Intertype

Intertype Corporation was an American manufacturer of printing and typesetting equipment best known for the Intertype, a hot-metal composing machine designed as a close competitor to the Mergenthaler Linotype. The company originated in New York in 1911 as the International Typesetting Machine Company. It was established by Hermann Ridder, associated with Ridder Publications, whose newspaper interests gave the venture a direct connection to the expanding commercial printing industry. In 1916, a syndicate acquired the company for $1.65 million and reorganized it as the Intertype Corporation. The Intertype machine followed the general operating concept of the Linotype. Operators selected matrices representing characters, assembled them into lines of text, and used molten type metal to cast a complete line, or slug, for printing. Because many of the original Linotype patents had expired, Intertype could adopt the same basic technical approach while developing its own engineering changes. The company initially rebuilt Linotype machines, but by 1917 it was manufacturing three models of its own. Its machines incorporated at least 51 improvement patents and were widely regarded in historical accounts as robustly built, mechanically straightforward, and effective in operation. The standard Intertype could cast type up to 30 points. A Composing Stick Attachment extended the system's usefulness by allowing the casting of display and headline material up to 60 points. Over time, the product range expanded beyond standard machines to include mixer machines and high-speed models. Intertype also became associated with experimentation in the transition from conventional foundry and hot-metal composition toward photographic methods of setting type. Intertype's type-library activities were less distinctive than its mechanical engineering. Many of the company's faces were derivatives of existing designs or were supplied by the Bauer Type Foundry. Edwin W. Shaar was the most notable type designer associated with Intertype, particularly for adapting script designs for machine composition. The company's Berlin branch was comparatively active in developing new matrix designs, adding an international dimension to its type-production work. The company's most important corporate turning point came in 1957, when it merged with Harris-Seybold, a manufacturer of printing presses and paper-cutting equipment. The resulting business was named Harris-Intertype Corporation. After the merger, the company introduced the Harris-Intertype Fotosetter, a landmark phototypesetting machine. Based on the standard Intertype mechanism, the Fotosetter replaced brass type matrices with small film negatives and replaced metal casting with photographic exposure onto sensitized paper. This positioned the combined company within the emerging shift from hot-metal composition to phototypesetting. Intertype therefore occupies an important place in the history of industrial printing: it was both a major Linotype alternative and a bridge between mechanical linecasting and photographic typesetting.

Intertype began in New York in 1911 as the International Typesetting Machine Company. Hermann Ridder, who was connected with Ridder Publications, founded the business during a period when newspapers and commercial printers were seeking faster ways to compose large quantities of text. The company's intended product was a linecasting machine comparable in broad function to the Linotype: an operator would select characters, assemble a line of matrices, and cast a complete line of type from molten metal. In 1916, a syndicate bought the company for $1.65 million and reorganized it as the Intertype Corporation. Its early production relied heavily on rebuilding Linotype machines. This approach enabled the company to enter the market while developing its own engineering program. By 1917, Intertype was producing three models of its own. The expiration of many foundational Linotype patents allowed Intertype to use the same general operating principles, while its engineers added at least 51 improvement patents to the basic design. Intertype's machines were used for industrial text composition and were noted for a comparatively strong mechanical design. Historical descriptions characterize them as better built and more simply engineered than competing Linotype equipment, although the two systems remained closely related. The standard machine could cast type up to 30 points. Intertype also offered a Composing Stick Attachment that enabled casting of larger headline material, reaching sizes up to 60 points. Other developments included mixer machines and high-speed machines, reflecting efforts to serve different production environments and improve throughput. The company's contribution to typography extended beyond machinery. Intertype supplied matrices and typefaces for its equipment, but its type-design program was not generally as independent or innovative as those associated with Mergenthaler Linotype or Lanston Monotype. Many Intertype faces were adaptations of existing designs or were obtained from the Bauer Type Foundry. Edwin W. Shaar was the most prominent designer linked with the company; his work included adapting script faces for machine composition. The Berlin branch of Intertype was more active than the parent company in creating new designs and produced its own group of matrices. Intertype later participated in the industry's move away from cast-metal composition. In 1957, it merged with Harris-Seybold, a producer of presses and paper cutters, forming Harris-Intertype Corporation. The merger combined a specialist in linecasting and typesetting with a broader printing-equipment manufacturer. Harris-Intertype subsequently introduced the Fotosetter. This machine was derived from the standard Intertype platform but replaced brass matrices with small film negatives. Instead of casting a metal slug, it exposed photographic paper, making the Fotosetter an early phototypesetting system and an important transitional product between hot-metal composition and later photographic and electronic workflows. The original Intertype Corporation ceased to exist as an independent company after the 1957 merger, but its name remained embedded in the Harris-Intertype identity and in the history of industrial typography. Its importance rests on two related achievements: providing a durable and widely recognized alternative to Linotype linecasters, and helping carry the equipment tradition of mechanical typesetting into the phototypesetting era.

