BEAUTIFUL INDENTATION LETTERPRESS IN HONG KONG
Preface
In the past period, books printed in China, people used the Letterpress printing to publish the books, although the Offset printing had been rapid development in 1950, but there were supporting technical problems, so the Offset printing wanted completely replace the Letterpress printing at that time, it was not a short time could be solved. Letterpress printing technology have hundreds of years history, after a long-term development and technical improvement, has formed a complete set of technical processes. It not only can emit more ideal layout, but also can adapt to review the layout. The biggest feature of Letterpress is convenient revision, almost can complete every changes. On the other hand, you can repeatedly casting the metal characters, therefore it can reduce the costs, so that the Letterpress is the most perfect printing process in the past time.
Introduction of Letterppress survey Letterpress printing shops in Hong Kong Printing and allied industries in Hong Kong Number of workers employed (Excluding trainees / apprentices) Number of vacancies at date of survey Number of trainees / apprentices Distribution of all workers by total monthly income range
Introduction of Letterpress tools
6 8 10 11 12 14 16
Metal letter (Chinese characters) Metal letter (English characters) Wooden box Job Case Type founders sample books Hand plate Quads & Space Zinc plate Metal quoins Printing Ink Printing press Cutter machine
18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42
Introduction of printing processs
44
Printing quality
54
Interview of Letterpress shops
56 58 60 62 64
Da Che Printing Company Wai Che Printing Company Happy Printing Company Castle Peak Printing Company
6
Introduction of Letterppress survey
Running a letterpress shop required an enormous storage space and basic literacy of at least 4,000 commonly used characters. In the 80’s, Hong Kong matrix type foundries quickly went out of business as it became expensive to install government-regulated chimneys to release the toxic metal fumes. Unable to source new characters when needed, this affected the businesses of over 200 print shops alone in Hong Kong. The photo in the left hand side, there are many missing metal letters in the wooden box, can represent this industry are not important and vanishing in Hong Kong.
8
da ys
wa
0
99
–1
0
98
–1
0
96
–1
19 40
5–6
No
80
19
70
19
50
19
19 30 –
Interview the Letterpress shops
Letterpress printing shops in Hong Kong
500 – 600
300 – 400
100 – 200
Less than 5
769
686
553
555
10 20
20 08
06 20
20 04
02 20
00
457
20
Manpower Survey Report publish by Printing and Publishing Training Board
Printing and allied industries in Hong Kong
908
The survey covered the following printing sectors: HSIC 3429– Printing and allied industries (mainly bookbinding/ ornamentation of cards/ photo engraving/ typesetting/ label embossing). And the meaning of HSIC represent Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification.
10 4
20 0 00
20 96
19 86
19
Printing Machine Operator
78 04
20
20 00
19 96
19 86
19 78
Letterpress Plate maker
19
19
96
19
86
Number of workers employed (Excluding trainees / apprentices)
Manpower Statistics
19
78
Compositor (Metal)
128
150
107
32
36 134
780
537 549
2860
1394
2583 3966
In the recognition of the development that had taken place in the printing industry the last survey conducted in 1998, the job “Compositor (Metal)� were deleted in 2000 survey. In 2006 survey, the principal jobs in the printing industry had been reviewed in the light of developments in the industry, the major changes such as: the job descriptions for the principal jobs at craftsman level were revised. As a result, the number of jobs were reduced from 16 to 10, it included Letterpress Plate maker and Printing Machine operator.
12
04
20
20
00
19
96
19 86
Printing Machine Operator
78
04
20
20 96
19
0
00
19 86
19 78
Letterpress Plate maker
19
19 96
19
86
19
78
Number of vacancies at date of survey
Manpower Statistics
Compositor (Metal)
0
0
2 0
0
1
47
0
0
0
55
143
14
20
04
20 86
19 78
19
Printing Machine Operator
96
19 00
20
0
04
20 19 96
19 86
19
19 96
0
78
Letterpress Plate maker
0
00
19
86
19
78
Number of trainees / apprentices
Manpower Statistics
Compositor (Metal) 34
0
2 6
0
0
0
0
102 99
Distribution of all workers by total monthly income range
All of the workers and printing shops owner in the Letterpress printing industry, they witnessed the rise and fall of Letterpress. In 1980’s, Letterpress so popular in Hong Kong, the printing shops can get $50,000 to $60,000 per month, so the monthly income of workers are quite good at that period. However, after 1990’s another printing technology replaces the Letterpress, so the printing shops only earned a few thousand dollars per month, and the monthly income of workers not only difficult their daily, but also lower than another industry.
