TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: old school From:Beth Agnew <beth -dot- agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Mon, 19 May 2008 11:10:33 -0400
<raises her hand> As a student I worked on the college paper doing
exactly that - typesetting with the Justowriter and then pasting up the
camera ready copy by waxing the back of each story and placing it on the
layout sheets. For copyfitting we used an EXacto Knife to cut the copy.
We had rolls of rules (lines) in various sizes and laying them straight
was always a bit of a challenge. Cutting and pasting -- pshah, the young
whippersnappers today don't know how good they have it!
Later as a communicator in the military I used a typing reperforator to
create paper tape in Murray code. In those early days as a writer I also
worked on low-budget newsletters where we did typewriter justification
-- manually adding spaces between words and sentences to justify the
text. That meant typing it at least twice, or more if you counted wrong.
I also used to buy rolls of 3-ply teletype paper to run through my
typewriter (a Remington manual, if you please). 1 original and 2 copies
from one pass through the machine, and since it was a roll I never had
to stop to insert a new sheet of paper. The paper was colored green,
yellow and pink, but it was perfect for drafts. Again with the cutting
and pasting to get the final story, at which point I typed up a pristine
version on white paper for submission.
Which I then had to deliver by hand, walking uphill in a snowstorm.
--Beth
Jessica Weissman wrote:
> Did anybody use a Friden Justowriter, which let you type copy on one
> machine which created a paper tape with punched holes. You then fed
> that tape through a reader attached to another machine, which in turn
> produced justified camera-ready copy.
>
> Setting copy on one of these was my first job out of high school.
>
> - Jessica
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-