For Out of the Blue, I chose to set the lines using a vintage Intertype, rather than hand-set single letters from our collection of type. Crazy Eddy on the Judgment Day was produced with hand-set type, which had to be redistributed back to the typecases before the next two pages were typeset. The Intertype machine I used was courtesy of Jim Daggs at Ackley Publishing in Ackley, Iowa. Caveworks Press The Process
 
 
Left: Typing on the Intertype keyboard, which is not laid out like a regular keyboard. Right: Here the letters or molds/matrices of one line are ready to be cast. Watch the line of type being cast in hot metal. A hand lever puts this in motion. At the end you’ll see the slug slide down a channel into a galley full of lines of poetry. There is literally a melting pot full of hot lead in this machine, out of reach of the operator, of course. Most certainly the origin of the phrase “America, the great melting pot.” Book List Reading Schedule NEW! Out of the Blue Order The Process Submissions Links Art: Other Home The winning cover choice for Out of the Blue: Classic Laid by Neenah Paper, color: Cloud Nine
 
Contact Media News
 
 
Some of the poetry sitting in galleys ready for transfer to press. Another layout of each 4 page section is done to determine exact spacing on the page between items on the press bed.
 
The type is laid out in the bed of the press, surrounded by wood or metal pieces called “furniture.” Sometimes it is necessary to rearrange the furniture to get the tightest and straightest fit. Later this four page section will be cut in half and the page spreads folded. The paper is attached to the cylinder and the lever is cranked to travel the cylinder over the press bed, impressing the inked form onto the paper. It looks easy, but remember, this book took eight layouts and a cover totaling about 2,475 impressions.
 
A close-up of the title page shows the inked form, ready for an impression