Compositor (Metal)
Letter Plate maker
Printing machine operator
16
$1101 – $1500
$3001 – $4000
$7001 – $8000
$9001 – $10000
1978
1986
1996 , 2004
200 0
$8001 – $9000 $9001 – $10000
$13001 – $16000
2000
2004
$2001 – $3000
$901 – $1100
1996
1986
1978
1996
1986
1978
$7000 – $8000
$2001 – $3000
$901 – $1100
18
Introduction of Letterpress tools
Magnifying glass, pliers, scissors, printing ink etc, which are letterpress printing daily utensils. Every piece of utensil have already spent more than 30 years, they witnessed the prosperity and decline of the Letterpress printing industry. There are the ink marks from their surface, and each utensil on the importance role in the printing process, however, these utensils will become private collection, they are not useful in nowadays.
Metal letter (Chinese characters)
01
20
In general, Letterpress printing companies, have different sizes, fonts of metal letters, to serve the different customer needs. For the Chinese metal letter, the font sizes commonly used at present are: 7 size scale that ranged from initial to 1–6 Metal letter is a cylinder, the upper part of the word head, the lower part of the word body, the Chinese metal letter to the main square, but there are rectangular. Metal letter there is an important criterion is height, only a single height in order to ensure smooth layout, printing out a good product. Therefore, China provided the height of metal letter is 23.42–23.44mm.
02
01. Select the suitable letal letters in the wooden box, then use a rubber band to group the letters together 02. 7-size scale of metal letter
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03. The same size of metal letter put in the same postition in the wooden box, it can more orderliness 04. Every metal letter has own attitude, printed on paper, our finger can touch the 3D feeling
04
05
05. The different size of metal letter (English character) 06. The same alphabet of the same typeface, put them together in the job case, easy to find them
22
Metal letter (English characters)
06
Points system is one method came from the western, which is about the size of the English metal letter. In the early, 1 point equals 1 inch 1/72, after the implementation of the metric, the conversion of 1 point is equal to 0.35146 mm. But in order to facilitate the calculation, in 1958, China has stipulated that 1 point is equal to 0.35 mm. English metal letter as the base to the height of the literal, its width is different based on each metal letter to determine. English metal letter has one special point, it has a baseline, and the metal letter must be cast to this baseline to set the rules.
Wooden box 24
All of the Chinese metal letters in the wooden box used in accordance with the order of frequency, and is divided into three type, common words frame, spare words frame and unusual words frame. The most commonly words used in publications is 1,500 Chinese characters, as well as store some spare words, about 1600–2400 Chinese characters, so that there are 99% to meet the needs of Chinese typesetting. The common words put in the middle of the wooden box, other words storage was scattering to the outside, they are arranged according to radicals and strokes.
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07. The same size and same radicals of the metal letter group together 08. There are many same size of squares can put more than 7000 metal letters of Chinese characters
08
09
09. A California Job Case 10. A set of the upper and lower metal letters keep in one separate case 11. “Adman� Cabinet has equipment for two compositors, supply of leads and slugs and assortment of materials such as brass and copper thin spaces and quads
26
Job Case 10
11
A compartmentalized wooden box used to store movable type used in letterpress printing. Upper and lower case type were each kept in a separate case (or tray). This typecase consists of 89 compartments, numerals and symbols are at the top, lower case, punctuation and variable width spaces on the left, and capitals are on the right. Lower case compartment position and size varies according to the frequency of occurrence of the letter contained. Uppercase compartments are uniform size, ordered A to Z. Each size and style of font is kept in its own tray, and trays are kept in a cabinet with slots making each tray appear as a removable drawer.
Type founders sample books
12
28
The Type Founders companies need to cast more than 7,000 words for a set of the Chinese metal letter, and there are different types of the Chinese metal letter, which are Song typeface, Regular script, Imitation Song typeface, and later the impact of English metal letters, there has been East Asian sans serif typeface, there are the basic printing fonts. For the Song typeface, the most common printed books. The Imitation Song typeface, its elegant characterizes used in ancient publications. Regular script, the main purpose for the subtitle and newspaper essays. And the East Asian sans serif typeface, commonly used in the headline. For the English metal letters, there are many kinds of typeface, since a font is only more than 50 letters (include the upper and lower cast), and tooling is very convenient. When sum up the typeface of English metal letter are about eight types, which is Gothic, Old Style, Venetian, Modern Style, Italic, Script, Antique and San serif.
