on his short story, "The Devil, You Say?"
Short Synopsis & Narrations in ALT.
I’ll ask around. The newspaper office had a beautiful old Linotype machine. Can’t imagine it was saved.
October 28, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I’ll ask around. The newspaper office had a beautiful old Linotype machine. Can’t imagine it was saved.
There’s nothing I love more than learning a material culture origin to a common word/phrase—little linguistic skeuomorphs—so just imagine my delight reading about the "tapered or wedge-shaped bars" that added spaces into linotype text
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
October 21, 2025 at 7:40 PM
There’s nothing I love more than learning a material culture origin to a common word/phrase—little linguistic skeuomorphs—so just imagine my delight reading about the "tapered or wedge-shaped bars" that added spaces into linotype text
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
this is another thing I sorta kinda understood about how linotype worked, but reading these early description & reports clarifies things immensely—the space bars/bands ensured every line was justified—they were inserted & then expanded automatically to fill the line so each would be the same width
October 21, 2025 at 8:12 PM
this is another thing I sorta kinda understood about how linotype worked, but reading these early description & reports clarifies things immensely—the space bars/bands ensured every line was justified—they were inserted & then expanded automatically to fill the line so each would be the same width
This is a fascinating short film on the very last edition of The New York Times to be produced by linotype, in July of 1978
youtu.be/1MGjFKs9bnU?...
youtu.be/1MGjFKs9bnU?...
FarewellEtaoinShrdlu
YouTube video by Drinks and Dice
youtu.be
October 19, 2025 at 1:33 PM
This is a fascinating short film on the very last edition of The New York Times to be produced by linotype, in July of 1978
youtu.be/1MGjFKs9bnU?...
youtu.be/1MGjFKs9bnU?...
Several bits of irony there:
1. Those ads sold me on the machine before I laid eyes on it.
2. My dad was a linotype operator and later a manager when they moved to computer typesetting. He continued to use his typesetting ruler to measure on the computer screen, but he did get me my first computer.
1. Those ads sold me on the machine before I laid eyes on it.
2. My dad was a linotype operator and later a manager when they moved to computer typesetting. He continued to use his typesetting ruler to measure on the computer screen, but he did get me my first computer.
October 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Several bits of irony there:
1. Those ads sold me on the machine before I laid eyes on it.
2. My dad was a linotype operator and later a manager when they moved to computer typesetting. He continued to use his typesetting ruler to measure on the computer screen, but he did get me my first computer.
1. Those ads sold me on the machine before I laid eyes on it.
2. My dad was a linotype operator and later a manager when they moved to computer typesetting. He continued to use his typesetting ruler to measure on the computer screen, but he did get me my first computer.
I really love this photo from 1981 of a man and small child looking in the front window while someone composes on a Linotype machine (digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/pphnegs_imag...)
October 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
I really love this photo from 1981 of a man and small child looking in the front window while someone composes on a Linotype machine (digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/pphnegs_imag...)
“Nothing is more important than stopping fascism, because fascism will stop us all.” — Fred Hampton #linotype #letterpress #antifa #antifascist #antifascista #iamantifa #presidentialnationalsecuritymemorandum7 #PNSM7 #precrime #gazeceasefire #publicenemyno3 #governmentshutdown #fightfascism
October 14, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“Nothing is more important than stopping fascism, because fascism will stop us all.” — Fred Hampton #linotype #letterpress #antifa #antifascist #antifascista #iamantifa #presidentialnationalsecuritymemorandum7 #PNSM7 #precrime #gazeceasefire #publicenemyno3 #governmentshutdown #fightfascism
Woop! My next book, HOT TYPE, a cultural history of the Linotype and the arc of mass media, is available for preorder & 25% off at Waterstones, for my UK friends. (I'm still editing it!) It's a fascinating & epic tale. Preorders are much-appreciated: www.waterstones.com/book/hot-typ...
