Laying down pages

The arrangement of the pages of a sheet on the imposing surface in their proper order. In taking up his pages for imposition, the compositor tightly grasps ihe paper on both sides of ihe page in order that it may be kept firnx to the bottom of the page; for if it be left slack, the letters will be liable to slip out unless it be particularly well tied up. Having conveyed it to the stone, he next places the last two lingers of his right hand against the head of the page, but not under the page-paper at the head of it, still grasping the sides with his forefingers and thumbs. He then slips his left hand so that the palm of it may turn towards the bottom, and, lifting the page upright on his right hand, with his left he removes the paper. He next grasps again the foot end of the page with his left hand in the same manner as the right holds the head of it, and turning the face towards him, lays it squarely and quickly down, so that the whole page may come in contact with the imposing surface at the same time. As this method, in inexperienced and careless hands, would frequently endanger a page containing intricate matter, it would be safer to place the pages at first on good strong, but not rough or coarse paper, and when brought to the stone, instead of lifting them up as just noticed, to slide them off the papers in the same manner as though they were on a slice-galley (See Tying-up Pages), being careful that no particles of dirt remain under the page.