Intertype

Intertype
Name	Intertype
Type	Mechanical typesetting manufacturer
Founded	1911
Founder	Mergenthaler Linotype Company (as competitor)
Fate	Decline with phototypesetting and digital typesetting
Products	Monotype machines, typecasting machines, linecasters
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York
Key people	Tolbert Lanston, Ottmar Mergenthaler, Franklin M. Cook
Industry	Printing equipment

Intertype is a historic manufacturer of mechanical typesetting machines and linecasting equipment that competed in the early twentieth-century printing industry. It operated alongside firms such as Mergenthaler Linotype Company, Monotype Corporation, and ATF and supplied newspaper, book, and advertising printers with machines that automated composition. Its legacy intersects with major developments in printing technology, including patent disputes, corporate consolidation, and the later transition to phototypesetting used by companies like Compugraphic and Hewlett-Packard.

Etymology and Terminology

The trade name derives from the combination of "inter-" indicating between companies and "type" denoting movable type, reflecting a commercial identity similar to Lanston Monotype Machine Company and Mergenthaler Linotype Company. Terms associated with the firm's technology include "linecaster", "typecaster", and "matrix"—the latter linking to practices in companies such as American Type Founders and processes described in patents by Ottmar Mergenthaler and Tolbert Lanston. Industry parlance also referenced product names and model numbers analogous to naming conventions found at Linotype, Monotype, and contemporaneous manufacturers like Brockhaus.

History and Development

Intertype's origins trace to engineers and investors reacting to patent portfolios controlled by Mergenthaler Linotype Company and other dominant firms. Early twentieth-century developments in typesetting involved notable events such as patent litigation similar to disputes experienced by Edison and Bell Telephone Company in different sectors. Intertype grew during periods characterized by expansion of mass-circulation newspapers such as The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, selling machines to printrooms across the United States and internationally to markets in United Kingdom, Germany, and France. During World War I and World War II, demand for printed materials increased, paralleling production challenges faced by firms like Sperry and IBM that shifted manufacturing priorities. Postwar consolidation movements in printing paralleled mergers seen in General Electric and Westinghouse, while the emergence of phototypesetting companies like Compugraphic precipitated decline for mechanical linecasters.

Mechanics and Structure

Intertype machines employed mechanisms comparable to those patented by Ottmar Mergenthaler and conceptualized by Tolbert Lanston, utilizing matrices, molds, and molten type metal to cast slugs of continuous type. Components included a magazine for matrices, a casting box, and a distribution system analogous to systems used by Monotype Corporation but differing in matrix handling and justification methods. The machines integrated precision engineering akin to manufacturing practices at Swarovski (optical tolerances) and Ford Motor Company (assembly-line production), requiring skilled operators trained in routines similar to apprenticeships observed at Harvard University Press printshops. Electrically driven variants incorporated motors and controls influenced by innovations from General Electric and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

Applications and Use Cases

Primary applications were composition for daily newspapers such as The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, book production for publishers like Random House and Penguin Books, and advertising typesetting for agencies working with clients comparable to J. Walter Thompson and McCann Erickson. Intertype machines were installed in corporate printrooms at institutions such as Bank of America and used by governmental printing offices in countries with ministries similar to United Kingdom Parliament printing works. Specialized uses included casting display type for posters, labels, and packaging for firms like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola, and producing matrices for foundries such as American Type Founders.

Variations and Related Concepts

Variants of Intertype technology paralleled competitive lines from Linotype, Monotype, and European makers like H. Berthold AG. Related concepts include hot-metal typesetting, matrix distribution systems, and transitional technologies such as phototypesetting produced by firms like Compugraphic and Dainippon Screen. Later digital successors include desktop publishing platforms from companies like Adobe Systems and Apple Inc., whose software and hardware ecosystems displaced mechanical linecasting. Intertype's mechanical variations also related to machine tooling and casting techniques used in precision industries represented by Rolls-Royce (quality machining) and Siemens (automation).

Controversies and Criticisms

Controversies surrounding Intertype paralleled common industry disputes over patents, licensing, and competitive practices exemplified by litigation involving Mergenthaler Linotype Company and cases that mirrored high-profile technology suits like those involving IBM and AT&T. Critics cited durability and maintenance costs when comparing Intertype machines to alternatives from Monotype Corporation and Linotype, and labor organizations such as International Typographical Union voiced concerns about mechanization's impact on compositors' employment, echoing debates involving AFL-CIO and other unions over automation. Environmental and occupational criticisms later addressed the hazards of molten metal and solvents in printshops, concerns also raised in regulatory contexts involving agencies like Occupational Safety and Health Administration and international bodies such as ILO.

Category:Typesetting