A dictionary of the art of printing

The following scale of prices is copied literally from the official scale published by the master printers in 1810. The alteration in the scale in 1816, as well as the subsequent alterations and explanations have been also accurately copied from the official notifications issued to the trade by the committee of master printers.

“Art. 1. All works in the English language, common matter, with space lines, including English and Brevier, to be cast up at 5¾d. per 1000; if in Minion 6d. per 1000; in Nonpareil 6¾d. Without space lines, including English and Brevier, 6d. per 1000; in Minion 6¼d. in Nonpareil 7d.; in Pearl, with or without space lines, 8d.; Heads and Directions, or Signature lines, included. A thick space to be considered an en in the width, and an en to be reckoned an em in the length of the page: and where the number of letters amounts to 500—1000 to be charged; if under 500, not to be reckoned: and, if the calculation at per 1000 shall not amount to an odd threepence, the odd pence to be suppressed in the price of the work; but where it amounts to or exceeds threepence, there shall be sixpence charged. Em and en quadrats, or whatever is used at the beginning or end of lines, to be reckoned as an em in the width.

“2. Works printed in Great Primer to be cast up as English; and all works in larger type than Great Primer, as half English and half Great Primer.

“3. All works in foreign languages, though common type, with space lines, including English and Brevier, to be cast up at 6¼d. per 1000; if in Minion 6¾d.; Nonpareil 7½d. Without space lines, including English and Brevier, 6½d.; Minion 7d.; Nonpareil 7¾d.; and Pearl, with or without space lines, 8¾d.

“4. English Dictionaries of every size, with space lines, including English and Brevier, to be paid 6¼d.: without space lines, 6½d. (In this article are not included Gazetteers, Geographical Dictionaries, Dictionaries of Arts and Sciences, and works of a similar description, except those attended with extra trouble beyond usual descriptive matter.) Dictionaries of two or more languages, of every size, with space lines, including English and Brevier, to be paid 6½d.: without space lines, 6¾d.; if smaller type than Brevier, to take the proportionate advance specified in Article 1.

“5. English Grammars, Spelling Books, and works of those descriptions, in Brevier or larger type, with space lines to be paid 6d. per 1000; without space lines 6¼d.: if in two languages, or foreign language, with space lines 6¼d.; without space lines 6½d.

“6. Small-sized Folios, Quartos, Octavos, and works done in Great Primer, or larger type (English language,) which do not come to seven shillings when cast up at the usual rate, to be paid as follows: English, and larger type, not less than 7s.; Pica 8s. 6d.: English 12mo. to be paid not less than 10s. 6d.; and Pica not less than 11s. 6d. per sheet.

“7. Reviews, Magazines, and works of a similar description, consisting of various sized letter, if cast up to the different bodies, to be paid 2s. 6d. per sheet extra.

“8. Pamphlets of five sheets and under, and parts of works done in different houses, amounting to not more than five sheets, to be paid 1s. per sheet extra; but, as it frequently occurs that works exceeding a pamphlet are often nearly made up without a return of letter, all such works shall be considered as pamphlets, and paid for as such.

“9. Works done in Sixteens*, Eighteens, Twenty-fours, or Thirty-twos, on Small Pica and upwards, to be paid 1s. 6d. per sheet extra. If on Long Primer, or smaller type, 1s. per sheet extra. Forty-eights to be paid 2s. per sheet extra, and Sixty-fours 2s. 6d. per sheet extra.

* The following resolution of the committee of the association of master printers is published in their fourth report, [3d July, 1840,] “That in Book-work two Forms of Double Foolscap be considered as one sheet.”

“10. Works requiring an alteration or alterations of margin, to be paid, for each alteration, 1s. per sheet to the Pressmen if altered by them, and 6d. to the Compositor, as a compensation for making up the furniture; if altered by the Compositor, then he is to be paid 1s. for the alteration, and the Pressmen 6d. for the delay.——This article to be determined on solely at the option of the employer.

