Makeup Area

In the back right corner of the building is another makeup table with a large stone. This area is used for making up the larger newspaper pages in the metal chases.

This is where the type is put with photos and advertising to compose a full newspaper page layout. Photos were scanned by special machines and engraved onto metal. (Many small papers had to send photos to a vendor to have that done.) That metal was then mounted on wood blocks cut to the right size and then the block was fitted into the page. 

A similar process was used to create advertising, except that some ads were made first onto cardboard material then molten lead was poured into that form making a lead block for printing. Small newspapers would often get these cardboard “mats” in the mail and then pour their own lead.

Near this area you will see a small wood cabinet with different size blocks of wood. This is a “furniture” cabinet and the blocks of wood are used to brace the type inside the chase.

There is also a gray cabinet below the furniture cabinet with trays of type inside. These are galley trays and hold job printing layouts, text copy, photo cuts and advertising cuts.