Inventor. Born in Hachtel, Württemberg Germany, he came to America in 1872 and worked in a machinist's shop in Baltimore, Maryland. He became intrigued with the printing process in 1876, when a customer of the shop brought in a broken lithographic ink machine for repairs. Mergenthaler thought he could design a more reliable and easier system. After several failed attempts, he introduced the linotype line casting machine in 1886, which could set an entire line of type at a time. As a result, his invention made a major advance in printing technology which meant publishers could print books, newspapers, magazines and other work much faster than ever before. Mergenthaler's linotype machines became the industry standard until the advent of photo-typesetting and later computerized typesetting in the 1970s.
Inventor. Born in Hachtel, Württemberg Germany, he came to America in 1872 and worked in a machinist's shop in Baltimore, Maryland. He became intrigued with the printing process in 1876, when a customer of the shop brought in a broken lithographic ink machine for repairs. Mergenthaler thought he could design a more reliable and easier system. After several failed attempts, he introduced the linotype line casting machine in 1886, which could set an entire line of type at a time. As a result, his invention made a major advance in printing technology which meant publishers could print books, newspapers, magazines and other work much faster than ever before. Mergenthaler's linotype machines became the industry standard until the advent of photo-typesetting and later computerized typesetting in the 1970s.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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