“11. Bottom Notes consisting of twenty lines (or two notes, though not amounting to twenty lines) and not exceeding four pages, in every ten sheets, in quarto or octavo:—one page (or two notes, though not amounting to one page) and not exceeding six pages, in twelves:—two pages (or two notes, though not amounting to two pages) and not exceeding eight, in eighteens or above, to be paid 1s. per sheet; but under the above proportion no charge to be made. Bottom Notes, consisting of ten lines (or two notes, though not amounting to ten lines) in a pamphlet of five sheets or under, and not exceeding two pages, to be paid 1s. per sheet extra. Quotations, Mottos, Contents to Chapters, &c., in smaller type than the body, to be considered as Notes. [Where the notes shall be in Nonpareil or Pearl, in twelves, the number of pages to be restricted to four; in eighteens to five pages.]——This article is intended only to fix what constitutes the charge of 1s. per sheet for Bottom Notes*: all works requiring a higher charge than 1s. for Bottom Notes are to be paid for according to their value.

* The following interpretation of this article of the scale is given in a resolution of the committee of the master printers association, published in their fourth report, [3d July, 1840,] viz. “‘That there must be two Notes in every 10 sheets of a work to constitute the charge of 1s. per sheet for notes.’ E. g. if there should be only two notes, less than 20 lines each, in a work of more than 10 sheets, such work would not be liable to any charge for notes.”

“12. Side Notes to Folios and Quartos not exceeding a broad quotation, if only chap. or date, and not exceeding three explanatory lines on an average in each page, to be paid 1s. per sheet; in Octavo, if only chap. or date, and not exceeding three explanatory lines on an average in each page, 1s. 6d. per sheet. Cut-in Notes, in smaller type than the body, to be paid for in a similar manner.——Side and Bottom Notes to many, particularly historical and law works, if attended with more than ordinary trouble, to be settled between the employer and journeyman.

“13. Greek, Hebrew, Saxon, &c. or any of the dead characters, if one word and not exceeding three lines in any one sheet, to be paid for that sheet 1s. extra; all above to be paid according to their value.

“14. Greek with space lines, and without accents, to be paid 8½d. per 1000, if with separate accents 10d.; without space lines, and without accents, 8¾d.; with accents, 10¼d.; the asper not to be considered an accent. [If Dictionary matter, to take one halfpenny advance.]

“15. Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, &c. to be paid double: Hebrew with points to be cast up as half body and half points doubled.

“18. Booksellers’ Catalogues (in whatever language) to be cast up at 7d. per 1000, not including the numbering.

“19. Night work to commence and be paid for, from ten o’clock till twelve, 1s.; all after to be paid 3d. per hour extra till Six.—Morning work, commencing at four o’clock, to be paid 1s. extra.—Sunday work, if not exceeding 6 hours, to be paid for 1s.; if for a longer time, 2d. an hour.

“20. Jobs of one sheet or under (except Auctioneers’ Catalogues and Particulars) to be cast up at 7d. per 1000; if done in smaller type than Brevier, to take the proportionate advance specified in Article 1; if in foreign language, of one sheet or under, (except Auctioneers’ Catalogues,) to be cast up at 8d. per 1000; if done in smaller type than Brevier, to take the proportionate advance specified in Article 1.

“21. Where two pages only are imposed, either opposite to or at the back of each other, they shall be paid for as two pages; but if with an indorse, or any other kind of matter constituting a third, then to be paid as a sheet if in Folio; a half sheet if in Quarto, and so on.

“22. Broadsides, such as Leases, Deeds, and Charter-parties, above the dimensions of crown, whether table or common matter, to be paid the double of common matter; on crown and under, to be paid one and one half common matter.—The indorse to be paid one fourth of the inside page, as common matter.

“25. Different volumes of the same work to be paid for distinctly, according to their value.

