Stylus and Hot Lead
NOTE to teachers of different disciplines:
After a study in journalism of the history of the printed word, you might
give the following vocabulary quiz. Art students with a mini-unit on calligraphy
might also be introduced to the history of print. A social studies class
might include an influence of technology component which includes from
"papyrus to printing press."
Stylus and hot lead
are not names of grunge bands.
What do "stylus," "hot lead," and
"grunge" have in common? All influenced the appearance of the
words we read. Just as the nib, the offset press and computer manipulations
of fonts determined speed of production, volume of copies and tone of
the written word.
MATCHING
Pair the vocabulary word with its definition. Note, these are not listed
in order. The answers are at the bottom of the page.
| Bleed |
1. Solid bar of metal with the typefaces on top, used with a Linotype
machine |
| Calligraphy |
2. Pinting beyond the margin off the printed page |
| Die |
3. The center line between two facing pages; where books are bound |
| Font |
4. Reverse die of the letter to be cast. Made of brass or bronze,
metal fills the cavity, forming the shape of the character |
| Gutter |
5. The art of beautiful handwriting |
| Hot Lead |
6. An instrument for writing, marking or incising; used by the ancients
in writing on clay or waxed tablets |
| Matrix |
7. Mold into which molten metal is forced; cutter to cut out blanks |
| Nib |
8. An assortment of type all of one style |
| Slug |
9. Metal spacer used when letters were set by hand; also the individual
foundry type letter |
| Stylus |
10. Sharpened point of a quill pen |
SHORT ANSWER
Read the following scene, then answer the question.
I will never forget our magazine printer turning to me.
"Impressive layout. Great contrast in the photo. But tell me. What
does that poem mean?" I turned to the editor-in-chief. She'd heard
it before. The words sounded so good, but not even the poetry editor was
sure what it meant. "Why are you printing it?" he asked.
What would you do? What matters most - the layout, typography
and graphics of the page or the meaning of the printed piece?
Answers to Matching:
1. Slug 2. Bleed 3. Gutter 4. Matrix 5. Calligraphy 6. Stylus 7.
Die 8. Font 9. Hot Lead 10. Nib
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Text/Printable
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