Paige Compositor: The Invention That Bankrupted Mark Twain


Movabale letter types in a type case. This centuries-old method of type setting, although largely displaced by newer technologies, is still used by many niche publishers. Credit: Willi Heidelbach/Wikimedia Commons

The late 19th century saw a massive boom in newspaper publishing, especially in cities like New York, Chicago, and London. Rising literacy rates, rapid urbanization, and cheaper paper all contributed to a surge in public demand for daily news. To keep pace, newspapers had to print faster and in greater volume, placing immense pressure on compositors who still set type by hand.

The traditional hand-setting process was laborious and time-consuming. A compositor assembled each page character by character, using small metal letters known as sorts. These were stored in individual compartments on a tray, or type case, in front of the compositor. Working from copy, the compositor would pick up each character in sequence and place it into a composing stick, usually held in the left hand. Once a line of text was complete, it was justified by adjusting the spacing between words so that both the left and right margins aligned evenly.



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Paige Compositor: The Invention That Bankrupted Mark Twain
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