A modification of the Compositors’ Scale took place in 1816, and the following notification was issued to the Trade:—

“It was the opinion of this Meeting, that it would be highly expedient that, after the 19th of February, the following modification of the Compositors’ Scale of Prices of 1810, as far as regards Reprints, should take place.

“All Reprinted Works to be paid Three Farthings per 1000 less than the Scale of 1810. All Manuscript or Original Works shall continue to be paid for as at present.

“It having been stated that doubts had arisen in the minds of several Masters as to what should be considered ‘Reprinted Works,’—Resolved, That they be informed that, under the above Resolutions, all ‘Reprinted Works’ were meant to be comprehended, whether printed sheet for sheet or otherwise; it being understood, that, in cases where the copy is rendered peculiarly troublesome by intricate manuscript insertions, a reasonable allowance may be made for the same to the Compositor.”

* In the Abstract under the head “Dictionaries,” the prices for Minion and Nonpareil are erroneous, being one farthing too much; this error passed unnoticed, till the publication of the “Third Report of the Committee of the Association of Master Printers” in 1839, where it is corrected. I have given the Scale as originally published.

“It is to be distinctly understood that no Advance shall take place on any Works but those which are paid by the Scale.”

An alteration in the prices of the first column took place in 1816, and the following notification of it was made:—

“It was the opinion of this Meeting, that it would be highly expedient that, after the 19th of February, the following modification of the Pressmen’s Scale of Prices of 1810, as far as regards all Numbers exceeding the first 1000, should take place.

“Every Token above the first Four Tokens to be paid One Halfpenny per hour less than the Scale of 1810.

ASSOCIATION OF MASTER PRINTERS.
4. Pemberton Row, Gough Square.
December 10. 1838.

I herewith transmit to you an Extract from the Proceedings which have taken place at a Special Meeting of the Committee convened this day for the purpose of “considering the case of the Refusal of the Compositors in Mr. Bentley’s Office to work upon his Magazine; and with a view to Conformity of Practice in our several Offices.”

“It having been stated by Mr. Bentley, that the Compositors in his Office had refused to proceed with his Magazine in consequence of his having acted on the general understanding of the Committee, that the Compositors were not entitled to the Standing Advertisements in Periodicals,

“In adverting to the dispute respecting Wrappers, which originated in a case submitted at the Monthly Meeting in December, the Committee feel it to be due to the Members of the Association to acknowledge the ready support which they have on all occasions afforded them. To that firm co-operation on their part, no less than to the reasonableness of the Deputation appointed by the Compositors to confer with the Committee, may be attributed the very satisfactory adjustment of a question which had been a source of serious disagreement in several Offices.

“The following are the Regulations ultimately agreed upon, a copy of which has been sent to each Member of the Association:—

Having thus given an accurate copy of the official scale of 1810, with the alterations and explanations of the master printers, to the present time, I shall now add the explanation published by the London Union of Compositors, of the different articles of the scale.

Article I.] “In casting up a work, although it be printed in half sheets, it is cast up in sheets; in jobs less than a sheet, however, the casting-up is confined to the job, and the compositor loses or gains the five hundred letters, or the threepence (as stated in Art. 1.) as the case may chance to be.

“By the term common matter is understood the usual description of Bookwork, and not such matter as Appeal Cases, Bills in Parliament, &c. for which peculiar and distinct charges are made.—See Appendix.

Space Lines.—The reason of pearl being always paid the same price (whether leaded with a lead equal to its own body in thickness, or without a lead) has often excited surprise; but this surprise will cease when we learn that in the year 1810, when an advance of one halfpenny on leaded, and three farthings on solid took place, no advance whatever was made on the price of pearl, which consequently when solid, which it most frequently is, does not have that advance which was granted in 1810; and the compositor in casting it up at 8d. receives only the price which was paid thirty years back. In 1805, the difference between the price of nonpareil and pearl was seven farthings; in 1810, the difference was one penny.

