[Gllug] Font annoyances of the day

[Chris Bell]

On Mon 21 May, Don Williams wrote:
> 
> Hi there - the recent mentions of typefaces and their associated metrics
> stirred memories for me. A trained-at-the-case compositor from the days
> of the old and mighty London Society of Compositors, I learned (within
> weeks) to enable type justification using the sub-divisions of the "M" -
> or "mutton" (the "N" was called a "nut"). These are (still):
>               mutton / 2 = nut (space),
>               mutton / 3 = thick (space),
>               mutton / 4 = mid (space),
>               mutton / 5 = thin (space).
>       Such subdivisions (across a wide range of "mutton" sizes - 5 to 72
> point) enabled the justification of words and numbers from heavy text to
> very complex tabular matter. I'm often tempted to visit Ironbridge just
> to pick up a "stick" again in the re-creation of an old composing
> room ...

>       
> 
   Just to emphasise the difficulties, a row may need to be justified using
the correct combination of spaces, even though the difference may be caused
by any combination of the sizes listed above.

-- 
Chris Bell

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