> but I would say that there is no substantial economic advantage to copperplate over type in the matter of paper, > as he surmises. The principal advantage, at least potentially, would be that the use of copper plates would > > > avoid type being held in forme between printings (or if redistributed, reset for new editions). > I completely agree with Ted. The expense of resetting the relatively short Horace text in letterpress would have > been far, far less than the expense of the copper plates and their engraving. Not to mention the fact that copper is a soft metal, and detail of the type would not have lasted through enough printings to make it worthwhile. Perhaps steel plates would last, but that would not have been done until the nineteenth century. Greg Powers Powers Rare Books |