Head and White Lines.—The head or folio line and the white or direction line are invariably reckoned in the square of the page. Head lines, when set up in a smaller type than the body of the work, are charged one shilling per sheet; and if any justification of figures, &c. occur, an allowance is made for extra trouble; but if the head be in larger type than the text, no extra charge can be made.

“Reprints.—Annual Reports of societies, with lists of subscribers, &c. are not reprints. If the copy for a book be print-copy, but derived from various sources, such book is an original work, and paid for as manuscript. Works with MS. insertions are paid extra per sheet—not less than 1s.,—but if materially altered or much interlined, or consisting of half manuscript and half reprint, are considered as original works, and paid for as if they were all manuscript. Reprinted pamphlets (when more than one sheet) are subject to the reduction above specified. No reduction is made for printed copy introduced into magazines, reviews, &c.

“Diamond.—It is the custom of the trade to pay tenpence per thousand for diamond, whether leaded or unleaded.

“Ruby.—This description of letter is not common, but it is paid an intermediate price allowed for those bodies between which it is cast; thus, a ruby (which is less than nonpareil and larger than a pearl) is cast up at 7½d. leaded or unleaded.”

Art. II.] “This mode of casting up works, which was agreed to in 1796, applies also to jobs, but not to large-letter display broadsides, the charge for which will be found in the Appendix.”

Art. III.] “In the scale of 1805, foreign works in bourgeois and brevier were paid one farthing per thousand extra; but in 1810 one price was established for type from english to brevier inclusive.

“Works in the German language and common type are paid the same as other foreign works; but if the German character be employed, it is paid as Greek without accents. The same price is also paid for the Irish character.”

Art. IV.] “The words ‘of every size,’ allude to the dimensions of the page; because formerly (that is, by the scale of 1801) duodecimo and eighteenmo dictionaries were paid one halfpenny per thousand more than those set up in octavo or quarto.

“In framing the above article, it was intended that such gazetteers or dictionaries of the arts and sciences as were attended with any extra trouble beyond usual descriptive matter should be paid the above dictionary price; and therefore, such gazetteers or dictionaries as contain many references, italics, contractions, &c. take the advanced price as dictionary matter.

“If the above works are in two columns an extra charge of not less than one shilling per sheet is made for column matter.”

Art. V.] “There is a strange anomaly in this article. It was intended to allow the compositor one farthing per thousand extra for the trouble occasioned by the admixture of italic, the frequent occurrence of single letters and monosyllables in grammars, spelling books, &c.; but if a compositor be employed on a grammar wholly in a foreign language, it is paid no more for than if it were a foreign work (see Article III.) It should, however, to be consistent, be allowed the halfpenny for foreign, and the farthing for grammar, and be cast up at 6½d. with space lines, and 6¾d. without space lines.

“The extra farthing per thousand for this kind of work is not to pay for column matter; but two column matter, in grammars, spelling-books, &c. is charged not less than one shilling per sheet; three and not exceeding four columns are charged one and one half; and above four columns are charged double.

“School Arithmetics, as well as the works above specified, are cast up at the above prices.

“If the works specified above be in smaller type than brevier, they take the advance granted for such type in Article I.”

Art. VI.] “By the words ‘cast up at the usual rate,’ is meant works cast up without their extras; and though this article specifies small sized works in the English language, the principle is applied to foreign works also; and if foreign works amount only to the sums specified, they are entitled to an advance according to the number of thousands they contain as regulated by Art. 3. of the scale. For example, if a foreign folio or 8vo. work, in english type, without space lines, contain 13,000 letters, it would come to 7s. 0½d. Now, as the same work in the English language would come to 6s. 6d. and would consequently obtain by this Article an advance of 6d., so the foreign work is entitled to the like advance, and is paid 7s. 6d.; if it were not so, the compositor would not receive anything for the work being in a foreign language.”

Art. VII.] “The mere circumstance of a work being a periodical publication does not entitle it to the charge of 2s. 6d. per sheet. To justify this charge, the text must consist of two bodies, and be cast up to their respective founts. Publications, however, of more than one sized letter must not be cast up as all one body, to avoid the payment of the 2s. 6d. per sheet, but must be charged according to the proportion of type they contain, with the 2s. 6d. allowed by this article for the bodies.

