Linotype

Linotype, mechanical typesetting machine that revolutionized printing and made possible the publication of low-priced books and newspapers. Invented by Ottmar Merganthaler in 1884, the machine, operated by a typewriter keyboard, assembles brass matrices of type into a line and casts the line as a single metal slug. Various photographic and lithographic printing techniques have virtually replaced the linotype machine.

See also: Printing; Mergenthaler, Ottmar.