English and American Standards.

The following valuable comparative table, showing the number of lines to the foot of the various English founts, is from Austin Wood's Typographic. We could give the names of the founders, but as the compiler has not chosen to make them public, we do not do so. « A » to « E » are the five associated foundries, which can be identified by any reader possessing the types and taking the necessary pains. « F » represents the Austin Foundry; and « G » the old American standard.

The Aliquot or American System.

The earliest reference we have to this system is in the Chicago Specimen (Marder, Luse, & Co,) of 1879. The loss of their moulds and gauges in the fire of 1871, and the necessity of commencing de novo, gave that firm the opportunity of introducing a harmonious system. The pica em was divided into twelve equal parts or points, and the relative sizes adjusted as they now stand. But the article, by a strange oversight, omits to state the size of the pica. We think we are justified in assuming it to be one-sixth of the inch precisely; in which case the system is identical with that of Mr N. C. Hawks.

Mr N. C. Hawks (says the Pacific Printer), formerly a job printer of Milwaukee, Wis., recognizing the necessity of a true system of justification, first suggested to the American founders the plan of multiple bodies, which should agree also with the standard inch; thus rendering superficial measurements of matter easy and certain, by the use of the mechanics' square and rule. The plan is similar to the French system of Didot, the only difference being the standard of measurement.

The following is the table of sizes:

American. (1) This is the unit of measurement, and is 1/12 of pica, or 1/72 of an inch. It is, of course, too small for a type body, but is used in leads and rules. Some series of letter require the American lead in lining the faces, where two or more sizes are used together in the same line; although its double, the saxon lead, will accomplish this in most cases.

German (l½) is ⅛ of pica and ¼ of nonpareil.

Saxon (2) is ⅙ of pica and ⅓ of nonpareil. It is the most useful of the lead and rule bodies. Four saxons are equal to a brevier; five are eq al to a long primer; six are equal to a pica.

Norse (2½) is ¼ of long primer.

Brilliant (3) is ¼ of pica and ½ of nonpareil.

Ruby (3½) is ½ of minion and ¼ of english.

Excelsior (4) is ½ of pica and ½ of brevier.

Diamond (4½) is ½ of bourgeois and ¼ of great primer.

Pearl (5) is ½ of long primer and ¼ of paragon.

Agate (5½) is ½ of small pica.

Nonpareil (6) is ½ of pica and ⅓ of great primer. Twelve nonpareils make lin. exactly.

Minion (7) is ½ of english.

Brevier (8) is ½ of Columbian and ⅔ of pica.

Bourgeois (9) is ½ of great primer and ⅔ of pica. It is exactly ⅛ of an inch.

Long Primer (10) is ½ of paragon.

Small Pica (11) is ½ of double small pica.

Pica (12) is ⅙ of an inch.

English (14) is two-line minion; a nonpareil and a brevier; an excelsior and a long primer. A pica and a saxon lead justify with it.

Columbian (16) is two-line brevier; a nonpareil and a long primer; an excelsior and a pica, &c.

Great Primer (18) is two-line bourgeois; three-line nonpareil; a brevier and a long primer. A great primer three-to-em space is the same as a nonpareil three-em quad. Great Primer is exactly ¼ of an inch.

Paragon (20) is two-line long primer; a brevier and a pica; a nonpareil and an english, &c.

Double Small Pica (22) is two-line small pica; a long primer and a pica; a nonpareil and a columbian. A great primer and two saxon leads justify with it.

Double Pica (24) is two-line pica; four-line nonpareil; three-line brevier; a nonpareil and a great primer; a long primer and an english, &c. It is exactly ⅓-inch.

Double English (28) is two-line english; a long primer and a great primer; a pica and a Columbian, &c.

Double Columbian (32) is two-line columbian; an english and a great primer; a brevier and a double pica, &c.

Double Great Primer (36) is two-line great primer; three-line pica; six-line nonpareil; four-line bourgeois, &c. It is exactly ½-inch.

Double Paragon (40) is two-line paragon; four-line long primer; five-line brevier; eight-line pearl, &c.

Canon (44) is two-line double small pica; four-line small pica, &c.

Four-line Pica (48) is two-line double pica; three-line Columbian; six-line brevier; eight-line nonpareil, &c. It is exactly ⅔-inch.

The System Altered.

The new system was sneered at as a « fad » by the older and larger foundries; but met with such immediate and general appreciation on the part of the trade that half-a-dozen or more foundries adopted the new scale, to their own great profit, and to the serious depreciation in value of type cast on the old bodies. The old foundries were now compelled to seriously consider the position; a convention was held, and all, with the exception of Bruce, adopted the interchangeable system. But the influence of two large houses—MacKellar and Farmer, Little, & Co., was so great as to force a change in the standard pica from ⅙-inch to the nondescript and bastard size in use by the Johnson Foundry.

