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The Linotype, and its later competitors—the Intertype and the Linograph—were typesetting machines. These machines produced complete lines of text cast in hot metal, which gave rise to the name line-o-type. They were the first devices to successfully automate large-scale typesetting by using a keyboard and automatically redistributing the characters into a magazine. Invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler in the late nineteenth century, they revolutionized the printing industry by dramatically increasing the volume of printed material. Thomas Edison even called the Linotype the “eighth wonder of the world.”

Click here to learn how these machines worked—and why they are considered marvels of engineering.

The stories of the competing companies

The Linotype was the first machine to successfully use hot metal type for typesetting. And with their patents, they held of the competitors from producing simolar linecasters for a very long time.

1. Linotype had the following official companies:
1. The Mergenthaler Linotype Company from the United States. This page contains a timeline of composing linecaster development—the history of the Linotype.
2. Linotype in Canada
3. Linotype in Germany
4. Linotype in the United Kingdom
5. Linotype S.p.A. in Italy
2. The Intertype corporation started to produce its own version after the Linotype patents expired around 1910—the popular Intertype.
3. The Linograph Manufacturing Company is a third and lesser known competitor, which developed the very reliable Linograph machines.
4. Somewhere after WWII, the Czechoslovakian company Zbrojovka Brno developed its own version of the Linotype, but it was never mass produced.
5. The 'Leningrad printing machines factory', often abbreviated as 'Lenpoligrafmash' became the Russian producer of linecasting machines.
6. In China, there has been an Linotype production plant. But only one model has been produced over there.

It is important to know that not all sold machines were new. There actually was a huge market for 'rebuild' machines, both by the large companies itself, and by smaller companies. Read about it here.

In later times, it became possible to operate the linecasting machines remotedly. Read more about the Teletypesetter here.

Those companies lost importance when newer technologies took over. The beginning of the end for hot metal typesetting starts around 1950, when phototypesetting is around the corner and gains popularity.

Nowadays, the machines completely lost their economical value. Discover the state of the typecasting machines in the 2020's here.

The different models of the machines

Several models were produced, by different factories. We made illustrated pages per factory:

1. The different Chinese models
2. The different Intertype models
• with the shipping dates and serial numbers
3. The different Linograph models
4. The different Linotype models, American productions
• with the shipping dates and serial numbers
5. The different Linotype models, English productions
• with the shipping dates and serial numbers
6. The different Linotype models, German productions
• with the shipping dates and serial numbers
7. The different Linotype models, Italian productions
8. The different Neotype/Novatype (Russian) models
9. The Zetotype (Czech) experiment
10. Comments on the different models

Here, you find the complete overview of all models in one list.

Not all brands and models were commonly used everywhere. Read more about the popularity of the machines here.

The machine's technical specifications

1. The different keyboards
1. Keyboards: different operation layouts
2. Keyboards: the differences between the various countries
2. A linotype-computer interface
3. Slugs' dimensions
4. Magazines' dimensions: the differences between the companies and between different countries

The matrices
The matrices contain a mold with a letterform in which the type metal was injected. But to set a line of type, many different matrices are needed.

1. Read about the very basics regarding matrices and space bands
2. Matrix identification——Find your identifier in the largest online database of Linotype faces
3. Matrix Slides: setting a complete line at once
4. Matrices - How they were bought in the shop
5. A matrices thickness comparison
6. Teeth combination charts
7. The matrices production proces
8. 3D printed matrices (and the technical problems to take care of)

Maintenance and renovation
To keep the machines in working condition, several regular maintenances are needed.

1. The correct maintenance of Intertypes and Linotypes
2. The heating pots
3. The Linotype technicians archive (Dutch)
4. The Linotype Legacy Series (English) by the Museum of Printing, Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA,
5. Restoring the PXL-MAD Intertype to working condition (Hasselt, Belgium)
6. 3D printed parts

Varia

1. Linotype accessories
2. Registry of the remaining typesetting machines in Europe
3. The Linotype Registry by Keenlan Lightfoot, a database of remaining machines in the US.
4. Permission from Heidelberg group to use Linotype-materials
5. A letterpress poster series: [Dutch, large], [Dutch, small].

1. Museum Finder (AEPM)
2. Beefchicken.com
3. Circuitousroot.com
4. Drukwerkindemarge.org
5. Metal Type
6. International Printing museum
7. Youtube channel of The Museum of Printing, Massachusetts

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