Three important rules of publishing are:
1. Proofread, 2. Proofread, 3. Proofread.
The practice of proofreading is almost as old as the invention of the printing press.

Recently we experienced this, and quite literally got our hands dirty learning about letterpress printing at the Victoria University Wai-te-ata Press.

There we found this relic of printing history, the proof readers marks sheet.

Back in the day every tiny letter, comma, and full stop had to be set individually by hand. In addition, everything had to be set backwards, as the letterpress printing produces an impression in reverse.

To avoid mistakes, a proof was printed first to check any errors. A proof reader would check the proof marking any corrections to be made using the symbols shown.

Even though modern technology has made the printing process much simpler, documents still need to be proof read. In the publishing and business world, many of the same proof marks are still used.

It is interesting to note, the origin of some the typographical terms we use today came from this old printing technique. For example an em space, actually was an “em-quad” a metal spacer used in printing presses. And that leading used for line spacing was a thin piece of lead used between the rows of wooden type.

The progression of technology, has meant that over time some of the symbols are now out-dated. Today we do not need to worry about a letter printing backwards or that it would appear broken (meaning the wooden type block needed to be replaced). Modern technology removes the possibility of error or the unpredictable, but it is always good to remember how we got there.