of the lateness of the preceding morning. The full hands are expected to compose two galleys each per night, and all over-lines are paid for extra, even though they be composed within the time prescribed by the rules laid down for the guidance of compositors. "The supernumeraries are expected to compose one galley each per night, and all over-lines are paid for extra, the same as with the full hands. --- non "The full hands have each three pairs of cases pareil, minion, and bourgeois; and as the matter which is the most advantageous is generally set in the smaller type, they claim the benefit of it as an equivalent for the labor of putting the forms to the machine. "The supernumeraries and assistants take copy at seven o'clock in the evening, and continue to work until all is composed; and should there be any standing still for want of copy, they are allowed at the rate of a quarter of a galley per hour for all time they may have lost during the night. The assistants have no stated salary, but are paid by the galley, and share the same advantages as the supernumeraries, no distinction being made in the giving out of the copy. "The compositors in the news-department have the privilege of composing a considerable quantity of extra or 'back' matter, to enable the printer to have, at all times, a resource in case of accident. This extra copy is given out and divided into half-galley shares, and taken in rotation; thus preventing monopoly and favoritism. "As there is an immense quantity of letter in use, the division of which for distribution would occasion loss of time, and frequent disputes, the companionship pays a man to lay up the forms, mark the letter off for each person, and distribute the useless heads. He is also answerable for the clearance of the boards. "Each compositor has a number attached to his frame, and, when he takes copy, his number is placed on the back of the copy, so that each man's matter is identified immediately, and in case of a foul proof, or an out that will occasion much trouble, it is immediately handed to him who composed it without further inquiry, which prevents exposure and annoyance to the individual. The copy is also marked with progressive numbers, which prevents confusion by enabling the compositor to know, with certainty, whom he follows in his composing, and to empty his stick in the proper galley so as to join the preceding matter. "As the types are composed, they are taken, a galley at a time, by the printer, and made up into columns; a proof of the column is then pulled, upon the galley, by one of the compositors, who all take it in turn; it is given to the reader; after being attentively read and corrected, it is returned to the compositors to make the corrections, who take it in turn, two and two; the column is divided into four, the first compositor takes the first and third parts, and the second takes the second and fourth parts, and he who is the last in making his corrections, pulls a second proof, which is carefully revised, and when the revise is corrected the matter is ready for the paper. It thus goes on, column after column, until the whole paper is composed, when it often occurs that the arrival of foreign intelligence increases the quantity considerably; matter of less immediate interest is, in this instance, taken away, and kept as back-matter for a future day, to make room for the latest intelligence. "If the first compositor has six or more lines to compose, of copy that he has in hand, he must give it up, and begin to correct immediately; but if he has less than six lines of copy in hand, he finishes it before he commences correcting. This regulation is adopted to prevent any interruption or delay in the progress of getting the paper out. "The full hands take it in turn to correct the revises, lock up the forms, and take them to the machines to be worked off. "The advertisement-department is not regulated after the same manner as the news-department, there being no distinction of grades, nor any fixed salaries, nor is there any precise time of commencing work, the uncertainty as to the time of advertisements being received at the office rendering it an impossibility to appoint any regular hour for beginning. The compositors are paid by the galley, not according to the scale of prices fixed for morning papers, but more after the scale of evening papers. The method adopted in this part of the establishment, in taking copy, is the same as in other offices, the first out of copy taking first, and so on, and as the compositors get out of copy their numbers are placed on a slate, which prevents disputes or confusion. The compositor marks his copy by putting his initials on the back of it; so that if any gross error be committed, and remain uncorrected a wrong number in a reference, for instance - it can immediately be ascertained who composed it; and either the reader or the compositor is held responsible for the advertisement-duty, the proof deciding which is to pay the fine for negligence. "The salary of a full hand is £2 8s per week, but the average earnings are £3 12s 6d; the salary of a supernumerary is £1 3s per week, and the average earnings are £3. It often happens that much higher bills are written, but the above may be taken as a fair average. "The whole establishment of the Times newspaper, including editors, reporters, compositors, readers, engineers, overseers of the machines, persons to lay on, and to take off, clerks, etc., consists of one hundred and thirty-seven persons." In the United States, the manner of getting out daily papers is somewhat different. The compositors usually have a pair of cases of each kind of types used on the paper, and take the copy as it comes from the hook, they not being divided into advertisement- and news-hands, nor day- and night-hands. Instead of the stands being numbered, each compositor is furnished with slugs of the width of a column of the paper, on which letters or numbers are cast, of the same hight-to-paper as the types. One of them is put into the composing-stick at the head of each take of copy which the compositor may set up during the day, so that he can see, when the galley is passed to him, which parts of the matter belongs to him. Before a compositor gives the galley to the one whose take comes next, he takes out his slugs; the whole of them being removed shows that the galley is corrected. In daily papers published in this country the compositors have nothing to do with the taking of the proofs, it being the business of the foreman or his assistant to fill out short galleys, and, after having pulled an impression, to put them where they will be readily found when wanted. IMPOSING. THIS division will contain all that is required to be known regarding Imposing forms, Making margin, Cutting furniture, and Locking up the form. IMPOSING FORMS. There is a number of ways in which a sheet of paper can be folded so that the pages will follow each other in regular order: that is, a sheet of twenty-four pages can be folded six ways; a sheet of sixteen, four; a sheet of twelve, three; and a sheet of eight, two ways - being a method for each four pages in a form. As the imposition of irregular forms, such as 20s, 40s, and forms the hebrew way, generally occupies a large number of pages in works of this class, and are of very little practical use to the printer, they are left out, and in their stead has been inserted the different methods of imposing forms inside out, which will be gone into more fully than has been done in any preceding Typographia. After the pages are laid on the stone, and before the twine is taken off, the folios should be examined, and if the odd and even pages which lie next to each other, each side of the back-margin, make one more than the number of pages in a form, they are laid correctly. on In laying the pages on the stone, the compositor must be mindful of the fact, that the first page of the form should always be laid with the foot toward him, in the nearer left-hand corner of the quarter of the chase in which it may be placed. In the forms laid according to the following plans, it must be borne in mind that the folios there represented are in the position in which they will appear in the types when on the imposing-stone. I. SHEET OF FOLIO: OUTER FORM. 1 SHEET OF FOLIO. The positions in which the pages appear When a number of sheets are placed, Two sheets of folio, quired, are imposed OUTER INNER Fourth sheet, 7 26 25 8 FORM. FORM. Fifth sheet, 9 24 23 10 Sixth sheet, 11 22 21 12 First sheet, 1 8 7 2 Seventh sheet, 13 20 19 14 Second sheet, 3 6 5 4 Eighth sheet, 15 18 17 16 |
