Craft · 6 pages · 12 min
Why type is set upside down and backwards in a composing stick
Mirrored, nick-up type reads left to right in the stick and prints right-reading.
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From the opening
Metal type goes into the composing stick upside down, nick toward the compositor, and each face is a mirror of the character that will print. The mirror exists so one transfer onto paper will read correctly, and the upside-down pose lets the setter work left to right while stacking the next line above the last. The opening covers nicks up, letters upside down, each face is a mirror, and the line still runs left to right.
The rest of the brief — the later sections and the reading notes — opens after Stripe confirms payment.
Inside
- Nicks up, letters upside down
- Each face is a mirror
- The line still runs left to right
- One transfer rights the print
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- The composing stick and the type nick
- Mirrored faces of metal type