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Design in Typography. Initials.

An ornamental initial is often the only piece of decoration admissible in an otherwise plain job, and may frequently be used with good effect. It is by no means essential that the design should bear reference to the subject; though in a well-furnished office, it will often occur that a letter or headpiece will be found which might have been « made for the job. » A good compositor will always be ready to avail himself of the material most appropriate to the work in hand, and will never disfigure a job by a line or ornament inappropriate to the class of work on which he is engaged.

Certain rules in placing the initial should be carefully observed. The rule as to lining is that the head of the initial itself (not of the flourishes or foliage by which it is adorned) should line with the top of the first line. The exception to this rule is when the letter is enclosed in a square or other geometric figure. In this case, the outline of the design should line, without reference to the position of the letter itself.

The rule of indentation is not always carefully observed. It is not unusual to see the lines set straight down the side of the initial, the first line being in no way distinguished from the rest. This is incorrect. The initial forms part of the first line, and that only, a fact which the compositor should clearly indicate. Therefore the first line is brought as close to the initial as possible, the subsequent lines being slightly indented. The indentation should not be less than an en in any case—in open matter and wide measure not less than an em; and at least an equal space should be left at the foot of the initial before the full measure is resumed. The letter then stands out from the text, attached only to the first line. When the initial is supplied with a pendant of gradually diminishing size, the matter may be set in steps, keeping approximately the same distance from the design. This, however, is only proper when the pendant is on the left-hand-side of the letter. When it descends from the centre, the matter should not follow the design, but maintain a straight margin, that the white on each side may be properly balanced. When a new paragraph begins in the narrow measure, it should receive the same indentation as the paragraphs in the text. Some compositors omit the paragraph indentation; but the effect is very bad.

The same rules of indentation apply to illustrations inserted in the margin of the text; with the one exception, that as they do not, like the initial, apply to any one line in particular, they are cut off from the text by an equal space on all three sides.

In Germany, where both the Gothic and Roman characters are in common use, the printers carefully reserve the Gothic or Old English initials for German Text work, and the Roman for its appropriate letter; but in English printing no such discrimination is possible, and letters of every character are used as initials to plain Roman.

Considerable freedom may be used in the form of an initial, as compared with letters intended to be read in lines. Some of the modern fancy job founts are excellent (though costly) as book initials, but are unsuited for any other use, being almost illegible when set up in words.

In the use of ornamental initials, care should always be taken that the correct letter is used. Such a caution might seem superfluous, had we not daily instances to prove its necessity. Take, for example, one of the latest English Christmas numbers, which has a profusion of engraved initials. A German Text G (Cassell) does duty for T eleven times, an F takes the place of S, and an R for A. Farther on, the correct A of the same series is used. Among the thousands of ornamental initals in Messrs. Cassell's publications, it is rare indeed to find an error of this kind; but we have met with instances, even in the work of that famous establishment.

In many cases these mistakes have no excuse; but sometimes the fault really lies with the designer, who has tortured the letter almost out of its identity. In the « Lady Text, » an American face, both the cap C and L might readily be mistaken for E. Not long ago an English printer was criticised for having, in an otherwise admirable piece of work, used an initial D instead of O. He replied that the letter was correct, and had been specially supplied by the typefounder for the job. The letter was of the style known as « Brunswick Black, » and the fault lay in the design itself. Unless compared with the other capitals of the fount, the O might easily be mistaken for D. We show the two letters side by side:

There is, however, no excuse for mistake in the ordinary plain faces of black. The distinction between C, F, G, and O, is well marked, yet in job work we find these letters continually interchanged, and sometimes with grotesque results. We remember a case where a firm distributed some thousands of circulars in which they were described, in great primer black, as Tailors and Outfitters. Slips of this kind occasionally occur in the typefounders' own specimens.

A Massachusetts inventor has perfected a thread-stitching and knot-tying machine for pamphlet work, and has succeeded in accomplishing what has been hitherto regarded as impracticable—the tying of a square knot by machinery. The new machine can be worked as rapidly as a wire-stitcher. One of our American serials to hand last mail is sewn by this machine, and the stitch is not distinguishable from handwork.

A petroleum engine has been brought out by a firm at Hull, which may yet prove a rival to the gas-engine, and will be an excellent substitute where gas is not available. The oil is vaporized, mixed in the proportion of 1 to 6000 of atmospheric air, compressed to a pressure of 40lb per square inch, and exploded by an electric spark. The engine is perfectly safe, even if left unattended till the supply of oil is exhausted. The engines are made from ½-horse to 10-horse power nominal, and the consumption of oil is about one pint per horse-power per hour.

The Star Almanac (Innes & Co., Hawera), is a book that would do credit to any office. It is well compiled and arranged; printed on a fine quality of toned paper, and the presswork is excellent. There are no colored inset ads. to disfigure the book and irritate the reader. A common idea is that good work like this does not pay. We have no doubt that the publishers have proved that it does.

A fire in Napier on the 18th December destroyed £50,000 worth of property in two hours. The Herald and Telegraph offices were burnt to the ground, all the valuable machinery and a large quantity of type and other material being destroyed. The two other printing offices narrowly escaped; the flames at one time having a good hold of the Evening News building. With the assistance of the printers who were fortunate enough to escape, the two burnt-out journals were able to maintain their regular daily issue.

A terrible fire occurred in Dunedin on Sunday, 23rd January, when the large factory of the Dunedin Iron and Woodware Company was destroyed. The damage was about £150,000; the insurances about £50,000; 150 hands were thrown out of work; and four lives were lost; besides which some of the firemen sustained broken limbs and other injuries. Wallace, a sailor, engaged in saving goods, was jammed by falling ironware from an upper story. Efforts were made to rescue him when a further fall took place and three more men were buried. Two soon perished, but Wallace and a young men named Esquilant, son of a binder in the employ of Messrs Coulls & Culling, remained alive for nearly six hours, suffering fearful agonies from the heat and pressure, before they were extricated, and both died shortly afterwards. Esquilant begged for chloroform, and the doctors, at the risk of their lives, administered the drug both to him and Wallace. The origin of the fire is a complete mystery.