“Reprints of this description of work (if more than a sheet) are cast up at three farthings per thousand less than the current number, but the 2s. 6d. per sheet is charged. No deduction, however, is made for printed copy introduced into the current numbers of these works.

“In Reviews, Magazines, &c. where leads are only occasionally used, or when used only in a small portion of the publication, no deduction is made.

“Reviews, Magazines, &c. are entitled to the charge for notes, although such notes are set up in one of the bodies used in the text.

“All matter pulled in galleys or slips is made up at the expense of the employer.”

Art. VIII.] “Parts of works done in different houses, when unequal in their nature, are cast up according to the respective merits of the different parts; and if a sheet, or less than a sheet, it is considered a job, and cast up at the price specified in Art. XX. of the scale.

“The expression ‘nearly made up,’ is indefinite; but in works where two-thirds of the matter are made up, one shilling per sheet is charged upon the whole.

“In works of two or more volumes, when the letter of the first volume is all made up, and used for the second, no charge can be made for making up letter.”

Art IX.] “This article does not apply to half sheets or sheets of double foolscap, double demy, &c. imposed as sixteens, as these are cast up and take the extras as octavo. Sixty-fours and forty-eights, in whatever type, are paid 2s. 6d. the former, and 2s. the latter, per sheet, extra.”

Art X.] “This article allows the employer to give the alteration either to the pressman or to the compositor; but it more properly belongs to the compositor, and the general practice of the trade is for the compositor on the work to make the alteration. The article does not apply to cases where a re-imposition or transposition of pages is required; in all such cases the compositor is entitled to charge his time.”

Art XI.] “This article is by general acceptation understood to mean that, in a quarto or octavo volume, there must be one note of twenty lines, or two shorter ones, to constitute any charge, and that there must be on an average more than four pages in every ten sheets to carry a higher charge than one shilling a sheet; that is, in a work of forty 8vo. sheets, more than sixteen pages; for a fresh calculation is not made for every ten sheets. If, therefore, two notes, or one note of twenty lines, occur in an octavo or quarto volume—and two pages or two notes in eighteens and smaller-sized works, one shilling per sheet is paid for such works throughout.

“Where the notes exceed the quantity stipulated in the above article, an additional sixpence per sheet is charged, until the quantity of note entitles the compositor to a further advance, when, in order to ascertain what that advance should be, the whole of the notes are measured off, and cast up as a distinct body, and one shilling per sheet is charged for placing.

“For example—A work of twenty sheets containing eighty pages of notes, or four pages in each sheet, is cast up as three-fourths pica (the body) and one-fourth long primer (the notes), as follows:


Notes constituting the Charge of One Shilling per Sheet.—See Article 11.

4to. and 8vo.	{ 20 Lines	}	and not exceeding 4 Pages in 10 Sheets.
	{ or 2 Notes	}

12mo.	{ 1 Page	}	and not exceeding 6 Pages in 10 Sheets.
	{ or 2 Notes	}

18mo. or above	{ 2 Pages	}	and not exceeding 8 Pages in 10 Sheets.
	{ or 2 Notes	}

Pamphlets	{ 10 Lines	}	and not exceeding 2 Pages in 5 Sheets.”
	{ or 2 Notes	}

	Key to Column Headers—
	A. = Common.
	B. = Foreign.
	C. = English.
	D. = 2 Languages, or Foreign.
	E. = Without Accents.
	F. = With Accents.


				Dictionaries.		Grammars, &c.		Greek.

