I'll guess they were the epitome of technology when they were first sold and very expensive. Were they always powered by electricity? Maybe the melting pots were heated with gas burners.

Anybody know what they cost in a given year so I could see what they cost in todays dollars?

This is what ChatGPT had to say:

The cost of a brand-new linotype machine varied depending on the model and the time period, but they were a significant investment for publishers. Around the early to mid-20th century, prices typically ranged from $1,000 to $3,000 or more. Adjusted for inflation, this would be the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars in today's money, reflecting their importance as a cornerstone of industrialized printing.

For example, the Linotype Model 5, introduced in the early 1900s and widely used in the newspaper industry, was priced at around $1,000 at the time. More advanced models introduced later, such as the Model 31 or 32, would cost more. Maintenance, upgrades, and accessories added to the overall expense.

This cost underscores why linotype machines were primarily owned by larger printing operations and were considered a major technological leap in the printing industry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_metal Alloy of lead, tin and antimony, used to be sought after by home bullet casters.

This youtube video on the history of machines to speed typesetting is excellent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n5JQrN8qx4

If I'm understanding correctly, depending on the complexity of the machine, which means how many font choices I think, they ranged from $2500-3000 around 1900. The inflation calculator I use starts at 1913 and equates that range to $75-90 thousand dollars. Possibly inflation wasn't significant from 1900-1913.

Other typesetting machines are very rare since Linotype was the big dog and took the others on trade and destroyed them.

Some of the big newspapers used Linotype machines up until the 1970s and had over a hundred of them. The way the moulds for each character get recycled back into the magazine for reuse, and the wedge system for spacing is very ingenious.

I have used old Linos to set galleys for letterpress.

They literally changed civilization and the access to up to date information.

I beleive it is Yesteryear Museum in Salina KS that has what appeared to be a complete Lino Type machine in its huge collection of obsolete stuff. The place is worth visit if you like browsing through that sort of history.

In the mid-1980s I use Linotype's computer typesetters (about $100K a pop (in 1985 dollars) and was one of seven Linotype-trained operators of their failed Linotype Graphics System, a roughly $500K (in 1985 dollars) computer graphics station that was overcome about nine months later by the first $10K MAC running Pagemaker 1.0.

I remember the death knell of AM Varityper and Compugraphic and their desperate attempts to compete.

Lino at least had imagesetters when they merged with Hell. I tossed a Lino 400 off the loading dock just to watch is smash back in 2005.

Only the scanner recorder companies adapted with imagesetters, then plate setters.

I worked in a shop that had four linotype machines. It was very interesting seeing how they work.

I used to love hearing the sound of the machine running, and the trickling of the metal slugs falling into position as they were produced.

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
I worked in a shop that had four linotype machines. It was very interesting seeing how they work.

I used to love hearing the sound of the machine running, and the trickling of the metal slugs falling into position as they were produced.

The moulds fall into position, then the spacers making a line. Then the line is cast.