Some Monotype Developments

Below are listed in chronological order some of the developments of the hot-metal side of Monotype (both machinery and business) since the first introduction of the machine. The information relates to both the U.K. and the U.S. side of the business, the latter shown in italics where known to be specific, apart from machine developments prior to 1922, which are all in italic as UK manufacture did not start until 1922. The information has been culled from various sources, primarily Monotype publications and Lawrence Wallis's A Concise Chronology of Typesetting Developments 1886-1986 (1988) and his Monotype Time Check in Monotype Recorder New Series No.10 (1997), Richard Hopkins' Tolbert Lanston and the Monotype (2013) and Slinn, Carter, Southall History of the Monotype Corporation (2014). Dates shown are sometimes approximate, as the sources occasionally differ by a year or so.
1886
U.S: Lanston Type Machine Co. incorporated.
1886
U.S: First Monotype patent granted.
1887
U.S: Prototype cold-metal casting machine (196 characters, 14x14 matrix case).
1890
U.S: Prototype 'triangle' hot-metal machine (210 mats, 14x15 matrix case).
1891
U.S: Prototype hot-metal casting machine (15x15 matrix case).
1892
U.S: L.T.M.Co. renamed as Lanston Monotype Machine Co..
1894
U.S: Lanston's single spool keyboard (210 characters).
1894
U.S: Quadruple machine.
1896
U.S. First typeface: Modern Condensed (Series 1).
1897
U.S: Lanston & Bancroft make Limited Fount Machine (132 mats, 12x11 matrix case).
U.S: Justification wedge added.
U.S: Lanston's Limited Fount keyboard (121 characters).
U.S: Model A keyboard patented.
Lanston Monotype Corporation Ltd formed in U.K.,temporary Office 10 St Helen's Place.
1898
Head Office 42 Drury Lane.
Five Benton punchcutting machines purchased.
First Limited Fount machines delivered to Wyman & Sons.
1899
U.S: Caster re-engineered for 225 mats (15x15).
U.S: Model C keyboard patented.
Monotype factory at Salfords opens.
Two machines installed at North British Daily Mail.
1900
First U.K. typeface: Modern (Series 1).
New 225 mat machines installed at Cassell & Co.
First Monotype School, at Drury Lane.
U.S: Composition caster produced, with 15x15 matrix case.
1901
U.S: Monotype factory in Philadelphia opens.
1902
Monotype Recorder.
Moulds now made at Salfords.
1903
U.S: steel backing plate on matrix case patented.
Gaelic 24, the first Irish fount.
Two keyboards and casters installed at OUP.
1904
Monotype offices at 43 Fetter Lane open.
Wittenberger Fraktur 28, the first German fount.
U.S: Detachable keyboard introduced.
1905
U.S: Display Type attachment (up to 24pt).
U.S: now 100 Monotype machines in Government Printing Office.
1906
U.S: Job (Display) Type attachment (14pt to 36pt).
1907
Cushing Russian 17, the first Cyrillic fount.
Pierpont's punchcutting machine installed.
1908
U.S: Model D (qwerty) keyboard.
Low Quad moulds.
U.S: Duplex DD Keyboard.
1909
U.S: 14pt composition.
1910
U.S: Reverse delivery attachment.
Type Drawing Office established at Salfords.
Greek Upright 90, the first Greek fount.
U.S: Combs introduced for cellular matrices.
U.S: Improved matrix drive of 0.030" and standard alignment.
1911
U.S: Kerned characters possible.
U.S: Sorts caster.
Veronese 59, first face unrestricted by C arrangement.
1912
U.S: 18pt composition.
1913
U.S: Display (Type & Rule) Caster.
Display Matrix Lending Library opened.
Two machines installed at CUP at £700 each.
U.S: Tolbert Lanston dies.
1914
U.S: 24pt composition.
1915
U.S: Lead and Rule attachment.
U.S: Caslon 337 released, the first typeface to be given a name.
1916
Monotype Users' Association.
1919
Anglo-American Point system adopted.
Monotype School moves to Dean St.
1921
U.S: 14-24pt large type composition.
U.S: Garamont 248 first face not restricted by C arrangement.
1921-1927
Display Type attachment (42 – 48pt).
New Moulds series 20,000.
1922
Manufacture of machines in UK started, (previously just matrices, moulds, paper spools).
1923
U.S: Material maker (for strip borders, lead and rule).
Bars introduced for composition matrices.
1924
First fully British-made casters leave the factory.
Dotted Rule mould.
1925
15x17 matrix case (255 mats).
3 unit justification attachment.
90 em line length attachment.
U.S: Giant caster.
1926
Electric pot temperature regulator.
1928
Super Caster.
1929
U.S: Thompson Type Machine Co acquired.
1931
The Lanston Monotype Corporation renamed The Monotype Corporation.
Times New Roman.
1931-1946
4½pt Mould.
