Which point system is used in Adana presses? (Didot/Berthold/Fournier/Hawks)
Hi folks! First of all, thank you for this forum - great resource for newbie like myself.
I have Adana 8x5 press and some furniture from local letterpress shop (in Estonia i.e former USSR). The problem is that their so called declared measures doesn’t match. The type that I’ve got together with my Adana kit should be 12pt, but it’s smaller, than 12pt furniture from local letterpress shop.
I found this article: https://www.artlebedev.com/mandership/81/. According to it there are different typographical standards in different countries. I guess, that all staff related to Adana uses Hawks standard (1pt = 0.3514mm or 0.0138inch), because it was made in Great Britain. And my localshop uses Didot standard (1pt = 0.376mm or 0.0147inch), which was popular in Germany and USSR.
Could somebody please confirm or deny my guess?
Irina, Looks as though You have done some serious homework already, perhaps call up the Adana sight here U.K. If You navigate the sight, You will end up with a good facsimile of the Typefaces and sizes that Adana still offer, from 6 Pt. through to 72 Pt. No Didot sizes Yet apparently.
Way back we started to Source and Use *Didot* sizes generally thought of as, The >Face< cast on a non logical Body, i.e. 10 D (didot) Univers would be cast on 11 Pt. body, across the range 6/7, 7/8, 8/9, etc., etc.
It was possible and without the Odd sizes of Mould(s) to cast 10 D (didot) on 10 Pt. mould - The alignment had to be adjusted on the Monotype (Caster) but that was overcome by alignment being achieved using 3 Em rules in the Monotype alignment gauge with the centre of the three turned backwards.!! Most every body with Monotype used the same system, by default. - Good Luck. Mick.
Perhaps call up, The Counterpress “Type foundry Sort of“ re pilcrows. Usually the first entry.
You are more than welcome to Correspond }Off Line{, via B.P. channels, I may be able to offer more insight.
Indeed Irina, Adana (Caslon) sells type in Pica points, continental Europe works with Didot points. The two don’t mix. If you have started using continental spacing material (spaces, reglets, furniture) stick with that and discard the English/American stuff. You will be able to find much more – without having to pay for expensive transport – on the continent. There are several good and reliable suppliers of second hand type and material in Germany. Bear also in mind that there are different type heights!
Thank you mick Hopper and thomas gravemaker! I don’t actually plan to purchase more types and furniture in the near future - just wanted to make it clear what kind of staff I have already have on my hands (currently I’ll stick to photopolymer plates).