The Imprint (printing trade periodical)

The Imprint was a periodical aimed at the printing trade, published in 9 issues from January to November 1913. The publishers were the Imprint Publishing Company, of 11 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London. Editors were F. Ernest Jackson, Edward Johnston, J. H. Mason, and Gerard Meynell of the Westminster Press, London, which was also the printer of the journal.

In addition to the editors, several notable printing practitioners wrote for the magazine, including Stanley Morison.

Subjects covered

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Issues

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The issues are dated thus:

Volume 1

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January 1913, 1

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February 17th, 1913, 2

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March 17, 1913, 3

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April 17, 1913, 4

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May 17, 1913, 5

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  • J. H. Mason, "A Brief Sketch of the History of Wood-Engraving", p. 297
  • A. S.Hartrick, A.R.W.S.: "Post-Impressionism, with some personal recollections of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin", p. 305
  • F. Ernest Jackson, "Lithography: IV. Drawing Materials", p. 319
  • C. D. Medley, "Printers Lien", p. 321
  • Joseph Thorp, "Trifling with the Code", p. 324
  • William Maas, "Some Eighteenth Century Song Books", p. 327
  • Edward Johnston, "Decoration and Its Uses", p. 345
  • A Master Printer: "Ten Honest Men", p. 353
  • Everard Meynell, "The Plain Dealer, a Browning Retrospect", p. 356
  • Daniel T. Powell, "Intaglio Photogravure Printing", p. 359
  • "Correspondence", p. 367
    • Richard Wilson, "Black and White"
  • "New Patents": "Intaglio Printing", "Rotary Offset Lithography Printing Presses", p. 375
  • G. H. Rayner, "Notes on the Future of Printing", p. 377
  • Rev. T. F. Dibdin, "Printers Devices, Part V", Supplement, pages 49–56

June 17, 1913, 6

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  • "Editors, Notices, Contents, Index to Advertisers", p. i & ii
  • "Notes", p. iii & iv
  • "The Right Hon. Russell Gurney, Q.C.", George Frederick Watts, R.A. (1817–1904). National Gallery No. 1654. Anglogravure printed by the Anglo-Engraving Compagny, Milford Lane, Strand, WC. p. 379
  • "Portrait of Russell Gurney", p. 380
  • Donald Cameron-Swan, F.R.P.S., "Pioneers of Photogravure", p. 381
  • "Portrait of Herr Klìk of Vienna", director of The Rembrandt Intaglio Printing Co., p. 385,386
  • "Portrait of Ariosto", Forman Gravure, Titian, p. 388
  • "Portrait of St. Thomas Aquinas, (1226–1274)", Formangravure by Thomas Forman and Sons, Nottingham, p. 402–403
  • Typoclastes, "Plea for reform of printing", p. 391
  • J. Arthur Hill, "Old books & their printers", p. 405
  • T. Edwards Jones, "Edward Arber, F.S.A.", p. 411
  • Everard Meynell, "The plain dealer: VI. Signs and Posters", p. 416
  • "Reviews": J. H. Mason: The Book Pretentious and Other Reviews, p. 419
    • Dame Fashion by Julius M. Price, p,419
    • The Baxter Yearbook, p. 420
    • Craft, an Informal Monthly, February, Vol. 1, no. 1, W. H, Smith & Son, p. 421
    • The American Printer, March, 1913 Vol. 56, no. 1, p. 420
    • The Works of Francis Thompson, p. 424
  • Edward Johnston, Decoration & its uses, Chapter IV. Special arrangement of letters-the Book: Formal writing with the broad-nibbed pen, p. 428
  • Daniel T. Powell, The Hodgman Press, p. 431
  • Geo. H. Rayner, R.P.A., Printing & Patents, p. 439
    • Intaglio Printing, Wiping Apparatus for
  • Rev. T. F. Dibdin, Printers' devices. Part VI., pages 57–64
  • Reviews, Notes and Correspondence,

Volume 2

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July 17, 1913, 7

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Reproductions by Photogravure and Offset

August 27, 1913, 8

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  • Stanley A. Morison, Notes on Some Liturgical Books
  • Harold Monro, Broadsides
  • C. D. Medley, The Copyright Act , p. 74
  • Edward Johnston, Decoration and its Uses, Chapter VII, Special arrangement of Letters-the Book (continued) (formal writing with the broad-nibbed pen—continued) , p. 79
  • J. H. Mason, Reviews
    • Manchester Playgoer, New Series
    • The Mask, a quarterly journal of the art of the theater
    • Monotype Recorder, May, 1913
    • Patents, Rayner $ Co
    • The American Printer, July
    • Sharaton Cover Papers
    • Income tax simplified
    • The business of Bookbanding
  • Everard Meynell, The Plain Dealer, VIII, "A continual Slight Novelty", p. 89
  • Daniel T. Powell, A Perfecting Machine
  • G. H. Rayner, R.P.A., Printing and Patents
  • Rev. T. F. Dibdin, Printers' Devices. Part VIII, pages 73–80
  • Edited by J. H. Mason
  • Correspondence

November 27, 1913, 9

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Imprint Old Face

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The name of the journal lives on in the typeface Imprint Old Face. This sturdy design, Caslon—like but with more regularity in its letterforms, was produced for the magazine (on a non-exclusive basis) in 1912 by the Monotype Company as Series 101[2] for automatic composition on the Monotype caster. When delivered to the journal's printers on December 31, 1912, it was still incomplete — the accents had not yet been made — so the editors asked in the first issue: “Will readers kindly insert them for themselves, if they find their omission harsh? For ourselves, we rather like the fine careless flavour, which their omission gives, after we have recovered from the first shock inevitable to us typographical precisians”.[3]

Perhaps Imprint’s most notable use since then has been for the entire setting of the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (1989), 22,000 pages of precisely structured typography in 20 volumes.

It is available today as a digital OpenType font from Monotype's successor, Monotype Imaging.[4]

Reprint of the number one issue

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In 1972 the January Number One issue was reprinted at The Curwen Press for the members of The Wynkyn De Worde Society. An introduction to this edition was added by Francis Meynell.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Walter Howard Hazell (1870–1929), of Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
  2. ^ The Monotype Chronicles 1907 – 1916
  3. ^ The Imprint, January 1913, p. vi
  4. ^ Fonts.com: Imprint Volume Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ The Imprint, number one, reprinted for the Members of the Wynkyn De Worde Society, The Curwen Press, 1972