Monotype Stopbars

Stopbar Number

the identification number allocated by Monotype. Bars originated in U.S. are different to those originated in U.K., although the S5 stopbar is the same for both systems. Note that by the 1960s, stopbar numbering often dropped the initial S.

Wedge

Wedges originally had an alphanumeric identifying number, eg the Standard stopbar S5 equated with wedge A, but wedges eventually adopted the same identifying number as their equivalent stopbar. This column shows the old number. According to Monotype, UK wedges issued for the European market (i.e. Didot point system) have the letter E after the number, but this is not shown as such in the list below.

Source

Some of the European wedges are shown here as E, but others have not been distinguished from UK ones.

Unit Values

A stopbar usually has 15 different stop bars, that correspond to the unit value of each of the fifteen rows in a matrix case, and the fifteen different positions of the wedge on the caster. These represent the 15 different widths available for characters in the particular fount of type. Some matrix case arrangements use 16 rows of unit values. Early versions (eg the HMN and KMN systems) required an actual 16th position on the wedge, and in the stopbar case. However, with the later unit shift system, any row can use the width of the row above it in the matrix case, and thus the 16th row is always the value of the 15th row, and a physical 16th position on wedge or stopbar is not needed.

Type Series

Shows the series number of some of the typefaces that use the stopbar (the type name is shown in the other table). Beware that UK and US faces and numbers are not the same. Also note that the standard S5 stopbar is used by a wide range of faces, for example the UK Antique Old Style, Baskerville, Bodoni, Clarendon, Goudy Catalogue, Gill, Grotesque, Imprint, Latin Antique, Modern, Old Style, Plantin, Scotch Roman, Times New Roman, etc.