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"Signature"
Michael asked for information about the origin of this word as it is used in printing - it happens that if one is subscribed to www.timesonline..co.uk then, from 6-15 October one can have free access to the Oxford English Dictionary online search engine.
Lo and behold, this is what it says for "signature" as both noun and verb.
6. Printing (n)
a.. A letter or figure, a set or combination of letters or figures, etc., placed by the printer at the foot of the first page (and frequently on one or more of the succeeding pages) of every sheet in a book, for the purpose of showing the order in which these are to be placed or bound. Abbrev. sig.
1656 BLOUNT Glossogr. s.v., Among Printers the mark or letter they set at the bottom of every sheet printed, as A, B, C, &c. to tell their Quires by, and distinguish one sheet from another, is called the Signature.
1683 MOXON Mech. Exerc., Printing xxii. 4 If it be the First Page of the first Sheet of a Book the Signature is A.
1707 HEARNE Collect. (O.H.S.) I. 339 The Signatures (there being no pages) are towards the top of the Leaf. 1710 Ibid. III. 47 The Signatures shew it to be 8vo.
1775 WARTON Hist. Eng. Poet. II. 15 note, It is in quarto, with signatures to Kk.
1824 J. JOHNSON Typogr. II. 135 It is customary to begin the first sheet of every work with signature B, leaving A for the title sheet.
1864 N. & Q. 3rd Ser. VI. 266 Detached Sheet: 4to; signature, Dddddddd.
1895 Trans. Bibliogr. Soc. II. II. 112 It is usually said that the earliest instance in which printed signatures were employed was the Praeceptorium Divinae Legis of Johannes Nider, printed by Koelhoff at Cologne, in 1472.
attrib. 1888 JACOBI Printers' Vocab. 125 Signature line, the line of quadrats at the bottom of a page in which the signature letter or figure is placed. Ibid., Signature page, the first page of a sheet, on which the signature appears.
1896 Moxon's Mech. Exerc., Printing p. xviii, The old signature marks that would confuse the bookbinder.
b. A sheet, as distinguished by its signature.
1712 HEARNE Collect. (O.H.S.) IV. 37, I shall send you..the Signatures F, G, H, I, of Mr. Dodwell's Dissertation.
1785 W. TOOKE in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 430 As soon as such a number of books are perfected, the surplus of the various signatures are thrown aside for wrappers.
1901 D.. COCKERELL Bookbinding i. 34 The sheets of a newly printed book are arranged in piles in the printer's warehouse, each pile being made up of the same sheet or ‘signature’.
1965 Times Lit. Suppl. 14 Oct. 928/3 This word ‘signature’ is..often used when the user appears to mean either ‘leaf’ or ‘quire’.
1981 Printing World 28 Jan. 13/3 Signatures can be perforated down the back for ‘slotted’ (also known as ‘notched’ or ‘burst’) binding.
2. Printing (v) To put a signature on (a sheet).
1889 T. MACKELLAR Amer. Printer (ed. 17) 135.
And there you have it.
Best wishes to all on the list
Reg
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Lo and behold, this is what it says for "signature" as both noun and verb.
6. Printing (n)
a.. A letter or figure, a set or combination of letters or figures, etc., placed by the printer at the foot of the first page (and frequently on one or more of the succeeding pages) of every sheet in a book, for the purpose of showing the order in which these are to be placed or bound. Abbrev. sig.
1656 BLOUNT Glossogr. s.v., Among Printers the mark or letter they set at the bottom of every sheet printed, as A, B, C, &c. to tell their Quires by, and distinguish one sheet from another, is called the Signature.
1683 MOXON Mech. Exerc., Printing xxii. 4 If it be the First Page of the first Sheet of a Book the Signature is A.
1707 HEARNE Collect. (O.H.S.) I. 339 The Signatures (there being no pages) are towards the top of the Leaf. 1710 Ibid. III. 47 The Signatures shew it to be 8vo.
1775 WARTON Hist. Eng. Poet. II. 15 note, It is in quarto, with signatures to Kk.
1824 J. JOHNSON Typogr. II. 135 It is customary to begin the first sheet of every work with signature B, leaving A for the title sheet.
1864 N. & Q. 3rd Ser. VI. 266 Detached Sheet: 4to; signature, Dddddddd.
1895 Trans. Bibliogr. Soc. II. II. 112 It is usually said that the earliest instance in which printed signatures were employed was the Praeceptorium Divinae Legis of Johannes Nider, printed by Koelhoff at Cologne, in 1472.
attrib. 1888 JACOBI Printers' Vocab. 125 Signature line, the line of quadrats at the bottom of a page in which the signature letter or figure is placed. Ibid., Signature page, the first page of a sheet, on which the signature appears.
1896 Moxon's Mech. Exerc., Printing p. xviii, The old signature marks that would confuse the bookbinder.
b. A sheet, as distinguished by its signature.
1712 HEARNE Collect. (O.H.S.) IV. 37, I shall send you..the Signatures F, G, H, I, of Mr. Dodwell's Dissertation.
1785 W. TOOKE in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 430 As soon as such a number of books are perfected, the surplus of the various signatures are thrown aside for wrappers.
1901 D.. COCKERELL Bookbinding i. 34 The sheets of a newly printed book are arranged in piles in the printer's warehouse, each pile being made up of the same sheet or ‘signature’.
1965 Times Lit. Suppl. 14 Oct. 928/3 This word ‘signature’ is..often used when the user appears to mean either ‘leaf’ or ‘quire’.
1981 Printing World 28 Jan. 13/3 Signatures can be perforated down the back for ‘slotted’ (also known as ‘notched’ or ‘burst’) binding.
2. Printing (v) To put a signature on (a sheet).
1889 T. MACKELLAR Amer. Printer (ed. 17) 135.
And there you have it.
Best wishes to all on the list
Reg
----
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Want to be removed?
Send blank email to graphics-off-AT-lists.graphicslist.org
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