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Mergenthaler's Linotype
1880s
Setting "lines o' type" by machine
In 1886, German-born immigrant Ottmar Mergenthaler solved the problem of mechanizing typesetting with the invention of the Linotype machine. By bringing brass matrices into brief contact with a molten but fast-cooling alloy, the Linotype rapidly molded column widths of type--or "lines o' type." By speeding up the printing process, the Linotype fostered a dramatic expansion of all areas of publishing. This machine is the only surviving example of the very first manufactured Linotype machine.
Notes
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Gift of the Mergenthaler Linotype Co. |
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Ottmar Mergenthaler, born May 11, 1854, Hachtel, Wurttemberg [Germany]; died October 28, 1899, Baltimore |
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