13
14
12. Type specimen provide the metal letter of English chatacters 13. Type specimen provide the metal letter of Chinese chatacters 14. New type specimen version provide the some zinc plate or English metal letter and patteren / decoration
16
15
17 15. Decoration / pattern metal plate 16. Sample of Chinese characters can be a metal letter provide by Type Founders company 17. Sample of English characters , the specimen book show the different size and typeface
18
19
18. A side view of hand plate 19. The close up of putting the mettal letters in the hand plate
Hand plate
20. For the first step of Letterpress printing, worker need to selet the metal letters in the wooden box, then ise the left hand to hold the hand plate, and put the letters orderly
30
6 inches long for the wooden hand plate, 3 inches wide, and 6 points deep, one hand plate can put eight hundred metal letters of size 5 letters. The speed of checking the metal letters in the hand plate base on skilled or not, it is depending on general inspection 1000–1200 words per hour, the fastest speed is 2000 words per hour.
21. The obverse side of hand plate
20
21
Quads & Space
22
32
There are some blank area in the printing layout, we are mainly used in the Quads and Space to fill in the blank area. Quads are mainly used to fill the end of the line blank, blank after the title, form and layout of other blank area. Leading is mainly used to fill between the lines of the blank, white space between columns, and as the edge of the printing layout. Quads are lower 2.5–3.8 mm of the metal letter, there are the different size, they can match the size of metal letters. The thickness of the space is the corresponding the size of metal letter, generally have three points (the thickness of the metal letter is 1/2), three point (the thickness of the metal letter 1/3), four point (thickness of the metal letter 1/4).
22. Printing layer after using the quads and space to full in the blank area 23. Different size of quads 24. Different thickness of space
23
24
Zinc plate
Letterpress printing used in metal letters to print the publishion, but others such as special fonts or graphics, pictures, can use the photographic plate method, made zinc plate (commonly known as the electric version). For a lot of printing, such as newspaper etc.
25
26 25. Zinc plate of printed gold foil wedding invitation 26. Zinc plate of shop receipt 27. Zinc plate of name card
34
27
Metal quoins
28
36
The quoins are the devices used to lock all your type, leading, and furniture into the chase. The simplest ones are nothing more than 2 wooden wedges that are slid across each other’s face to exert pressure across your type form. A step more complex than that are cast metal wedges with toothed faces. A special key is turned in the teeth to slide the wedges. This provides a great deal more locking pressure. Finally, you can acquire mechanical cammed quoins that greatly simplify locking up your forms and apply very even pressure across a much greater span. The cammed quoins are far better than either metal or wooden wedges.
29
28. Finish version of metal quoin, lock up the type, leading and furniture 29. The position of type, leading, furniture and lock inside the chase 30. Use lock and T key to lock up the chase into the metal quoin
30
Printing Ink 38
There are hundreds of varieties of printing ink out there. It’s available at any print supply distributor, the colors are intense, and because it’s rubber based it doesn’t skin over or dry on the press if left overnight. You may be able to find some cheaper inks but Van Son is well worth whatever extra it costs. A one pound can of black should last the average letterpress printer a couple of years; the colors, much longer. As a general rule, print text in black. Black ink provides the greatest contrast between the words and the paper they’re printed on. This makes the best readability. If you wish to add a second color to your work red is probably the best choice, followed by blue, brown, and dark green. Fine printing uses color sparingly. Gaudy printing will detract from the message the words are meant to convey.
31
31. Traces of ink on the ink jar 32. Worker need to mix the printing ink before put the ink on the roller
32
33
33. Original Heidelberg Cylinder 34. A switching mechanism of the printing press 35. The printing workers need to stand in front of the printing press to make surn the successful
40
Printing press
34
02
35
In 1950–60 many European and American printing equipment operators to develop the Asia Pacific region, they have opened regional offices in Hong Kong, also they import a variety of advanced models of letterpress printing press. In addition to the most popular “Original Heidelberg Cylinder”printing press, the prestigious agents from Moreton Matheson, import the fully automatic “Heidelberg”, this printing press have an air hose is compressed gas, connected to the machine’s hair and suction unit, the paper feed paper and divided by the pumping action can be run automatically when the trump card of these presses are very durable.