• 1957

  Merger with Harris-Seybold

  [1]Intertype Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The merger created Harris-Intertype Corporation and connected Intertype's typesetting business with a manufacturer of presses and paper cutters.

• 1917

  Three proprietary machine models in production

  [1]Intertype Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Intertype moved beyond rebuilding Linotypes and began manufacturing three of its own models.

• 1916

  Reorganization as Intertype Corporation

  [1]Intertype Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  A syndicate acquired the company for $1.65 million and reorganized it under the Intertype name.

• 1911

  International Typesetting Machine Company founded

  [1]Intertype Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Hermann Ridder established the company in New York to develop and manufacture typesetting machinery.

A technically focused alternative to Linotype linecasting, emphasizing durable machine construction, mechanical improvements, production flexibility, and eventual transition into phototypesetting.

• Hot-metal linecasting machine · 1917

  Intertype

  The core Intertype product was a hot-metal linecasting machine closely related in operating principle to the Linotype. It assembled matrices selected by an operator and cast complete lines of type for printing. Early examples were rebuilt Linotypes, but the company introduced its own models by 1917. The standard machine could cast type up to 30 points and incorporated numerous engineering changes intended to improve durability, operation, and production efficiency.

• Typesetting accessory

  Composing Stick Attachment

  The Composing Stick Attachment extended the capability of an Intertype caster beyond ordinary text composition. It allowed the machine to cast headline material up to 60 points, making the equipment more useful for display typography as well as standard newspaper and book text. The attachment represented Intertype's effort to broaden the practical range of its linecasting platform without abandoning the underlying hot-metal process.

• Type matrices and fonts

  Intertype matrices and typefaces

  Intertype produced matrices and made typefaces available for use with its machines. Many designs were derivatives of existing faces or were supplied by the Bauer Type Foundry rather than originating as wholly independent Intertype designs. The company's Berlin branch developed a comparatively active matrix program. Edwin W. Shaar was particularly associated with adapting script faces for machine composition.

• Phototypesetting machine

  Harris-Intertype Fotosetter

  Introduced after the 1957 merger with Harris-Seybold, the Fotosetter was based on the standard Intertype machine but used a photographic process. Small film negatives replaced brass type matrices, and photographic paper was exposed in place of casting a metal line. It is notable as an early phototypesetting system and as a transition from mechanical hot-metal composition to photographic production methods.

• 1957

  Merger with Harris-SeyboldM&A

  Background

  Intertype operated in the printing-equipment sector while Harris-Seybold manufactured presses and paper cutters.

  Action taken

  The companies merged to form Harris-Intertype Corporation.

  Aftermath

  The combined company introduced the Fotosetter, extending the Intertype engineering concept into phototypesetting.

  Source

• 1916

  Reorganization under the Intertype nameM&A

  Background

  The original International Typesetting Machine Company had experienced liquidity difficulties while attempting to establish a competitive typesetting-machine business.

  Action taken

  A syndicate purchased the company for $1.65 million and reorganized it as Intertype Corporation.

  Aftermath

  The reorganized company proceeded from rebuilding Linotype machines to manufacturing its own models and developing engineering improvements.

  Acquisition price. $1,650,000 (1916)

  Source

1. 1Intertype Corporationen.wikipedia.org