Variations in Double Case Lays

        e                
 bcd  i  sfg   
 
      
     
 
     
 lmnhoyp,w 
en
qd
 
em
qd
ABCDEFG
 HIKLMNO
zvut 
thick
 spaces 
 
ar  :quadsPQRSTVW
x.-XYZ  UJ

There are many variations in how the type is distributed within a double case. Twenty-nine different double case lays have been encountered, with cases having five, six or seven rows in the Upper section, and ignoring those in the U.S. style with a divided box above the i box. Shown above are those characters that do not vary their positions (the Upper section may or may not have the top two rows). The exceptions to this standard are Curwen with thins and mids where ens and ems go, Lindley who moves x z v p w, Alembic and Central St Martins who replace thicks with mids, Reading who replace p with thicks and thicks with mids, Incline who moves z x v p w f g and replaces thicks with mids, Talbot who move the caps up one row, and have U J in alphabetic order.Old Clewer, Alembic, Incline also have U and J in alphabetic order. Sind has the caps in the top rows, in the old style, and Stellar Press put the X row above the A row. Oxford University Press put i where h is, h where s is, s where r is, and r where y is.

Variations in minor characters are numerous, but of the 29 lays, some more common agreements are:
the box above i is used for mids by 11, mids+thins by 4, thins by 4, v by 3, thicks by 1, ens by 1, y by 1, p by 1, g by 1, ' ' by 1, and ; by 1
the box above . is used for q by 18, for ; by 5, for k by 2, for : by 2, for , by 1, and for . by 1 with - replacing .
the box above - is used for : by 21, for ; by 5, for j by 2 and for £ by 1
the box above z is used for hair by 8, for thin by 6, for q by 4, for k by 2, for y by 2, for ffi by 1, for fl by 1, and for Í by 1
the top rows on the right are used for 0 to 9 by 18, whereas the boxes above s f g and adjacent to g are used by 9, and the bottom rows but one on the right by 1, and the top row centre and right by 1
the top left hand corner is used for — by 12, for & by 5, for fl by 2, for ' by 3, is unused by 2, used for £ by 1, for ( by 1, for / by 1, and for fi by 1
the right hand box above d is used for j by 17, for k by 3, for x by 3, for ' by 3, for ] by 1, for q by 1, and unused by 1
the three boxes above ems are used for fl ff fi by 13, for 6 8 0 by 7, for ffl ffi and other by 4, for ffi fl fi by 1, for ffl fl [ by 1, for 6 7 8 by 1, for ?! and accents by 1, and for fl and empty by 1

Double ConstructionsDouble Lay listFull Lay Variations
Other empty cases
ie with the boxes left blank
Other type layouts
ie with characters assigned to boxes
Full Index of layoutsGlossary of terms usedSources of the layoutsIntroduction
Quantities in a fount of typeQuantities in a case of type
Notes about Job
and Double Cases
Notes about Upper casesNotes about Lower casesAlembic home page

This page was written in 2015 by David Bolton and last updated 3 August 2015.