Cutter machine 42
Whether printing or binding, cutter machine is one of the necessary mechanical in the process. Nowadays the cutter has used modern computer program, a considerable degree of automation. But in the 1940–50, Hong Kong printing shops are still used in even full manual semi-automatic paper cutter, the general practice is called “paper gates.” Since the paper cutter lack of protection, the operator must be careful when using the Olympus machine, so the printing workers easy to hurt them or colleagues, and in fact in the printing industry between 1950–70 employees of industrial accidents, and many cases of cutting the accident. Until the 1960–70 of the paper cutter manufacturers to install radiation induced gate guards, this gradual decline of industrial accidents.
36. Full manual cutter machine
36
44
Introduction of printing processs
The oldest method of printing used by Gutenberg. The image area is raised, usually in metal, and the non-image area is recessed. The raised surface can be obtained by cutting away the white areas with hand tools (as in block printing or wood-engraving), by acid etching of metal (as in photoengraving), by light-hardening a photo-emulsion (photo-polymer plates), or by casting from a carved or punched matrix (as in metal type). There are other methods for creating the a raised surface, but most letterpress techniques tend to fall under the above categories. Once a relief surface has been prepared it is put in the press. A roller (or sometimes a dauber) is used to place ink on the type or block, which is then pressed against paper. Multiple blocks are used to create images with more than one color.
37
46
Prepare the printing layout
38
39
40 37. Choose the metal letters in the wooden box or job case 38. After choosing the metal letters, put them into the hand plate, and check the letters 39. Typesetting 40. Put the metal letters into the Quoins
Type Founder companies is the first process of Letterpress printing, they are the source of all the metal letters. So when Letterpress printing shops receive the order of customers, if they don’t have or enough the metal letters, then they need to buy the letters in the Type Founders companies. On the other hand, if the printing shops have enough metal letter can serve the customers order, so the prosecution of workers need to pick all the metal letters and punctuation used in the publishing, and then sent them to another workers to typesetting, the workers use the quads and spaces to make the printing layout, then the workers put the layout into the quoins, and use the lockup tools to fix the layout, showing the entire layout.
Lockup the printing layout
41
The movable lead alloy or wooden type was set by hand, in blocks of lines, paragraphs and pages called type forms, and set in a frame called a chase. Wooden blocks called “furniture� were used to fill in the space between the type forms and chase, while angled wooden or metal quoins were used to tighten the whole unit. The letterpress printing process begins with the carving or the fabrication of a custom plate or with the composition of hand set type. The plate or type is then locked into a metal frame called the chase and attached to the press.
42
43
41. Put the Quads and spaces to fix the compostion of the layout in the Quoins 42. Use the T key to lockup the Quoins 43. The plate lock into a metal frame
48
44. Hold the metal quoin a few second, check there are mistake or not 45. Printing worker put the metal quoin into the printing press 46. Ready to print
44
45
46
Start to print
Letterpress printing is a slow process, on flatbed printing presses, the plate is affixed in the same manner as on a platen press. The printing plate is inked by a roller. The impression cylinder pulls a sheet paper around it by way of small grippers that are attached to the cylinder. As the paper is pulled around the impression cylinder, the entire bed with the plate moves under the impression cylinder, transferring the ink to the substrate as it goes.
47
48
49 47. Inked by a roller 48. Turn on the the power source 49. Turn on the printing press
50
50
50. A small clip connect to the cylinder inhaled a sheet of paper 51. Transfer the ink to the substrate 52. A small clip connect to a cylinder aspirated a sheet of paper
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52
53
53. Check the printing quality, and error correction 54. A part of receipt have error, cannot print the word clearly 55. Printing worker need to do the error correction, such as they use some paper to achieve the height of error part, to make sure the printing ink can smear on the plate 56. After the testing and checking, then can mass printing
52
Check the printing result & Improvement
54
When finished printing the first print (for example: shops receipts, name cards, etc.), printing workers check the effect of printing immediately, when they found unsatisfactory print, for example, printing the contents are not clear or content error, then the workers will modify the plate again. Since the metal letters due to prolonged use of uneven, so there will be poor printing, damaged grain more difficult to color, so the worker need to insert some paper under the metal quoins to increase the height of that locations, so to achieve and balance an average height of the plate , then to provide the clear printing effect, ideals, and can be a lot of printing.
55
56
57
The quality of Letterpress printing result there are many deficiencies relative to printing technology in nowadays, such as: When printing receipts, forms, while every lines arranged in manpower and use the spaces tools, the accuracy is poor, so each box side is often a gap, which affects the printing quality. In addition, Letterpress printing only monochrome printing in each time, if customers need more than monochrome printing, then the printing workers need to print the first color, the cleaning the roller and then the rest of the printing ink, with the second color in print before, it is so analogy, this process timeconsuming and inefficient.