The Johnson Standard.

For the bodies of our foundry (Mr MacKellar writes, in the Typographic Advertiser), we use as a standard a steel rod 35 centimeters long, which is divided into 83 parts, each part being equal to a pica body, and the twelfth part of pica (called a point) is the unit by which we measure our type. This steel rod serves also as a standard for the height to paper, which, being 2⅓ centimeters, make 15 type-heights equal to 35 centimeters. Gauged by our standard, the six principal bodies of the American foundries, from which the other bodies are supposed to be derived, show the following dimensions: Minion varies from 6¾ to 7¼ and brevier from 7⅝ to 8⅛ points. Bourgeois, while it is made as large as 9 points, differs generally but little from 8½ points. Long primer measures mostly from 9⅝ to 9¾, and in some foundries 10 points. Small pica varies from 10¼ to 11, and pica from 12 to 12 ⅙ points.

English and German Bodies.

The following table of the relative sizes of English and German type bodies, is published by the Inland Printer, with the remark that it is not strictly accurate. As, however, Hr. H. Berthold of Berlin, by whom it is constructed, is one of the most exact of men, and manufactures the most accurately-cut brass-rule for the leading German foundries, his figures so far as the German bodies are concerned, may be accepted without question. Any inaccuracies may be attributed to the varying standards of English houses. The first column of figures shows the equivalent of the body in eighths of pica, the second in Didot point. German names are in italic.

page 44

Point Systems, English and German.

For the following elaborate table we are indebted to the St. Louis Printers' Register, published by the Central Type Foundry. The English and German scales, shown separately in the Register, we have thrown into one, distinguishing the German bodies by italic. The American standard is the latest, based upon the Johnson pica (12-point) = ·166 inch; 83 picas = 35 centimeters. The continental scale is based on 133 Cicero (Corpus 12) = 60 centimeters.

Typefounding Company's System.—20-to-Pica Points.

The standard taken by the Patent Typefounding Company is the pica type, which is divided into twenty points, and to each body is assigned a certain number of these points, as will be seen from the last column of the following table. On this system any body with pica spaces and quadrats, or with leads cast to the pica body, will work with any other body in table-work without justification, and with most of them the relations are of a very simple character. The scale of the old foundries is from Savage's Dictionary of Printing.

To give some idea of how completely this is effected, we subjoin a table of the relations, from five to one line of pica to the other bodies. Before this can be clearly understood, it will necessary to show the sizes of leads on this system, and how, by the addition of one extra space-line or brass to the ordinary leads, any definite decimal portion of the pica, that is, any number of points, can be obtained. The leads are as follow:

No. 1 2 to pica = ½ pica = 10 points (nonpareil clump).

" 2 4 " = ¼ " = 5 "

" 3 5 " = ⅕ " = 4 "

" 4 8 " = ⅛ " = 2½ "

" 5 10 " = 1/10 " = 2 "

" 6 (Brass) 20 " = 1/20 " = 1 "

We will now show the different methods of forming any number of points from one to ten to render the system of practical application on table work, marginal notes, &c.

From the two following tables it will be seen that any body may be used with pica in table-work, or as marginal notes without justification, or what is equivalent, pica quads may be used in an emergency for the blanks and margin of any body without justification, using leads only.

To take an illustration:

• 4 picas equal to 4 small picas and 8 points, which may be made by 8 brass space-lines, or 4 1/10-pica leads, or 2 ⅕-pica leads.
• 4 picas equal to 5 long primer without leads.
• 4 picas equal to 6 breviers and 2 points, which may be either 2 1/20 brass space-lines, or 1 1/10-pica lead.
• 4 picas equal to 8 nonpareil, without leads.
• 4 picas equal to 10 pearl, without leads.
• 4 picas equal to 11 diamond and 3 points, which may be either 3 l/20-pica brass space-lines, or 1 1/10-pica lead and 1 1/20-pica brass space-line.

The following table shows the relation of from one-to five-line pica to the other bodies, in lines and points. Thus the first item reads: 5-line pica = 5 lines small pica+ 10 points.

Bruce's Standard.—Geometrical Progression.

The following standard for the bodies of type originated by George Bruce, in the year 1822, has been found very satisfactory. It disturbs but trivially the sizes which are most used, while it fixes the body of every size in exact and correct proportion with the other sizes. This standard is based on the system of geometrical progression, doubling at every seventh size in any part of the series. Each size is, therefore, 12·2462+ per cent. larger than the size immediately above it, as shown in the following columns:

(a)	Size in decimals of a linear inch.
(b)	Body larger than that preceding it, in decimals of a linear inch.
(c)	Ems and decimals of an em in a linear foot.
(d)	Ems and decimals of an em in a square foot.