Phototypesetting

It is a method of setting type with light(Photo). It consists of a Character matrix in the form of film negative, which has the images of all the characters, a photo sensite paper and a light source. The characters in the matrix are exposed into the photographic paper by the light source through a lens one by one as it is typed in the keyboard, similar to that of Typewriters. The exposed photographic paper is developed and used as master for reproduction of plates, which is required for the printing process Offset Lithography. The difference in fonts are achieved by each Character matrix for every font. The difference in size of the character is achieved with the lens unit.

History

The genesis of Phototypesetting dates back to 1940s and it became popular in early 1970s when it is considered as replacment for metal typesetting with grown popularity of Offset Lithography. The Phototypesetting is later superseded by the Imagesetters and Laser printers