metal type, 18pt / 24pt serif - A LOT!

I’d be tempted to ask someone like the Bixlers to set it on their monotype equipment. http://www.mwbixler.com/introduction.html

Or ask someone to set it up on a Linotype. There’s likely a bunch of folks here with that capability.

Eighteen or 24 point sounds like a job for a Ludlow.
I’ve done similar with hand-set type using two or three passes through the press with a lot of attention to the ink coverage!
Q. What is a single serifed type face?

Look at Skyline Type’s font schemes. 24 point standard fonts have 19 e’s per font. But you may end up with a lot of extra characters if you just divide 160 by 19 then buy 9 lowercase fonts. Go through the entire character counts, compare to Skyline’s tables. It may well be cheaper to have composition done at places like Bixler (I’ve always used my hometown foundry M&H for Monotype, but that may not be your best choice).

Dexterity press, Sir indeed, yes 160 lowercase *e*s would almost certainly be beyond the scope of a FULL case of 18 pt. and definately beyond the scope of FULL 24 pt.,case.
I have over some 35 years filled such cases from the Supercaster and can state quite categorically, that a full case of anything from 18pt. upwards to 72 pt. is instant hernia or the use of a J.C.B. (probably Drott or Case Stateside!!)
In most commercial shops the comps would invariably set the odd display line by pulling the case out (partially) and the two underneath to act as support, which eventually crucified the rails/runners and the cases.??
Acquisition of a full case might be a bridge too far, even If sufficient lower case e,s were on sight.!!!
Ludlow, possibly but Ludlow Matrix numbers (limited by case capacity) the setting stick full, would be severely limited by the available number of lower case characters, but obviuosly as Ludlow is set by the individual line with every stick full, necessitating dissing in after every line, possible but maybe time consuming, laborious, expensive???
Linotype (I BELIEVE) has limitations in the size it can produce and although a full magazine of mats would struggle to meet demand for 160 l/c *e* at one go, the problem would not arise because the matrices are permanently returned to the magazine, faster than the length of line, max. length of slug and speed of the operator.??? As with Ludlow would have to involve high slugs x2 for every slug of typeface, ascender/descender supports!!
Monotype in standard composition form, WAS/IS in some cases equipped to cast LARGE TYPE composition, up to 18pt. but because of the size of the individual Mats (matrices) I.E. .4 X .4 the die case could only accomodate 2 alphabets, Caps, Lower Case, Minimum punctuation, and one set of figures, but this perfectly adequate for (as in this situation also) large format text, used for impaired sight and or school text books.
Just a possibility for this application???
Laugh at my ramblings, By all means, but your Schuyler (Sky Shipley) Skyline Typesetting (California), will probably give you the Real Deal, GIve Him a try!!!
Your *Bixlers* published specs look excellent, but it would appear that they only compose up to 14 Point, thereafter it is Display in Single Letter format, Giant or Supercaster.
18 to 72 pt. Good Luck.
For the benefit of *the Jury* One has 3 such Monotype Large Composition Matrix Cases on sight. 18pt. x 3 different faces!! Offered on E bay shortly!!!
**NONE INTENDED??????

Most Ludlows have a 22.5 pica line length (some to 25), Linoypes have a limit of 30 picas (a few rare machines can go to 42 picas). Monotype composition can go to longer line length, but 18-24 composition mat size is less common. Without more specifications about the job, it is hard to recommend what would have been the best method when all methods were available. Today, choices are limited, and when it comes to typemetal, shippng weights between caster and user are a critical factor.

if you are setting longer lines on a Ludlow you have to butt the lines, even on a linotype to get long lines you butt them together.

Someone please tell us what is a “single-serif” typeface?

If you want to hand-set the type yourself, figure out what you need in the way of sorts and then contact someone like Sky Shipley at Skyline to cast the sorts you need. What I do is buy full fonts and additional lowercase fonts, and then supplement them with lines of individual letters. I’ve developed a spreadsheet that provides a pretty good estimate of what I need so that I don’t end up with more uppercase sorts and numbers than I will ever use. Here’s part of it. I’ll be happy to send the whole Excel spreadsheet to anyone who wants it.

