Hot Metal Typesetting
with Ludlow Typograph
Editorial Design
Master Project — MA in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects
Faculty of Fine Arts — University of Porto
Orientation Antero Ferreira
This book was born out of my master's project titled "Hot Metal Typesetting with Ludlow
Typograph. Hand-set and linecasting with a semi-automatic system".
The project consisted on getting the Ludlow Model M (SN: M18454), a hot metal typesetting machine, up and running and cast lines of text with the system in the present day. The machine, introduced in 1966 and now part of the collection of Antero Ferreira, had not been used for at least 17 years, making it a difficult but extremely rewarding process, as all of the goals were met and even exceeded.
In December 2022 I had the opportunity, along with Antero Ferreira, to take part in the 12th Typography Meeting where I presented this project in the form of an article and a "type talk".
PROJECT CONTEXT
The Ludlow Typograph model M (SN: M18454) was donated to Antero Ferreira, in late 2005, by Manuel Rodrigues Pereira da Silva, a typographer born in Póvoa de Varzim. The model was owned by Silvas —Cooperativa de Trabalhadores Gráficos CRL, which acquired it in late 1960. Manuel Silva passed away in 2008 leaving Antero on his own with the dream of casting lines of text with the equipment. So, following its donation the equipment was shut down for fifteen years, and in September 2020 it went to Grafopel's for a major mechanical overhaul to make it operational for future use.
In July 2021 I´ve met Antero and he proposed that, as part of my master's project, I would join him in studying how to work with the machine. So from September 2021 till September 2023 me and Antero worked together with a common goal.
