A Typographic Quest, Number Three, ‘Type to be Read' – Westvaco, Carl Dair, 1965

The background on the cover of booklet number three is from a page printed by George Herolt of Rome, in 1481. The title is set in Palatino Italic, with swash caps, and Palatino small caps. Dair placed a stylized caret over a circle to create an eye, the often forgotten tool in reading.

In three sample settings Dair demonstrates how the length of a line of type affects our ability to read. If the line is too long for the size of type, we simply lose track of how to get back to the next line. Likewise, if the lines are too short, the constant shifting back and forth can quickly become tiresome. In both cases if the reader does not what the problem is they may simply lose interest and stop reading.

Using his Alphacast system, Dair explains how to calculate the number of pages a specific typeface will occupy. This was basic information that all typographers, and many designers, had to know before they could order typesetting. To aid typographers, the type foundries used to provide tables that showed how many characters would fit in a line of type.

Same caption for both image 4 and 5 In Dair’s words; “The Alphacast is a simplified method of estimating how much space a typewritten manuscript will occupy when set in any given size and style of type. All that is needed is a specimen alphabet from a to z of the type to be used.”

see image 4