Addressograph - Fairchild Electro/Set Keyboard
Production date
Circa 1968
Country
USA
State/Province
New Jersey
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Object detail
Description
A Fairchild Electro/Set Keyboard, model number 430-1B, serial number 15724, The ‘QWERTY’ type keyboard features plastic keys, mounted on a painted metal case which houses the interior electronics. Includes mounted reel of heat-sensitive diazotype material. An addressograph is an office machine for rapidly printing postal addresses on envelopes or mailing labels. They were superceded by desktop computers.
Classification
COMMERCE Office Machinery addressograph
Production date
Circa 1968
Production place
Measurements
520 mm (L) x 680 mm (W) x 510 mm (H)
Media/Materials description
Steel, plastic.
Signature/Marks
PATENTS PENDING \ AM \ VARITYPER DIVISION \ ADDRESSOGRAPH MULTIGRAPH CORPORATION \ EAST HANOVER, NEW JERSEY 07936 \ MODEL NO. \ 430 1B \ SERIAL NO. 15724 \ VOLTS \ 230 \ AMPS \ 1 \ HERTZ \ 50/60
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History and use
The Fairchild Electro Set Keyboard demonstrates an important step in the evolution of typesetting from manual to computerised operation. It is part of the earliest computerised equipment used for printing at Queensland Newspapers, and newspapers throughout Australia, and its obsolescence is evocative of the rapidly evolving technology of this field.
The keyboard was owned by Queensland Newspapers from ca.1968 until ca.1982, where it was used for data input in the composition of both news and classifieds. The keyboard produced 6 level punched paper tape which contained mark up, typesetting commands and text. Additional formatting was required and the tape was fed into a Digital PDP-8 mainframe computer, which processed the data and produced a second punch tape containing justification and hyphenation. The second tape was then processed by an automated Linotype or Intertype machine which produced hot metal type for page composition.
The keyboard represents an important step in the evolution of newspaper printing technology, specifically the introduction of computerised equipment in the typesetting process. The mid twentieth century was a time of increased research and development of computer technology. The introduction of the special-purpose PDP-8 mainframe computer by the Digital Equipment Corporation in 1965, was a major innovation, forming the basis of many computer-controlled typesetting systems at the time. For companies such as Queensland Newspapers, the introduction of computerised typesetting had the potential to increase efficiency and output, although in hindsight the process appears cumbersome in comparison with modern printing techniques.
The 1982 collapse of AM International (formerlythe Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation) is also representative of the challenge faced by many corporations then, struggling to successfully transition from mechancical to digital systems. The retention of obsolete computer equipment from the 1960s is relatively rare, given the space required to store them and their redundant use, and the keyboard is evocative of the early and rapidly evolving technology of this field.
The keyboard was owned by Queensland Newspapers from ca.1968 until ca.1982, where it was used for data input in the composition of both news and classifieds. The keyboard produced 6 level punched paper tape which contained mark up, typesetting commands and text. Additional formatting was required and the tape was fed into a Digital PDP-8 mainframe computer, which processed the data and produced a second punch tape containing justification and hyphenation. The second tape was then processed by an automated Linotype or Intertype machine which produced hot metal type for page composition.
The keyboard represents an important step in the evolution of newspaper printing technology, specifically the introduction of computerised equipment in the typesetting process. The mid twentieth century was a time of increased research and development of computer technology. The introduction of the special-purpose PDP-8 mainframe computer by the Digital Equipment Corporation in 1965, was a major innovation, forming the basis of many computer-controlled typesetting systems at the time. For companies such as Queensland Newspapers, the introduction of computerised typesetting had the potential to increase efficiency and output, although in hindsight the process appears cumbersome in comparison with modern printing techniques.
The 1982 collapse of AM International (formerlythe Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation) is also representative of the challenge faced by many corporations then, struggling to successfully transition from mechancical to digital systems. The retention of obsolete computer equipment from the 1960s is relatively rare, given the space required to store them and their redundant use, and the keyboard is evocative of the early and rapidly evolving technology of this field.
Associated person
Registration number
H49399
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