The Quoin

A discovery from the BAnQ.

The quoin is a traditional letterpress tool used to adjust the tension of the frame which holds metal type.

Traditional typography requires a physical process. Typefaces, leading, page size, and all other components are physical objects that are arranged to adjust the layout of a print, rather than on a screen like in the modern process. 

Because the objects take up physical space, different parts of the process can occur in different places altogether. After the types and furniture are arranged in the frame, the typographer must tighten everything together using a quoin. This makes sure all of the components stay in the desired place even when they are moved to the printer.

What is so pleasing about traditional typography are all the various tools required in the process. Although these elements are essential to the print's completion, they are entirely invisible to the viewer and in the final product.