Moxon's mechanick exercises, volume 1 (of 2) : $b The doctrine of handy-works applied to the art of printingMoxon, Joseph
History
Moxon's mechanick exercises, volume 1 (of 2) : $b The doctrine of handy-works applied to the art of printing
Moxon, Joseph
Printing -- Early works to 1800
He is also to take care that his _Presses_ have a solid and firm
Foundation, and an even Horizontal Floor to stand on, That when the
_Presses_ are set up their Feet shall need no Underlays, which both
damage a _Press_, are often apt to work out, and consequently subject
it to an unstable and loose position, as shall further be shewn when we
come to the Setting up of the _Press_.
And as the Foundation ought to be very firm, so ought also the Roof and
Sides of the _Press Room_ to be, that the _Press_ may be fastned with
Braces overhead and on its Sides, as well and steddy as under foot.
He is also to take care that the Room have a clear, free and pretty
lofty Light, not impeded with the shadow of other Houses, or with
Trees; nor so low that the Sky-light will not reach into every part
of the Room: But yet not too high, lest the violence of _Winter_
(_Printers_ using generally but Paper-windows) gain too great advantage
of Freesing the Paper and Letter, and so both Work and Workman stand
still. Therefore he ought to Philosophize with himself, for the making
the height of his Lights to bear a rational proportion to the capacity
of the Room.
Here being but two sides of the Room yet used, he places the
_Correcting-stone_ against a good Light, and as near as he can towards
the middle of the Room, that the _Compositers_ belonging to each end
of the Room may enjoy an equal access to it. But sometimes there are
several _Correcting-stones_ plac’d in several parts of the Room.
The _Lye-Trough_ and _Rincing-Trough_ he places towards some corner
of the Room, yet so as they may have a good Light; and under these he
causes a _Sink_ to be made to convey the Water out of the Room: But
if he have other conveniencies for the placing these Troughs, he will
rather set them out of the Room to avoid the slabbering they cause in.
About the middle of the Room he places the _Destributing-Frame_ (_viz._
the _Frame_ on which the _Forms_ are set that are to be _Destributed_)
which may stand light enough, though it stand at some considerable
distance from the Window.
In some other empty place of the Room (least frequented) he causes
so many _Nest-Frames_ to be made as he thinks convenient to hold the
_Cases_ that may lye out of present use; and the _Letter-boards_ with
_Forms_ set by on them, that both the _Cases_ and the _Forms_ may be
the better secured from running to _Pye_.
Having thus contrived the several Offices of the Room, He furnishes it
with _Letters_, _Presses_, _Cases_, _Chases_, _Furniture_, &c. Of each
of which in Order.
¶. 2. _Of_ Letter.
He provides a _Fount_ (properly a _Fund_) of _Letter_ of all Bodies;
for most _Printing-Houses_ have all except the two first, _viz._
_Pearl_, _Nomparel_, _Brevier_, _Long-Primmer_, _Pica_, _English_,
_Great-Primmer_, _Double-Pica_, _Two-Lin’d-English_, _Great-Cannon_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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