Antiquated terms still used today, despite the lack of meaning:
foundry, referring to a company that distributes fonts. Fonts were once distributed as steel molds for hot-metal typecasting machines, hence these businesses actually needed metal foundries. Now I’m certain that, as with most businesses, the only employees who aren’t stationed before computer screens are janitors.
mechanical, and camera-ready. A printer will still ask you for “a mechanical” or “camera-ready art.” But they no longer do anything mechanical with it, other than lay it on a scanner. Once, your document would be placed under a photostat camera to be recorded on the film that would then expose a litho printing plate. Most plates are still made from photographic film, but the film is exposed not with a camera but a computer-controlled laser beam.

Leave a Comment