typeset

American  

[tahyp-set] / ˈtaɪpˌsɛt /

verb (used with object)

typeset, typesetting

1. to set (textual matter) in type.

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adjective

1. (of written, textual matter) set in type.

typeset British  

/ ˈtaɪpˌsɛt /

verb

1. (tr) printing to set (textual matter) in type

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Etymology

Origin of typeset

First recorded in 1865–70; back formation from typesetter

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Explanation

To typeset is to arrange pieces of type, each one representing a letter or symbol, in preparation for printing. Before mechanical printing was developed (and after that, computer-based printing), almost all printed materials had to be typeset by hand. Typesetters would arrange each individual piece of type, composing an entire page before inking and printing on paper. Today, items that are printed by hand (like letterpress cards and books) still have to be typeset, but in most of the printing world, this kind of work is obsolete.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

typeset typesetting

Picking up the typeset Bible text not only speeded production, Mr. Perridge said, but also was a nod to the King James Version’s heritage.

From Washington Times ● May 4, 2023

This was before computers were widely available, so Ng’s staffers had to typeset the Chinese characters manually, using a bulky machine imported from Taiwan.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2023

The royal blog also noted the card’s black border, a typeset feature they said signified "mourning" and is an "old Victorian-era tradition."

From Fox News ● Aug. 18, 2021

“We’re not going to decipher between the typeset on that card versus the other. A lot of this is an honor system.”

From Washington Post ● Jul. 27, 2021

Words appear over the walls, typeset letters overlapping handwritten text.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Decades afterward, now the most famous writer in America, Twain remained so convinced that mechanized typesetting could revolutionize the industry that he lost a fortune investing in one fatally flawed invention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

A leader in this field is Sustainable Typesetting, a project of the design and typesetting company 2K/DENMARK.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2024

Ng and her crew, many of them friends from UW, had to master the publishing business, along with the intricacies of a manual Chinese typesetting machine imported from Taiwan.

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024

At war’s end, the family returned to Seattle, where neighbors had safeguarded typesetting equipment that allowed them to restart the family printing business.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 9, 2023

He had coasted along for years now, filling the pages of his newspaper with words, burying himself in whatever was safe, typesetting the ferry schedule and the tide table and the classified advertisements.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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