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| Our Machinery Collection:
Nearly 200 Machines: Machines for typesetting, prepress,
printing and finishing |
| Our Founts Collection: Over
4000 Founts: Founts of hand-set type, typesetting
matrices (including phototypesetting founts) and typecasting
matrices. |
| Our Artefact Collection: Other
Print Items: Tens of thousands of engraved blocks,
stereotypes, electrotypes, typeformes, printers ornaments, hand
tools, artwork, negatives, plates, proofs, printed samples, job
bags, quotations, invoices, business records, books about printing,
books as printed artefacts, you name it . . . |
| Our Ancilliary Collections:
Office Equipment, Computers, Telephones: to show the
working environment. |
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Our Machinery Collection
Machines of all kinds for printing, typecasting, typesetting,
cutting, folding, camerawork, platemaking, stereo and many others.
For letterpress, offset, foil printing, stampmaking, labelmaking.
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Our collection of machines features both old technology and new.
After all, what is new today will be old tomorrow. We include quite
a few examples of `new' technology, already outdated after just a
few years.
Typesetting systems (traditional and modern) include Asian and European
language machines and founts.
Technical notes and historical notes about the machines are included
within this Collection. Technical notes about matrix systems for use in
these machines are also included, but notes about particular typefaces
would be found in our Founts Collection (see below). |
Linotype; Intertype; Ludlow; Nebitype; Monotype: machines which produce
metal type, composed ready to print. Machines producing an image direct
onto paper or film are under PRE-PRESS.
Monotype Supercaster, Thompson Typecaster, manual typecasters:
machines which produce single types, for hand typesetting.
Photo-typesetters, computer typesetters, DTP and other systems which
produce an image of type on film or paper; cameras, platemakers,
processors: items which produce or handle images for photo-based printing.
Letterpress platen and cylinder presses and proofers; Offset presses;
Label presses and Overprinters. Hot Foil Stamping presses; bookbinders'
gold blocking presses.
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Guillotine, folder, stitcher/stapler, jogger, bindery:
for processing the paper before or after printing.
Stereotyping press, melting pot, casting box, backplaner etc.,
for making duplicate printing blocks or rubber stamps.
Stripcasters, to extrude strips of spacing and similar material.
Sundry items. Examples are machines for sawing and mitring
printing types and strip material, machines to make cross-points for
rule-formes, to put security patterns onto typefaces, clean and
adjust mats.
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Our Founts Collection
A fount [Spelt as 'font' in US English, and pronounced
'font' in any dialect] is an old typefounder's term for the
quantity of type made in one founding. [OED]
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In the printing sense, the fount of type was meant to be an
inexhaustible supply of letters (of the one face and size), from
which a book was composed. Each fount is stored in a type case,
a kind of tray with about 90 compartments, or perhaps a pair of cases
if larger compartments are required.
As the compositor used up the letters, they would be topped up. Work
would stop if the `case' ran out of any letter.
The collection includes many founts of type, new and used, with the
majority ranging up to 60 years old. Some are older, with many
from foundries long since closed. Most are stored in cases, and some
`tied up' on galleys.
For the typefoundry, there are many founts of matrices for making
hand-set type. It is relevant to note that unlike a fount of type,
a fount of typecasting mats has only one of each character. So it
is not a fount in the truest sense. But it was obviously
convenient to use the same term.
For the linecasters (Linotype, Ludlow, etc.) the matrix founts are
stored and used in magazines or matrix cases, and there are many of
each letter.
Founts of matrices are listed here, but their technical notes
will be found along with the machine that uses them.
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HANDSET TYPE SECTION
TYPESETTING MATRIX SECTION
TYPECASTING MATRIX SECTION
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Our Artefact Collection
Look here for printing items which are not machinery or founts. If you
cannot find what you're looking for, try our
LOOK-UP.
HIGHLIGHTS
Hand tools, materials, cabinetry. Physical artefacts which have
an embedded document. Documents carrying a design or stage of
production of printing.
Books: on printing and as examples of printing. Includes thousands
of books assembled to show styles of book design and the work
of hundreds of printers and publishers throughout the world.
Archive of business records (quotes, invoices, working papers).
Thousands of documents giving insight into commerce over the
decades, not only within the printing industry.
Art prints and limited edition books: made in our Access Studio,
as well as a few acquired from other studios. |
DOCUMENTARY ARTEFACT SECTION
Pictorial engravings; typeset formes; cutting/creasing formes;
stereotypes and stereotype matrices; camera-ready artworks; negatives;
offset printing plates; rubber stamps, etc.. Each of these objects
incorporates a document and in many cases can still be used to print
that document.
DESIGN DOCUMENT SECTION
Layouts, roughs, galley proofs, final proofs, printed sheets and
finished products. Suppliers' samples of ink, papers, card blanks.
Also in this section: conserved stocks of papers, cards and envelopes,
many in original wrappings, examples of packaging including printed
wooden boxes and cartons. Tins and tubes of inks and other supplies
with their labels and packaging.
NON-MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT SECTION
Hand tools, specialised cabinetry and general furniture; the range of
printers' materials such as spacing strips and blocks, rules,
ornamental borders, chases and quoins.
LIBRARY SECTION
BUSINESS RECORD SECTION
A collection of business records from a number of former printing
businesses. These include thousands of documents (quotes, invoices,
working papers), giving insight into commerce and working methods
over the decades, not only within the printing industry.
ART PRINTS SECTION
Art Prints, books and Other Works made in our Access Studio or other
printeries.
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Our Ancilliary Collections
We have assembled some interesting items which have a less direct
connection to printing or typesetting, but serve to illustrate
something about the working environment in printing or other
businesses.
These include :
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OFFICE EQUIPMENT COLLECTION
Duplicators, desktop accessories, photocopiers, franking machines,
cheque signers; [typewriters and calculators are under Computers];
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TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT COLLECTION
Not only the telephones but the switchboards and even some automatic
exchange equipment; also intercoms and faxes; and
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TYPEWRITER & COMPUTER COLLECTION
This covers a range of computers from the 1970's to the present day,
and text and number-based items like typewriters and calculators.
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WOULD YOU LIKE US TO PRESERVE AND INTERPRET ITEMS IN YOUR
POSSESSION? THERE ARE STILL MANY PRINT-RELATED
MACHINES AND ARTEFACTS WE DON'T HAVE.
DON'T DISCARD THEM BEFORE TALKING TO US !
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As at 20241113
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