		A.	B.	C.	D.	C.	D.	E.	F.

		d.	d.	d.	d.	d.	d.	d.	d.
English to}	{ leaded	5	5½	5½	5¾	5¼	5½	7¾	9¼
Brevier }	{ solid	5¼	5¾	5¾	6	5½	5¾	8	9½

Minion	{ leaded	5¼	6	6 *	6¼*
Minion	{ solid	5½	6¼	6¼*	6½*

Nonpareil	{ leaded	6	6¾	6¾*	7 *
Nonpareil	{ solid	6¼	7	7 *	7¼*

Pearl	{ leaded	7¼	8	8	8¼
Pearl	{ or solid	7¼	8	8	8¼


“FOLIOS.	1000	750	250.
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY.	and upwards.	and 500.
	d.	d.	d.
Not exceeding 52 Pica Ems, upon Small Pica and upwards	5	5½	6
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier	5½	6	7
All above 52 Pica Ems, upon Small Pica and upwards	5½	6	7
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier	6	6½	7
Long Primer and upwards, on Copy or Crown	5	5½	6
“QUARTOS.
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY.
Not exceeding 40 Pica Ems, upon Long Primer and upwards	5	5½	6
If on Bourgeois or Brevier	5½	5½	6
All above 40 Pica Ems, and not less than Long Primer	5½	5½	7
If on Bourgeois or Brevier	6	6	7
Brevier and upwards, on Copy or Crown	5	5½	6
“OCTAVOS.
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY.
Not exceeding 24 Pica Ems, upon Small Pica and upwards	5	5½	6
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier	5	5½	7
All above 24 Pica Ems, on Brevier or upwards	5½	6	7
If less than Brevier	6	6½	8
Brevier and upwards, on Copy or Crown	5	5½	6
“TWELVES.
ON MEDIUM OR DEMY.
Not exceeding 21 Pica Ems, upon Long Primer and upwards	5	5½	7
If on Bourgeois or Brevier	5½	6	7
All above 21 Pica Ems, upon Long Primer and upwards	5½	7	8
If on Bourgeois or Brevier	6	7	8
Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier, on Copy or Crown	5	5½	7
“EIGHTEENS.
If not less than Small Pica	5	5½	7
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier	5½	6	7
If less than Brevier	6	7	8
“TWENTY-FOURS AND THIRTY-TWOS.
If not less than Small Pica	5½	6	7
If on Long Primer, Bourgeois, or Brevier	6	7	8
If less than Brevier	6½	8	9
“POCKET BOOKS,
OCTAVO.
Post or Crown, 21 Pica Ems wide, 35 long	5	6	7
TWELVES.
Pot, such as Lady’s and Christian Lady’s.
Table Part, 6mo. 35 Pica Ems wide, 26 long	5	6	7
Miscellany Part, 16 ditto wide, 26 long	5	6	7
Copy, Christian Gentleman’s, 26 wide, 35 long	5	6	7
“SCHOOL BOOKS.
TWELVES.
Copy or Crown, not exceeding 17 Pica Ems wide, 31 long, nor less than Brevier	5	6	7
OCTAVO.
Copy or Crown, not exceeding 21 Pica Ems wide, nor less than Long Primer	4¾	5½	6

“ALMANACKS.	d.
Royal Broadsides	7
Demy Ditto, Size Wing or Cambridge	5½
Goldsmith, Calendar Form	5½
Ditto, Prog.	5
Twelves Demy, 19 Ems wide, 34 long, Calendar	5½
Ditto, Prog.	5
Ditto, Crown, Size Rider	5
Octavo Foolscap, 20 Ems wide, 34 long, Cal. and Prog.	5
“BILLS IN PARLIAMENT.
From No. 4 inclusive to any No. under 100	4½
If 100, and under 200	5
If 200 or 250	5½
Above 250, and under 400	4½
If 400 or 500	5
If above 500, and under 700	4½
If 700 or 750	5
All above 750	4½

		Per sheet.
Pica, 40 by 40, at 6d. comes to 16s.	¾ths =	£ 0 12 0
Long primer, 50 by 50, at ditto is 20s.	¼th =	0 5 0

By letters		0 17 0
Making up, or placing notes		0 1 0

		£ 0 18 0