The phrase "sets type" refers to the act of arranging metal letters or blocks for printing. It is spelled /sɛts taɪp/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet. The first part, "sets," is pronounced with the short e sound in "bet" and the t sound. The second part, "type," is pronounced with the long i sound in "eye" and the p sound. This spelling accurately represents the English pronunciation of the phrase and is commonly used in the printing industry.
"Sets type" is a term commonly used in the field of printing and publishing, particularly in relation to the production of books, newspapers, and other printed materials. It refers to the process of arranging individual letterforms, symbols, or characters in a specific order to compose the text or content that will be printed.
Traditionally, setting type involved the physical arrangement of metal or wooden type pieces in a composing stick, a handheld tool that allowed printers to precisely position each character. The typesetting process required skilled craftsmen known as typesetters, who carefully selected and arranged each individual letter, including uppercase and lowercase letters, punctuation marks, numerals, and special characters.
In modern printing practices, typesetting typically involves digital technologies and design software. Today, printers and publishers rely on specialized desktop publishing software, such as Adobe InDesign, to set type. With the aid of these software tools, text can be manipulated, formatted, and organized in a digital workspace, allowing for more efficient and flexible typesetting processes.
The purpose of setting type is to create the final layout and format of a printed piece, ensuring consistency, readability, and aesthetic appeal. Typeset text is aligned, spaced, and sized according to specific typographic rules and design principles to enhance legibility and convey information effectively.
In summary, "sets type" refers to the process of arranging individual characters or letterforms in a specific order to create the textual content for printing, whether through traditional manual typesetting methods or modern digital typesetting software.
The phrase "sets type" comes from the printing industry, particularly during the era of manual typesetting. In traditional printing, each letter, punctuation mark, and space would be represented by individual metal pieces, known as type.
The etymology of the phrase can be broken down as follows:
1. Set: The word "set" has multiple meanings, one of which is to place or arrange something in a particular position. In the context of printing, "set" refers to the act of arranging the individual type pieces in a composing stick or a type tray to form words and sentences.
2. Type: The word "type" originally comes from the Latin word "typus", which means a figure or impression. In the context of printing, "type" refers to the metal pieces, often made of lead, with raised letters or characters on them that are used to print text.