Volume 182402

Typographia: or the printers' instructor, including an account of the origin of printing. With biographical notices of the printers of England, from Caxton to the close of the sixteenth century: a series of ancient and modern alphabets, and Domesday characters: together with an elucidation of every subject connected with the art / By J. Johnson, printer.

  • John Johnson
Date:
1824
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Typographia: or the printers' instructor, including an account of the origin of printing. With biographical notices of the printers of England, from Caxton to the close of the sixteenth century: a series of ancient and modern alphabets, and Domesday characters: together with an elucidation of every subject connected with the art / By J. Johnson, printer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and swells blended together in due proportion, will] excite admiration in those who may take the pains off comparing the smaller with the larger sized letters... But to assert possitively what foundery can boast off true shaped letters would be speaking with too muchi presumption; since it is agreed, even by able pen-- men, that none can strike two letters of the samee signification, so as, upon the strictest examination, too have the same likeness. If, therefore, it is impos-- sible to write a true duplicate upon paper, it may bee excused in those who attempt it in steel: for, weree it practicable to copy so as to make it impossible: to discover the least deviation from the original, letter-cutters too would then be able to supply ac-- cented letters, and such as are contained in ligatures, , of the exact shape and symmetry with those off the main alphabet, though even these should have: nothing but the fancy of the artist in support of! their being true shaped. | We are aware that a variety of opinions exist re-- specting true-shaped letters; therefore we shall abstain» from entering into a controversy upon that head, being: persuaded of the impossibility of bringing 2 number off persons into the same way of thinking. As the Ger-- mans are justly entitled to the merit for the invention» of typography and metal types, so are the Dutch: famed for their improvement of the latter: which was: held in the highest estimation for many years, till they; were rivalled by our countrymen ; from which period! Dutch letter ceased to be imported for our use. It is equally important that types should have ai deep face, which will depend upon the depth of the: punches, their hollows being in proportion to the» width of the respective letters, and likewise that the punches are sunk into the matrices; for should there : be a defect in this respect, the letter, of course, will |