Barbara

Mick - what are your 18pt die cases? We might well be interested. PM me if you like?

nick

Stanislaus, Sir, as far as I can tell, recall, remember trawl the net, even look up some of my type face books, and scan several Eric Gill based publications** As yet have found no reference to *single serif* types but am now also curios about???
Never saw or came into contact with Mats (matrices) hired in from the Monotype lending library,18-72 pt. for the Supercaster. (56-86) with reference to , *single serif*.
Unless one of your countrymen can clarify, You could probably do no better than key in THE COUNTERPRESS. With an impassioned request for (possibly) Help/Info?? .
2 amazing later day Typographers, Designers, L,press Printers, etc Very dedicated to the Past, Present and the Future, with a special love and appreciation, of (possibly) all things L/press, Unusual or Forgotten???
They afforded Me my handle, Monotype Mick!! for which I am grateful!!!
If you look them up @ THE COUNTERPRESS and Key in RE PILCROWS you will have an idea of their dedication & enthusiasm, and a tiny glimpse of my credentials, their words not mine!!!
If you crack the code I am sure several would appreciate you findings, please if possible, on line, Thank you

Mick and Others:
Quite possibly dexteritypress is referring to single STORY face, not single SERIFED This refers to the lower case “a” being one like in Futura, Avante Gard. Two story “a” are in Century Schoolbook, Cheltenham, etc
One of our present-day type designers could become a legend in his own time by designing alternate “a’s”.
Designing two story a’s for one story fonts, and designing one story a’s for two story fonts.aught to win some kind of award for this designer. Also a special “a” could be designed for tri-level fonts.
FLOOR PLEASE?

Mick and Others:
Quite possibly dexteritypress is referring to single STORY face, not single SERIFED This refers to the lower case “a” being one like in Futura, Avante Gard. Two story “a” are in Century Schoolbook, Cheltenham, etc
One of our present-day type designers could become a legend in his own time by designing alternate “a’s”.
Designing two story a’s for one story fonts, and designing one story a’s for two story fonts.aught to win some kind of award for this designer. Also a special “a” could be designed for tri-level fonts.
FLOOR PLEASE?

I may have misunderstood, but I read the request as ‘a single typeface that has serifs’. If so, we currently have 18pt Bembo matrices, and can cast founts of most Monotype-issues faces. We’re in the UK, though; helpful if you are too, but Skyline might be a better bet if you’re in the US. Drop me a line if you want to talk about it.

nick

Don’t punctuate unnecessarily! A single serif typeface is most likely one size of one serif typeface, either 18 point or 24 point, not an unreasonable request. No mention I can see of measure, either, though it would not be unusual to set 24 point in a longer measure than 30 picas, depending on the face. At a character count of about 50 characters and spaces, or 10 5-letter words average per line it looks like about 25 30-pica lines. If dexteritypress is some distance from the potential typesetter I would recommend setting in Ludlow and spacing the slug bodies with wood strips for shipping, to save weight, and because Ludlow is probably the most common metal-type-casting system left now. There are quite a few attractive typefaces available for Ludlow, though not many shops will have most of them. Shop around!

Bob

Dexteritypress states:
“a single serifed type face, 18 or 24 pt.” Punctuation here would help, I think! I’m sure someone could help if we knew what you wanted!! It’s been a week-and-a-half and I still don’t know what in the hell a single serifed type face is!!
Stan

Let’s re-word that…
It’s been a lifetime and I still don’t know what a single serifed type face is!!

It is obvious that dextritypress is looking for a large font of an 18 or 24 point type with serifs. Why is there the need by some to diminish the request because it isn’t worded to your standards?

Paul

Yes, Paul, that is obvious.
The question remains:
“What is a SINGLE serif typeface?
Wording to our standards is not the issue
The issue here is there are commonly accepted terms (standards) in the printing trades that have been used and adhered to for hundreds of years. Most printing texts have a glossary at the back of the book to explain to the novice any of these terms. Isn’t there enough of them without people coining their own that most of us don’t undertstand?
As dexteritypress won’t explain what a SINGLE serifed typeface is, perhaps Paul might do the honors.
Goodnight all!
Stan

Perhaps it would be more polite to correct the the misstated terms, than to keep asking an inane question. It seems to me that by adding the the words ‘font of a’ between the words ‘single’ and ‘serif’ the request would suit those too rigid to accept a neophyte’s confusion over printing terms.

Thanks so much - apologies for any messy wording that has made for any confusion and the delay in getting back to the discussion!

Our shop is heavily reliant on plates versus handset type, which is why I came to you for help! I truly appreciate all of your advice! THANK YOU! We use metal and wood type for our own projects, but for our principle job volume we make plates.
To clarify, it’d have been easy to mix up a few different fonts that I have here at the studio to handset and compose the larger form, but when I wrote “single serifed typeface” at the front end of the conversation - I meant just one font that has serifs, something historic like Bodini or Cheltenham.

We were asked to handset the Gettysburg Address with a group of 20 students - each kid gets to set 4 to 8 words, which would compose the first 2 passages of the speech. I will have set the last paragraph prior to the class, to save on time. We’d then print the speech on our Vandercook. This project is to occur on MLK day.

You have given me MUCH to think about, much appreciation!