Cowie's Printer's Pocket-Book and Manual/Of casting off copy
OF CASTING OFF COPY.
To cast off manuscript with accuracy and precision, is an essential object, but a very unpleasant and troublesome task, requiring great attention and mature deliberation. Much difficulty and trouble are occasioned with copy irregularly written, containing interlineations, erasures, and variations in the size of the paper; to these irregularities the attention must be closely directed, but they will too frequently baffle the best endeavours at calculation. Such a slovenly mode of sending works to press cannot be too much deprecated.
The first thing necessary is to take a comprehensive view of the copy, and to notice whether it is written even, whether it has many interlineations, &c. the number of break lines, and whether divided into chapters and sub-heads, so that allowances may be made in the calculation, that the plan of the work may not afterwards be infringed on. These observations should be entered as a memorandum on a separate piece of paper, to assist the memory and save the trouble of re-examining the manuscript.
This preparation being made, we take that part of the copy for calculation nearest the general tendency of the writing, and reckon the number of words contained in one line, previously counting a number of separate lines, so that the one we adopt may be a fair average; we then take the number of lines in a page, and multiply the one by the other, which we again multiply by the quantity of folios the manuscript copy may contain, and thus we are put in possession of the amount of the words contained in the work, with as little loss of time and as much accuracy as circumstances will admit; the necessary allowances should then be made for break lines, chapters, insertions, &c. according to the observations previously made on the memorandum.
If the information has been furnished, what sized letter the work is to be done in, and what the width of the page, we make our measure accordingly, and after composing a few lines of the manuscript copy, are enabled to form an opinion what number of words come into each printed line; we then take the length of our page, generally to double the number of ems contained in a single line, and multiply the one by the other, which produces the information we had previously gained from the adoption of the same mode on the manuscript page; we compare their results, and if the manuscript drives out, we multiply the print by a larger number than the last folio of the writing, and so, vice versá; if the print drives out, we multiply it by a less, until we bring the number of words to agree; the multiplier on the printed calculation will shew what will be the last folio of the printed volume, which we divide into sheets according to the given size of the work, and we are then in full possession, whether it will bear to be leaded, or the chapters begin pages, &c. or whether it must be made up close, the measure widened, the page lengthened, or the size of the letter reduced.
Should the size of the page and letter be left to the opinion of the printer, with no other order than the number of sheets the work is intended to make, from following the above mode he will be enabled pretty accurately to give his directions;—but as it is necessary on a subject like the present to be as clear in our observations as possible, we will exemplify what has been laid down. We are supposed to have made our remarks upon the manner of the writing as directed, and we take the number of words in a line of manuscript at 20, the lines in a page at 50; we multiply 50 by 20, which will produce 1000 words in a page; we then multiply 1000 by 422, which are supposed to be the number of folios in the manuscript, and we shall find it contain 422,000 words. The work being printed in pica 8vo, 20 ems measure, and each line containing 10 words, each page 40 lines—the case will stand thus:—
| MANUSCRIPT. | PRINTED. | ||||
| 50 | 40 | ||||
| 20 | 10 | ||||
| 1000 422 |
400 |
1055 400 |
|||
| 2000 | 422000 | words | |||
| 2000 | Divide | ||||
| 4000 | 16 | 1055 | 65 | sheets, | |||
| 422000 | words in MS. | 15 | pages | ||
Having ascertained the number of sheets the work will make, and that number being sufficient for two volumes, they are divided accordingly. But should the author wish to have his work comprised in one volume, it is requisite to be prepared with the sized type and measure which mayaccord with his inclination.
As there are two methods of casting off copy, we shall conclude this article with the one laid down in former grammars:—
"After having made the measure for the work, we set a line for the letter that is designed for it, and take notice how much copy will come into the line in the stick, whether less or more than a line of manuscript. And as it is seldom that neither one nor the other happens, we make a mark in the copy where the line in the stick ends, and number the words that it contains. But as this is not the safest way for casting off close, we count not only the syllables but even the letters that are in a line in the stick, of which we make a memorandum, and proceed to set off a second, third, or fourth line, till a line of copy falls even with a line in the stick. And as we did to the first line in the stick, so we do to the other, marking on the manuscript the end of each line in the stick, and telling the letters in each, to see how they balance against each other. This being carefully done, we begin counting off, each time, as many lines of copy as we know will make even lines in the stick: For example, if two lines of copy make three lines in print, then four make six, six make nine, eight make twelve, and so on, calling every two lines of copy three lines in print.
"In like manner we say, if four lines make five, then eight make ten, and so on, comparing every four lines of copy to five lines in print.
"And in this manner we carry our calculation on as far as we have occasion, either for pages, forms, or sheets.
"The foregoing calculations are intended to serve where a line of print takes in less than a line of copy, and therefore where a line of print takes in more than a line of copy, the problem is reversed, and instead of saying, if two lines make three, we say, in this case, if three lines of copy make two lines in print, then six lines make four, nine make six, twelve make eight, and so on, counting three lines of copy to make two lines in print. In this manner we may carry our calculation to what number of pages, forms, or sheets we will, remembering always to count off as many lines of copy at once, as we have found they will make even lines in the stick. Thus, for example, if five lines make seven, the progression of five is ten, fifteen, twenty, &c. and the progression of seven will be fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight, &c.
"In counting off copy after this manner, we take notice of the breaks; and where we judge that one will drive out, we intimate it by a mark of this ∠ or this [ shape; and again, where we find that a break will get in, we invert the mark ⦢ or thus ]. And to render these marks conspicuous to the compositor, we write them in the margin, that he may take timely notice of, and keep his matter accordingly.
"We also take care to make proper allowance for heads to chapters, sections, paragraphs, &c. and mention in the margin what depth of lines is left for each, in case their matter varies in quantity.
"In examining the state of the copy, we must observe whether it has abbreviations, that we may guard against them in casting off, and allow for them according to the extent of the respective words, when written out at length."
The following is a plan for calculating the amount of the composition of a sheet in twelves. The page must be measured from the head-line to the signature inclusive; the width measured, and invariably doubled.
| 55 | lines long | |||
| 60 | ens wide | |||
| 3000 | ||||
| 24 | ||||
| 13200 | ||||
| 6600 | ||||
| 79200 | at 5¼d. per thousand | 1 | 14 | 6 |
| Notes (if any) per sheet | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 15 | 6 | ||