54
Printing quality
58
59 57. There are some Letterpress printing problem cannot solve them 58. Printing press can print the bright color on the paper, the color keep over 20 years, not easy to discolor 59. Letterpress printing focus on the shops receipts / name cards etc
Words printed with lead type are much lovelier because they are able to preserve the beauty of Chinese calligraphy and the grace of its individual brush strokes. Right now that is something you can’t find in computer fonts.
56
Interview of Letterpress shops
Progress of the times, the low efficiency of Letterpress printing industry will vanish in Hong Kong. Nowadays, the last of Type Founder Company closed in 1997, and the existing letterpress printing shops, just only four, although their monthly income no more than five thousand Hong Kong dollars, but they stick with it, hoping to save this industry to our next generation.
Da Che Printing Company
Mr. Tong work in this printing industry over 40 years, however, nowadays business is indifferent, also face of the lease expires, he feels so helpless to close down his printing company. He says, “What can I do? Letterpress has been eliminated to the times, all to replace offset printing, prepare the printing process is so time consuming, not only cannot to earn money, but also cannot support the dairy life. Indeed, the offset printing has replaced letterpress printing, but Mr. Tang believes that Letterpress printing is the best.
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61 60-62. Da Che printing company Location: No. 43 San Fung Avenue, Sheung Shui Telephone: 26684685
58
62
Wai Che Printing Company
Mr. Lee, 83 year old, he work in Letterpress printing industry more than 60 years, his wish is to be activated for the Letterpress printing museum, therefore this industry can keep the memory to the next generation in Hong Kong, but he has to be proposed by the Hong Kong Government acquisition of Letterpress printing machine. However, he receive the reply is unconditional donation, and then he proposed to compensate didn’t get reply anymore, so he questioned the sincerity of the Government cultural conservation.
63 63-64. Wai Che printing company Location:Basement, 17 Shing Wong Street, Central, Hong Kong Telephone: 25468992
60
64
Happy Printing Company 62
Mr. Kwan and his wife opened Happy printing company over thirty years, his company focus on printing name cards, receipts etc. When people go into the Happy printing company, you will see several small size of printing press operation slowly, a longframe of the wooden box, as his private collection. Mr. Kwan said that this printing shop has become a spiritual joy and hope to feel happy that the documents printed on the customers.
65. Happy printing company Location: G/F, No.17, Bowen Street, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon Telephone: 23925409
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66
64
66-67. Castle Peak printing company Location: G/F, 197 Castle Peak Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: 23615892
Castle Peak Printing Company
67
Mr. Ho opened the Castle Peak Printing company in Castle Peak Road, at Cheung Sha Wan over 33 years, from 1978 he deal in the name cards, letters, seal etc, witness the most glorious period of the Letterpress printing industry. With the emergence of the computer, the Letterpress printing industry decline, he still insisted on this industry, there are many different size of metal letters are placed on the counter for people to buy, but this old Letterpress printing company are facing eviction, the owners an emergency notice asking him to move out.
Conclusion
Technology can improve our lives; progress and irresistible. In 2011, known as the “E-Book” period, when the world lively discuss that the E-Book will replace paper book, in the Letterpress printing industry should be disappear in Hong Kong. When I open a book have 30 years ago, my fingers touching the paper, I can feel the raising surface on the paper, that is a readers left in the fingertips of the first memories in the book. However in the 1990s, computer typesetting into the mainstream of the printing industry, Letterpress printing industry did not fall in the society, then it gradually disappeared, and many of the Type founders companies and Letterpress printing companies have been out of business and close down. Nowadays, book is a smooth sheet, we never touch the unique indentation again, and we cannot see the uneven ink spots. The metal letters has been transformed into a love of books collection, commemorative, enjoying the “Antiquities”.
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Academy of Visual Arts Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Visual Arts Programme Course: V.A.3330 World between two Covers: All about Book Design Student: Ho Wai Yan, 10005862 Teaching Staff: Ms Takagi, Mariko
BEAUTIFUL INDENTATION Editor: Ho Wai Yan Typesetting, cover & layout design: Ho Wai Yan Photography: Ho Wai Yan Copyright Š 2011 by Ho Wai Yan
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About me
Ho Wai Yan, post 80’s young people, born in Hong Kong, In 2008 studying in Hong Kong Baptist University, major in Visual Arts. Engage in photography, design and installation art, works on people and families and between urban and natural sense of communication. Like the unique structure and beauty of the font, like to travel.