1932
Copy repeating attachment.
Automatic leading attachment.
Monotype Newsletter.
1936
Script mould and attachment.
1937
Automatic quadding and centring.
1938
Combined spacing attachment.
1941
43 Fetter Lane burned down, temporary removal to Clifford’s Inn, then 55-56 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
Dean St bombed and Monotype School moved to Rosebery Avenue and later 54/55 Fetter Lane.
1943
Technical Bulletin.
1944
Type Alignment Gauges.
1948
Belt guards provided.
Hinged Display Mould Guard for Super Caster.
85lb melting pot for Super Caster (prev 55lb).
1949
Automatic Ingot Feeder.
Crossblock Oiler for Super Caster.
Issue of Set Mark discontinued for comp mats.
U.S: 15 x17 matrix case.
1950
Centring Pin diameter increased.
1951
Duplex Piston Spring.
1953 (and post war)
New machines painted battleship grey.
1954
Lighting attachment for caster.
Nozzle Timing mechanism as standard on Super Casters (71128 upwards).
1955
Water supply Pipe Strainer (as standard on comp 24490, Super 71250 and up)
Standard 7A keybank now STD3 and STD4 (was 4328 and 4329).
Monophoto Filmsetter.
Return to 43 Fetter Lane.
1956
Super Caster change-over cards.
Monotype School moves to Cursitor St.
1957
Hard Face (ie constant height) Moulds.
1960
Nozzle 1 replaced by 16, and 2 by 17 (smaller bore).
1961
Revised Standard 14 row Extended Layouts (7A and 5A).
New Mould and Crossblock Oiler for 6-36pt.
New (loose-leaf) Parts Book.
U.S: Monomatic (324 mats).
1962
Quadding & Centring attachment issued as standard.
Attachment Booklet.
Fluorescent Copy Light attachment for keyboard.
1963
Varigear for composition caster.
Unit shift attachment 16x17 die-case (272 mats) and 14x12 button bank, 175 bar keyframe.
Second on/off water valve in circuit (standard on casters 26620 upwards).
Oil pump on Super Caster (standard on casters 71981 upwards).
Super Caster loose-leaf Parts Book.
1964
U.S: Thompson caster withdrawn (approx date).
U.S: Giant caster withdrawn (approx date).
U.S. starts to import UK made machines.
1965
GSA Computer Typesetting system.
Paper Tape conversion unit.
Unit Wheel Positioner as standard keyboard 28208 up.
Short tail Matrix Case.
New printed layout sheets (1000 series pre unit shift, 1200 series post unit shift).
Microscope Type Alignment Gauge.
1966
Varigear for Super Caster.
New Keyboard Manual.
U.S: Monomatic II.
1967
Electronic Perforator.
L shape desk mount for keyboards.
1968
Automatic paper punchings removal.
Small Closed-Circuit Water Cooling System.
1969
New Super Caster change-over cards.
New Funditor temperature control box (on tubular rod).
U.S: Lanston Monotype liquidated, ATF acquires the mat making equipment.
1970
High-speed composition mould.
New composition caster manual.
Mould blow-out attachment.
1971
FU variable speed unit.
1972
New Super Caster manual.
1973
(Technical) Bulletin ceased.
Monotype Corporation acquired by Grendon Trust and then CST Investments.
43 Fetter Lane sold.
1975
U.S: ATF cease making Monotype cellular mats, sell composition sizes to Hartzell Machine Works, display sizes scrapped.
1976
Monotype Lasercomp.
1978
Last Super Caster produced (2793 had been made).
Monotype Holdings established.
1979
Monotype International division (photosetting), Monotype Communications (word-processing), and Monotype Division (hot-metal).
New Series of Monotype Recorder (after 10 year gap).
1982
System 272 video i/p to 31 channel tape.
Monotype Typography Division established.
Monotype Communications sold.
1983
U.S: Hartzell sell cellular mat making to Mackenzie-Harris.
1987
Caster and keyboard production ceases, but matrices and spares continue.
1989
U.S: Mackenzie-Harris sell cellular mat making to Gerald Giampa.
1992
Monotype Corporation Ltd in receivership.
Merrion Monotype Trust established to preserve hot metal.
Monotype Corporation (ex Typography) and Monotype Inc become Monotype Systems.
1993
Typography Division becomes Monotype Typography.
1997
Monotype hot metal moved to The Type Museum, London
1998
Monotype Typography bought by Agfa.
2000
Monotype Typography become Agfa Monotype Corporation.
U.S: Giampa flooded.
2002
U.S: remnants of Lanston equipment auctioned off, mostly for scrap.
2004
Agfa Monotype sold to TA Associates and re-named Monotype Imaging.
2006
The Type Museum closed to the public, Monotype Hot Metal still open for business
2010
The Type Museum re-named The Type Archive (with Monotype Hot Metal still trading)


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This page was written by David Bolton and last updated 2 August 2015.