Ludlow Typograph

Hot linecasting metal (the same alloy used in Linotype and Intertype machines) is then injected through the mold into the matrices, allowed to cool, and then the bottom of the slug is trimmed just before it is ejected.

The worth of the Ludlow lies in the fact that the printer always has fresh, clean type to print from, and never has to worry about running out of sorts.

The machine has a heated crucible for the hot type metal, with a mechanically actuated plunger which operates as part of the injection cycle.

At the end of each week, the plunger assembly had to be disassembled (while hot), removed, and the pump well cleaned using a scraper (as with linecasting machines).

It was founded in 1906 by the machine's inventor, Washington Irving Ludlow, and machinist William A. Reade to manufacture a simpler, cheaper version of the Linotype.

[3] None of these competing systems achieved much success, however, and the typical job shop of the letterpress era usually had both a line-caster for text, and a Ludlow for casting headlines.