![]() The object of both will be to avoid wide jumps of the hands in fingering the keys. A system of fingering which will suit the long, lithe-fingered chap will be impossible to the stubby-fingered operator, so each must modify the general rules to suit his individual case. This position will place the thumbs in control of the lower banks of keys, and they perform no slight portion of the work of operating. This should be the general position of the hands. Seated at the keyboard so that the lower-case side is directly before the operator, spread out both hands so as to entirely cover the lowercase keys. Assuming that the location of the keys has been so memorized that they are indelibly impressed on the operator's mind, the hands must be placed so as to economize to the utmost the distance necessary to travel in order to reach any key. If the keys are to be operated without looking at the board, the hands must assurne some fixed relation to the keys in order that the fingers may unhesitatingly and unerringly reach for the letters without the guidance of the eyes. There are some general rules which may be laid down as essential to the acquirement of speed in operating the keyboard of the Linotype. Of course, in setting caps and figures, the right hand must travel across the board, and the eyes must follow into the unaccustomed territory, but a thorough operator keeps his eyes steadily on his copy except at such rare intervals. To this end, the keys should always be touched with the fingers nearest to them and thus avoid as much as possible wide movement of the hands. Without looking at the fingers or keys, Any system or method of fingering should have this mainly for its object. They actually lose no time when it is necessary to hand-space a line, make a correction or study their copy, and their proofs are therefore cleaner by reason of their swiftness.īut this is the most important consideration of all: the cultivation of an ability to operate the keyboard Of course, speed can not be attained on illegible manuscript or unprepared copy of any description, but if no time is lost in fingering the keys when the sailing is fair, the operator has time to decipher the cryptography of the scribbler while the elevator is "hung up." This is an important advantage fast operators have in keeping ahead of the machine. The fingers travel over the keys as the eye travels over the lines of the copy, the sense of what is being composed being kept by glancing ahead while sending up the line of matrices. To stop operating while memorizing a sentence is fatal to the acquirement of speed, which demands that the fingers be kept moving incessantly. If this is so, it no longer is necessary to read ahead of what one is setting, as was customary with the hand compositor. Therefore, it is apparent that, in order to avoid the necessity of looking at the keyboard, the location of the keys must be so fixed in the operator's mind that the fingers seek them mechanically, and the eyes be devoted to the continuous reading of the copy. Certainly one can not be shifting the eyes to the keyboard and back to the copy without danger of losing one's place. The keyboard must of necessity be operated without looking at it. The first thought to occur to a student of this subject is that to set type at high rates of speed requires incessant reading of the copy. The proof-reader, however, must be reckoned with. Speed in operating may be acquired by an indefatigable student. ![]() It is only errorless type which is printable, and, as a single error in a line renders the whole line worthless, it is important that few errors be made. The good printer has the advantage, but without system he can not hope to become a swift operator.Īll good printers, perhaps, are not swifts, but it is safe to say that all swifts are good printers. It is largely a matter of system and early training. Do not be discouraged if speed is not attained inside of six months or a year. Speed will come without effort when the proper system has been mastered. Proceed slowly at first, and do not adopt bad practices. To the beginner, we can not too strongly urge the necessity of persistence. It is the inevitable result of having to unlearn what was not learned properly in the beginning. The experienced operator who has difficulty in acquiring speed will perhaps find that this, or any other system he adopts, will temporarily reduce his speed, but he may be sure it is only temporary. THE mere reading of a book on how to operate a Linotype will not make an operator, nor will these suggestions help unless they are put into practice and persisted in. Author of "The Mechanism of the Linotype," "History of
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