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Though I doubt the document was typeset (because it appears typed by a typewriter), before desktop publishing, and before typesetting computer systems, there wa
by Maursault 4y ago
Though I doubt the document was typeset (because it appears typed by a typewriter), before desktop publishing, and before typesetting computer systems, there was phototypesetting.[1] Because this is only a minor element on one page, I doubt it was phototypeset and instead merely pasted up with type tape... literally rolls of clear tape for every font with one letter on it repeated over and over in all point sizes. Lots and lots of these rolls of tape in production art areas. You cut off the letter from that roll of tape, stick it to the paste up, get the next letter from the next roll, stick it next to the first letter, find the roll for the lower case "a," cut it, trim it with an exacto knife, and place it, find the roll with the lowercase "r" in that font and point size, and so on and so forth. The tape was mostly used for last minute corrections, typos in the photostat type, wasn't really for typesetting a lot of copy, but using 8 letters or more of type tape wasn't out of the ordinary.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototypesetting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototypesetting
- WalterBright 4y agoThe main text surely was typed on a typewriter. Computer printed letters didn't really start happening until 1980 or so. Around then I bought a Diablo 630 daisywheel printer. That would produce beautiful typed pages, but monospaced. The printer paper had sprocket holes which were torn off after printing, but if you ran your finger over the edges you could tell. Proportional computer fonts weren't printed much until laser printers appeared, which revolutionized everything.
- Maursault 4y agoI doubt anyone had a laser printer at home until Apple's LaserWriter first sold in 1985 (for $6995!), but laser printing was first developed between 1968 and 1972 at Xerox Parc, with IBM selling the first commercial laser printers in 1976.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3800#3800_Model_001 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3800#3800_Model_001
- WalterBright 4y agoYes the technology existed, but it wasn't pervasive because it was too expensive.