Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Linotype: The Film


The history of the "hot type" typesetting machine is examined in this dry, but informative documentary. Talking heads lament the demise of the huge machine that created type out of molten lead amidst vintage film clips. I learned that typesetters would often type the phrase ETAOIN SHRDLU to signal that there was a typo in the copy, and sometimes that two-word phrase would find its way in print. Someone also says the startling phrase "I saved my first squirt", and it sounds much dirtier than it really is. Linotype: The Film is educational, and features music by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.


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