Tightening the quoins

This is a far more important part of a compositor’s work than many imagine. A compositor, in quoining up a forme, usually places any sort of quoin that apparently fits, and when he comes to lock up the forme he is necessitated to change many of them; whereas the proper way is to push up the quoins as tightly as possible with the thumb, so much so that the forme can be partially raised, before locking up, to see if the matter is properly justified. Some compositors have a habit of pushing up the quoins this way so tight that they cannot loosen them again without the aid of the mallet and shooting-stick. Before finally locking up, the quoins should be gently tightened by tapping them up with the mallet and shooting-stick, and any loose ones replaced.