Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: register true origins

Back in 1973, I had was working in the US on a camera-ready book 
composition, and I was given the "Pocket Pal, a graphic artsproduction 
handbook", from International Paper Company (10th edition (1970), 3rd 
printing, rev. January 1973. (the original edition is 1934) as a 
reference book for english typesetting terminology (I am French and my 
Polish is very basic :-) , and even if I cannot claim six-quarter 
printer ancestry, I have some knowledge of printing technologies, from 
composing stick using mobile lead typefaces to latest digital ones.)
In the "graphic arts terms" glossary, there are the following entries:

 * register: Fitting of two or more printing images on the sae paper in
   exact alignment with each other.
 * register marks: Crosses or other devices applied to original copy
   prior to photography. Used for positioning negatives in register, or
   for register of two or more colors in process printing.

The term "registration" is also used in image processing in a close meaning:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_registration
Best regards,
Jean-Louis

On 08/08/2012 16:32, Andrew Brager wrote:
> On 8/7/2012 7:11 PM, Brian Barker wrote:
> > At 12:39 07/08/2012 -0700, Andrew Brager wrote:
> > > Yet, it fails to answer my original question which is where do the 
> > > words "register true" come from, and to extend and clarify the 
> > > question - how did register true come to mean "aligning baselines"?
> >
> > I think that bit's fairly easy.  According to the dictionary, one 
> > sense of "register" as a noun is "a state of proper alignment" and as 
> > a verb "to adjust so as to be properly aligned" or "to be in proper 
> > alignment".  And "true" similarly can mean as an adjective 
> > "accurately placed", and as an adverb "precisely" or "exactly". So 
> > "register true" can mean "align exactly" or "precise alignment".  
> > (There's nothing about baselines - but we're talking about vertical 
> > alignment, so what else could you align?)
> >
> > Brian Barker
> While I don't doubt your research (I essentially said the same thing 
> in an example - to wit:
>
>    /I'd be somewhat satisfied if I saw in a book somewhere that was
>    describing the finer points of typesetting or some such, and it
>    simply stated something to the effect of "when they used to set type
>    on the presses built in the early 1900's, they would first align the
>    baselines of all the typeface thingys, and then say to somebody 'it
>    registers true, you may print it'". /)
>
> The problem is you're guessing, as was I.  If you said to me something 
> like "I've been a typesetter for 45 years, and my daddy was a 
> typesetter before me and before that my granddaddy before him and we 
> always used to align baselines and we called it register true, I don't 
> know why we just did"... well, that at least carry's some ring of 
> authority.  If you'd of added "Back in them days register meant 
> 'align' and true meant 'precise', ok that closes the circle.  Finis.  
> In lieu of that, a book from a confirmed authority stating something 
> similar would be preferable.
>
> It's not that I'm unwilling to accept your explanation, I just would 
> of preferred hearing it from an authoritative source, such that it's 
> undeniable.  At this point I'm willing to drop the matter, other than 
> to say I still vote for a change in name from "register true" to 
> "align baselines" simply because it's more clear - at least to me.
>
> Thanks to everyone that participated in the discussion.  I'll take a 
> look at the links previously provided perhaps they'll give me the 
> answers I'm seeking, but regardless I declare this thread dead & buried.

--
Jean-Louis Oneto
e-mail: jl.oneto@free.fr


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