Western Australian Upper Case

¦¦

fist

Per

° ' ''

+×÷

{{{

{

----

---

1/4

1/2

3/4

1/3 2/3

1/6 1/8

3/8 7/8

...

;

[ ]

( )

This layout is given in Western Australian Education Department, Technical Extension: Course for Composing Apprentices (c1960). It differs from most English lays by having the small caps in the top left rows, rather than the bottom, and also by putting the figures in the Lower case. With the figures out of the way, there is more room for signs and fractions, and a selection of accented letters - but not the normal full range. Note, for example, that ; and ? and ( ) are in the Upper case. Note also that the boxes with A, etc are for small caps. The box with ¦ is a single dagger, and with ¦¦ a double dagger. The box with -- is for en rule, --- for em rule, ---- for 2, 3 and 4 em rules. The 3/8 box also has 5/8.

Early cases, e.g. Smith (1755) had both caps and small caps in the top rows, but the caps were on the left. Hazard (Stower 1808) moved them to the bottom rows, but still with caps on the left. By 1882, Southward had moved them to the right. Also, from at least Moxon (1683) onwards, figures and accents were in the Upper case, by 1882 with fractions joining them.

The companion lower case is Australian. The empty configuration is that of Moxon (1683), and Smith (1755), Luckombe (1771), Stower (1808), Miller & Richard (1873), Southward (1882), Mackellar (1885), Barnhart Bros & Spindler's News (1890s), Stephenson Blake & Co (1922), Caslon (1925) etc.

Other empty cases ie with the boxes left blank		Other type layouts ie with characters assigned to boxes
Full Index of layouts	Glossary of terms used	Sources of the layouts	Introduction
Quantities in a fount of type		Quantities in a case of type
Notes about Job and Double Cases	Notes about Upper cases	Notes about Lower cases	Alembic home page

This page was written in 2006 by David Bolton and last updated 31 January 2006.