Handsetting

/ˈhændsɛtɪŋ/ noun

Definition

The act of arranging or setting something by hand, particularly in typography where type is placed manually into a composing stick.

Etymology

Compound of 'hand' and 'setting', describing manual arrangement work as opposed to mechanical or digital setting.

Kelly Says

Before computers, a handsetting typesetter was a highly skilled profession—they read backwards while working left-to-right, assembling thousands of tiny lead characters per day with incredible speed and precision.

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