October 14, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Woop! My next book, HOT TYPE, a cultural history of the Linotype and the arc of mass media, is available for preorder & 25% off at Waterstones, for my UK friends. (I'm still editing it!) It's a fascinating & epic tale. Preorders are much-appreciated: www.waterstones.com/book/hot-typ...
Attention UK readers! 'Hot Type' by @jeffjarvis.bsky.social is 25% off on @waterstones.bsky.social online!
Discover the story of the Linotype, the revolutionary machine that gave birth to mass media.
Pre-order a copy today through 17th Oct.
📕 www.waterstones.com/book/hot-typ...
#WPreorder
Discover the story of the Linotype, the revolutionary machine that gave birth to mass media.
Pre-order a copy today through 17th Oct.
📕 www.waterstones.com/book/hot-typ...
#WPreorder
October 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Attention UK readers! 'Hot Type' by @jeffjarvis.bsky.social is 25% off on @waterstones.bsky.social online!
Discover the story of the Linotype, the revolutionary machine that gave birth to mass media.
Pre-order a copy today through 17th Oct.
📕 www.waterstones.com/book/hot-typ...
#WPreorder
Discover the story of the Linotype, the revolutionary machine that gave birth to mass media.
Pre-order a copy today through 17th Oct.
📕 www.waterstones.com/book/hot-typ...
#WPreorder
up early to catch Amtrak’s Coast Starlight down to oregon so that tomorrow i can pick up a working Linotype for my print shop. let’s fucking go.
October 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM
up early to catch Amtrak’s Coast Starlight down to oregon so that tomorrow i can pick up a working Linotype for my print shop. let’s fucking go.
as far as i can tell, these are the reasons to get a linotype, vandercook proof press, several cases of type, drive them across the country, and THEN convince your close friends to help you find a building and start this project:
1. because you can
2. some hot girls you know write poetry
3. tktktk
1. because you can
2. some hot girls you know write poetry
3. tktktk
October 12, 2025 at 2:50 PM
as far as i can tell, these are the reasons to get a linotype, vandercook proof press, several cases of type, drive them across the country, and THEN convince your close friends to help you find a building and start this project:
1. because you can
2. some hot girls you know write poetry
3. tktktk
1. because you can
2. some hot girls you know write poetry
3. tktktk
I was just reading about how the Linotype works yesterday. Trying to figure out how hard it was to get amateur zines printed in the 1930's, and it meant having access to either cold type or hard type... photo typesetters came decades later.
This is cool... I assume you're renting a truck?
This is cool... I assume you're renting a truck?
October 12, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I was just reading about how the Linotype works yesterday. Trying to figure out how hard it was to get amateur zines printed in the 1930's, and it meant having access to either cold type or hard type... photo typesetters came decades later.
This is cool... I assume you're renting a truck?
This is cool... I assume you're renting a truck?
to understand like 2/3rds of journalist jargon you have to know how a linotype machine works (no one in 2025 knows how a linotype machine works)
October 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
to understand like 2/3rds of journalist jargon you have to know how a linotype machine works (no one in 2025 knows how a linotype machine works)
dinosaur here.
i cut my teeth on original linotype machines.
also, the pigs of lead helped me to get home in bad weather when i put them in my trunk for ballast.
i cut my teeth on original linotype machines.
also, the pigs of lead helped me to get home in bad weather when i put them in my trunk for ballast.
October 4, 2025 at 9:59 AM
dinosaur here.
i cut my teeth on original linotype machines.
also, the pigs of lead helped me to get home in bad weather when i put them in my trunk for ballast.
i cut my teeth on original linotype machines.
also, the pigs of lead helped me to get home in bad weather when i put them in my trunk for ballast.
I won a flat of random things at this last weekend’s North Star Auction, but mostly for this heavy gem from bygone printing days — a Castomatic Linotype slug of type metal, which is an alloy of lead, antimony and tin. This means I should probably wash my hands.
#vintage #antiques #linotype #auction
#vintage #antiques #linotype #auction
October 3, 2025 at 12:51 AM